By Scott Barancik, editor With Team Israel’s surprising run at the World Baseball Championship behind us, Jewish Baseball News turns to that beloved annual rite: Spring Training. A total of 19 Jewish players were invited to MLB Spring Training camps this year, either as part of their teams’ active roster, 40-man roster, or non-roster invitee…
By Scott Barancik, editor The roster of players set to represent Israel in the World Baseball Classic in South Korea this March is taking shape. Team Israel general manager Peter Kurz, whose squad of former Major League and current minor-league athletes guided Israel to a qualifying-round win in September, said Tuesday that 15 ballplayers had already committed to…
By Scott Barancik, Editor Scarcely a year after being drafted by the Houston Astros, red-hot prospect Alex Bregman is being called-up to the Majors. He is expected to make his MLB debut tonight against the Yankees in New York. A 22-year-old shortstop from Albuquerque, NM, Bregman has made quick work of the minors. After hitting a combined .294 last…
By Scott Barancik, Editor For the second times in 18 days, the New York Yankees have added a Jewish player to their roster. Ike Davis, a first baseman who began his Major League career with the crosstown New York Mets in 2010 and also played for the Pittsburgh Pirates and Oakland A’s, signed with the…
By Scott Barancik, Editor He tossed only three pitches off the mound at Toronto’s Rogers Centre today, but for Yankees rookie Richard Bleier, it probably felt like 300. The 29-year-old southpaw entered the game with one out in the bottom of the 8th inning and quickly put the Blue Jays to bed, forcing Michael Sanders to ground…
By Scott Barancik, Editor Here they are, your minor-league updates from the week of May 23-29, 2016. Jewish Baseball News Player of the Week P Jared Lakind (Pirates/AA) had a busy week, delivering four scoreless relief appearances to stretch his streak to 10. The 24-year-old gave up one hit and three walks while striking out five over a combined…
By Scott Barancik, Editor After toiling nine years in the minor leagues, Richard Bleier finally got The Call today. A 29-year-old southpaw and Team Israel alum, Bleier was promoted by the New York Yankees. He is a starter by trade but most likely will debut in the bullpen. The Texas Rangers selected Bleier in the sixth round of the 2008 draft….
By Scott Barancik, Editor Here they are, your minor-league updates from the week of May 16-22, 2016. Jewish Baseball News Player of the Week SS Alex Bregman (Astros/AA) hit .367 with 3 HRs, 2 doubles, 10 RBIs, and 4 walks. The second-year pro is ranked first in the Texas League in on-base percentage (.425), slugging percentage (.658)…
By Scott Barancik, Editor Here they are, your minor-league updates from the week of May 2-8, 2016. Highlights After getting only one hit in his first 22 at-bats, former major leaguer Ike Davis (AAA/Rangers) went 3-for-5 with two doubles and five RBIs on May 2. Davis has reached base in his last six games and had…
By Scott Barancik, Editor Here they are, your minor-league highlights from the week of April 18-24. Borenstein’s streak Diamondbacks Triple-A prospect Zach Borenstein is 5-for-9 in his last four games with a double, HR, walk, and 4 RBIs. His 12 RBIs (in 51 at-bats) rank 14th in the Pacific Coast League. Goldberg’s promotion Brad Goldberg, a 6-foot-4…
By Scott Barancik, editor On Tuesday, Major League teams can expand their rosters from 25 players to 40, an annual September ritual that allows top prospects a chance to take a swing at the big time. Although there are no guarantees, two Jewish pitchers might make the leap. One is Washington Nationals farmhand Richard Bleier, a…
By Scott Barancik, editor Nu, so what’s going on in the Minors? Cody Decker — the San Diego Padres’ all-time minor-league HR leader and a participant in this month’s Triple-A Home Run Derby — has hit three HRs since the All-Star break, including Thursday’s solo shot (7/23/2015). The El Paso Chihuahuhas star has 18 HRs, and he’s hitting them…
By Scott Barancik, editor Richard Bleier pitched 7 shutout innings Wednesday for the Harrisburg Senators (AA), giving up just four hits and not a single walk in a 13-0 win. So what else is new? In 103 Double-A innings this year, the 28-year-old Washington Nationals prospect has walked only nine batters, or 2.2% of those…
By Scott Barancik, editor Twenty-three minor-league players were selected in the Triple-A phase of today’s (12/12/2013) Rule 5 draft, and three of them are Jewish. The San Diego Padres acquired St. Louis Cardinals prospect Jake Lemmerman. A 24-year-old shortstop out of Duke University, Lemmerman has hit .273 over his 4-year career with the Cardinals and Los Angeles…
Going shopping? Please use our Amazon.com link —————————————————————————————————————————————— By Scott Barancik/Jewish Baseball News Jewish Baseball News, the website that brings you “News and stats on Jews with bats,” has selected the top Jewish minor-leaguers of the 2012 season. Here are the award winners: Rookie of the year Jack Marder, 2B/C/LF, High Desert Mavericks (Seattle Mariners)…
By Scott Barancik/Jewish Baseball News The long wait to see which players will represent Israel at World Baseball Classic qualifiers this week is over. Team Israel’s 28-man roster (see below) includes two former Major Leaguers (player/coaches Shawn Green and Gabe Kapler), three Israelis, and 23 minor-leaguers. Because the MLB season is still underway, no current…
JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — Thanks to off-season surgery on his right knee, Texas Rangers P Scott Feldman has spent the 2011 season on the disabled list. But he may be turning the corner. On Saturday (5/14/2011), the 6-foot-6-inch starter pitched 5 strong innings for the “AA” Frisco RoughRiders in an 11-2 win over the Corpus…
JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — Texas Rangers 2B Ian Kinsler may be the only Jew playing in the 2010 World Series, but he’s got some company in the Minor Leagues. Both World Series teams have Jewish players in their farm systems. And while none is likely to make the Majors in 2011, a couple show some…
JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — How are Jewish players doing in the minor-league playoffs? Here is an overview, starting with players whose teams are still in the mix, and followed by those already celebrating victory or recently ousted. Fighting for a championship The Columbus Clippers (Cleveland Indians) are fighting for the International League (AAA) championship, and…
JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — The best major- or minor-league performances of Sunday, July 25: Jake Lemmerman, “Rookie Pioneer League” Ogden Raptors (Los Angeles Dodgers). The 21-year-old shortstop went 2-for-2 on Sunday with a home run and two walks. The top Jewish pick in the June 2010 amateur draft — 5th round, 172nd overall — Lemmerman ranks among…
