Going shopping? Please use our Amazon.com link ———————————————————————— By Scott Barancik/Jewish Baseball News With the regular season now underway, we’re taking a quick look back at how Jewish players performed in spring training. The sheer number who played was impressive: a total of at least 24 Jews — 18 position players and six pitchers —…
Going shopping? Please use our Amazon.com link. —————————————————————————————————————————————— By Scott Barancik/Jewish Baseball News If it seemed like Jewish ballplayers were smacking a lot of home runs this season, it wasn’t your imagination. Several records were broken or matched in 2012. Jewish major leaguers (excluding pitchers) hit a combined 116 HRs, topping the prior record of…
By Scott Barancik and Zev Ben Avigdor/Jewish Baseball News Your weekly source of pride-inducing updates: Ryan Braun hit his 37th HR on Sunday (9/2/2012), tying a career high. Thanks to the 3-run blast, he needs only 5 more RBIs to pierce the 100-RBI mark for the 5th straight season. So far, the only player to…
By Scott Barancik/Jewish Baseball News Fear not: there is still some good news in the world: Sam Fuld‘s heroic fielding and hustle have earned him the nickname “Super Sam,” but Tampa Bay Rays fans may just want to call him “Sparkplug.” Though a wrist injury kept Fuld off the field this season until July 24,…
By Scott Barancik/Jewish Baseball News Boker tov, fellow Hebrews! Here’s some good news for your Monday morn: Seattle Mariners prospect Jack Marder was out most of June with injuries, but you wouldn’t know it from his first 3 games back, when he went 7-for-15 with 2 HRs, a double, and 5 RBIs (July 6-8). A 22-year-old catcher…
By Scott Barancik/Jewish Baseball News Our cup runneth over with good news this week: Does Kevin Youkilis have a flair for the dramatic, or what? The newly-minted Chicago White Sox third baseman homered in his first at-bat at U.S. Cellular Field (see video) and finished the day 3-for-6 with 4 RBIs. He’s 9-for-23 (.391) during the current homestand,…
By Scott Barancik/Jewish Baseball News Get ready to kvell, brothers and sisters. It’s Good news Monday! San Diego Padres prospect Nate Freiman won the Texas League Home Run Derby last Thursday (6/28/2012). A 6’7″ first baseman with the San Antonio Missions (AA), Freiman’s first swing of the contest reportedly was “the sweetest.” He launched a shot that not only…
By Scott Barancik/Jewish Baseball News Because our website was down on Monday, gosh darn it: If cats have nine lives, Jason Marquis may be a close second. After the Minnesota Twins unceremoniously dumped the 33-year-old journeyman and his 8.47 ERA last month, he was picked up by his 8th MLB team, the San Diego Padres….
By Scott Barancik/Jewish Baseball News Max Fried, an 18-year-old southpaw from southern California, was the No. 7 pick in the first round of the 2012 amateur draft Monday night (6/4/2012), selected by the San Diego Padres. (See video.) A 6’4″ curveball specialist who modeled his pitch on hero Sandy Koufax‘s, Fried has committed to UCLA…
By Scott Barancik/Jewish Baseball News Is it Monday already? Then sprinkle these tidbits in your morning coffee: Michael Schwimer is back with Philadelphia Phillies after a four-week stint in AAA, and yesterday (6/3/2012) the move paid off. In his second relief stint since returning to the bigs, the gentle giant from Fairfax, Va. (6’8″, 240…
By Scott Barancik/Jewish Baseball News Because Monday was Memorial Day, dontcha know: Texas Rangers 2B Ian Kinsler broke out of a 27-game HR slump on Sunday (5/27/2012) with a HR, double, and four RBIs in a 12-6 triumph over the Texas Rangers. Despite the drought, Kinsler leads the majors with 41 runs scored. Sunday’s two-hit game was…
By Scott Barancik/Jewish Baseball News Mondays blow. So inhale this: Hungering for more Jewish ballplayers? Jewish Sports Review recently uncovered two: Toronto Blue Jays prospect Ian Kadish, and Pittsburgh Pirates prospect Jared Lakind. Kadish, a 23-year-old reliever, debuted last year with the Bluefield Blue Jays (Rookie), going 2-3 with a 2.67 ERA, 7 saves, and 35…
By Scott Barancik/Jewish Baseball News When Ryan Braun smashed three HRs against the San Diego Padres on Monday night (see video), Jewish baseball fans everywhere celebrated. Here are a few more reasons to be proud: The Milwaukee Brewers right fielder is just the fifth Jewish player since 1918 to homer 3 or more times in a 9-inning…
By Scott Barancik/Jewish Baseball News My 8-year-old says Mondays are among her favorite days of the week because she has ‘running club’ after school. For the rest of humanity, Mondays can be hellish. May these tidbits make your day a little easier: Washington Nationals prospect Danny Rosenbaum recently was named the Eastern League’s player of the week, and…
By Scott Barancik/Jewish Baseball News Mondays can be tough on the soul. So have some smiles on us: Washington Nationals prospect Danny Rosenbaum is off to another good start this season. A starting pitcher with the Harrisburg Senators (AA), the 24-year-old lefty is 2-0 with a 1.25 ERA. Not bad, even for a player whose…
By Scott Barancik/Jewish Baseball News In 2010, the year Jewish Baseball News debuted, MLB’s Opening Day rosters included 10 Jewish players. In 2011 there were nine. This season? Only seven. It’s enough to make an M.O.T. cry in his $9 ballpark beer. Thanks to injuries (Sam Fuld, Ryan Kalish), flips of a coin (Ryan Lavarnway, Michael…
By Scott Barancik/Jewish Baseball News Given that he’s the reigning National League MVP, you might think Ryan Braun would be tearing up Spring Training pitching. And you would be wrong. Opening Day is little more than a week away, but 2012 already has already delivered a few surprises, as well as some more predictable performances. The…
By Scott Barancik/Jewish Baseball News Spring Training 2012 is in its second week, and a number of Jewish players are in the mix. Fifteen Jews — including 6 pitchers and 9 position players — were invited to participate in Major League Baseball’s annual rite this year. They include all 13 who played MLB ball in…
JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — When word leaked out in December that 2011 N.L. MVP Ryan Braun had failed a drug test, some wrote him off as just another cheater. Not so fast. Major League Baseball announced today that the positive drug-test ruling, and 50-game suspension, had been overruled by a 3-man arbitration panel. It reportedly was the first successful…
Jewish Baseball News gets better when you use our Amazon.com link JEWISH BASEBALL NEWS — ESPN reported today that 2011 N.L. MVP Ryan Braun tested positive for excessive testosterone in October and may face a 50-game suspension. If ESPN’s unnamed sources are correct, it won’t matter whether the Milwaukee Brewers star knowingly violated baseball’s ban…
