Jewish Baseball News

• CF Harrison Bader (Yankees) goes 1-for-4 with 393-foot HR, stolen base, 2 RBIs, and throwing error in 10-7 win over Padres. Among fellow Yankees in May, Bader is tied for #1 with 5 SBs and for #2 with 6 HRs and 19 RBIs (5/28/2023)
• P Eli Morgan (Guardians) tosses 1.1 scoreless innings in 4-3 win over Cardinals (5/28/2023)
• C Andy Yerzy (Diamondbacks/AAA), who played just one game this season before being placed on franchise’s development list, goes 1-for-3 with HR and walk in return to lineup (5/28/2023)
• 2B Noah Mendlinger (Cardinals/AA) goes 3-for-5 with 3-run HR in 10-5 win over Twins affiliate (5/28/2023)
• P Ryan Sherriff (Red Sox/AAA) tosses 1.2 perfect innings and strikes out 3 in 11-4 loss to Yankees affiliate (5/28/2023)
• 3B Alex Bregman (Astros) goes 3-for-4 with 3-run double in 6-3 win over Athletics, raising batting average to .236, his highest since April 25. Bregman went hitless in first 21 plate appearances this season (5/27/2023)
• P Dean Kremer (Orioles) strikes out 5 over 6.1 innings and yields 3 earned runs in 5-3 loss to Rangers. Four-seam fastballs account for 41 of Kremer’s 97 pitches and average 94.9-mph (5/27/2023)
• LF Spencer Horwitz (Blue Jays/AAA) goes 3-for-5 with solo HR in win over Phillies farm team. Toronto’s #18 prospect is hitting .329, and his .453 OBP ranks #4 in International League (5/27/2023)
• 3B Jake Scheiner (Mariners/AAA) goes 3-for-5 with 3-run HR in win over Athletics affiliate. Scheiner is among Pacific Coast League leaders in several categories: he ranks #2 in HRs with 15, #3 in RBIs with 43, and #6 in OPS at 1.001 (5/27/2023)
• P Kenny Rosenberg (Angels) earns shutout win over Astros affiliate, yielding just 2 hits and 3 walks over 5 innings while notching 6 strikeouts (5/27/2023)
• 3B Alex Bregman (Astros) goes 2-for-4 with RBI single in 5-2 win over Athletics. Bregman’s 1.27 walk-to-strike out ratio (28 K vs. 22 BB) ranks #2 in MLB (5/26/2023)
• P Jake Bird (Rockies) tosses perfect inning of relief in 5-2 loss to Mets. Bird’s 24 appearances this season are tied for #3 in National League. Meanwhile, his 2.41 ERA ranks #5, and he is tied for #2 in home runs allowed with just one (5/26/2023)
• Rookie pitcher Jared Shuster (Braves) holds Phillies to 3 earned runs over 5.2 innings, but shaky bullpen leads Atlanta to 6-4 defeat (5/26/2023)
• P Colton Gordon (Astros/AA) tosses 5 innings of scoreless relief in 5-4 loss to Athletics affiliate, yielding 4 hits and no walks while striking out 6. Houston’s #8 prospect had rough April, going 1-2 with 6.75 ERA, 1.62 WHIP, and opponent OPS of .873. But in May, Gordon is 1-1 with 2.16 ERA, 0.88 WHIP, and .447 opponent OPS (5/26/2023)
• Triple the naches: in 7th inning of game between Las Vegas Aviators (Athletics/AAA) and Tacoma Rainiers (Mariners/AAA), Aviators 2B Zack Gelof hits single off Rainiers P Rob Kaminsky and into hands of Rainiers LF Jake Scheiner. Gelof and Scheiner have big days in Aviator’ 14-6 win. Gelof goes 3-for-5 with solo HR. Scheiner homers for Rainiers, going 2-for-3 with walk and 2 RBIs. Kaminsky, unfortunately, is hammered for 5 earned runs over 1.2 innings. Aviators reliever Chase Cohen? Not Jewish (5/25/2023)
• 3B/2B Noah Mendlinger (Cardinals/AA) goes 3-for-4 with double, walk, and 2 RBIs in 4-3 loss to Twins affiliate. Since promotion to Double-A on May 9, Mendlinger is hitting sizzling .405 (15-for-37) with 10 RBIs, .488 OBP, and 1.083 OPS (5/25/2023)
• P Eli Morgan (Guardians) tosses 2 perfect innings of relief in 6-0 loss to Mariners, allowing no baserunners and striking out 3. Outing is second best of 85-game MLB career (5/24/2023)
• In first 10 MLB games, rookie 1B Matt Mervis (Cubs) struck out 18 times in 46 plate appearances while drawing 3 walks. In 4 games since, he has struck out once and walked twice in 13 trips to plate (5/24/2023)
• P Evan Kravetz (Reds/AA) tosses 2.1 scoreless innings of relief to earn first win of season. In 15 combined innings, 6-foot-8-inch southpaw has 3.00 ERA with one save, 14 strikeouts, and 3 walks (5/24/2023)
• CF Harrison Bader (Yankees) goes 2-for-4 with solo HR, game-tying sacrifice fly, and sliding catch in 6-5 triumph over Orioles in extra innings. New York has won 5 straight (5/23/2023)
• 1B Matt Mervis (Cubs) goes 2-for-3 with HR, RBI double, walk, and career-high 3 RBIs in 7-2 win over Mets (5/23/2023)
• 1B Spencer Horwitz (Blue Jays/AAA) goes 3-for-4 with 3 RBIs in 6-3 loss to Phillies affiliate. His .338 average ranks #7 in International League, while his .457 OBP ranks #3 (5/23/2023)
• Not bad: collectively, Jewish batters are hitting .238 with 35 HRs, 106 RBIs, and .348 OBP in 646 ABs. Meanwhile, Jewish pitchers are 13-4 with a save, 3.73 ERA, and 7.9 strikeouts per 9 innings (5/23/2023)
• P Jake Bird (Rockies) earns first 2023 win in 5-3 triumph over Marlins, striking out 2 over 1.1 scoreless innings while yielding zero hits and a walk (5/23/2023)
• 1B Rowdy Tellez (Brewers) goes 2-for-3 with 2-run HR in 12-2 loss to Astros. In opposite dugout, Houston 3B Alex Bregman goes 2-for-6 with RBI single (5/23/2023)
• Among pitchers who have thrown at least 30 innings, P Jake Bird (Rockies) is tied for #1 in N.L. with just one home run allowed. He ranks #5 with a 2.51 ERA (5/23/2023)
• 1B Rowdy Tellez (Brewers) has 12 HRs, tied for #7 in National League. His home-run frequency of one HR every 11.42 ABs is tied for #7 among all batters with at least 5 home runs (5/23/2023)
• Two-run, go-ahead home run by CF Harrison Bader (Yankees) on 1-2 count propels New York to 4-1 win over Reds. Bader and Anthony Rizzo are tied for most Yankee RBIs this month (5/21/2023)
• Braves rookie P Jared Shuster one-hits Mariners over 6 innings, yielding a home run and one walk while striking out 7 for his first MLB win (5/21/2023)
• 1B Rowdy Tellez (Blue Jays) smashes 2-run, 429-foot HR to dead center in 6-4 win over MLB-best Rays. He also draws 2 walks (5/21/2023)
• P Dean Kremer (Orioles) yields one earned run over 5.1 innings in extra-inning win over Blue Jays. He is 3-0 with 1.96 ERA in May (5/21/2023)
• One-two Jewish punch: P Daniel Federman (Orioles/High-A) tosses 5 innings of one-run ball in win over White Sox affiliate. Teammate Graham Firoved throws 2 scoreless innings to earn save. Pair combine for 10 strikeouts (5/21/2023)
• P Jake Bird (Rockies) tosses 2 scoreless innings, yielding one hit and no walks while striking out one in 11-5 loss to Rangers. His ERA is at a season-low 2.61 (5/20/2023)
• C Garrett Stubbs (Phillies) smacks pinch-hit triple in 12-3 victory over Cubs. Chicago 1B Matt Mervis goes 1-for-3 (5/20/2023)
• P Rob Kaminsky (Mariners/AAA) slices ERA to 2.08 with 2 scoreless innings in 6-1 loss to Rockies affiliate (5/20/2023)
• 3B Noah Mendlinger (Cardinals/AA) goes 3-for-5 with triple and 3 RBIs in shutout of Royals affiliate. Since promotion to Double-A, Mendlinger is hitting .364 (8-for-22) with .440 OBP (5/20/2023)
• P Tanner Jacobson (Cardinals/Single-A) tosses 2 perfect innings and fans four in 2-1 loss to Mets affiliate (5/20/2023)
• P Zack Weiss (Angels) earns first career win in season debut. Coming on with 2 outs in 7th inning and one man on base, Weiss walks first Twin and then gets DH Byron Buxton to strike out swinging (5/19/2023)
• OF RJ Schreck (Vanderbilt U.), C Jack Rubenstein (Georgia Tech), and IF Michael Snyder (U. of Washington) leads collegiate Jews in hit-by-pithces with 17, 16, and 14, respectively (5/19/2023)
• CF Harrison Bader (Yankees) is crushing it against southpaws, but right-handed hurlers have been his kryptonite. Bader is hitting .195 (8-for-41) with 0 HRS, 4 RBIs, and .409 OPS against righties. Against lefties, he is batting .539 (7-for-15) with 3 HRs, 2 triples, 8 RBIs, and 2.139 OPS (5/18/2023)
• P Evan Kravetz (Reds/AA) earns 1st save of 2023, tossing perfect inning with one strikeout and retiring Brewers on only 10 pitches (5/18/2013)
• C Jordan Dissin (Phillies/Single-A) ranks #3 on Clearwater Phillies with .310 batting average and .420 OBP (5/18/2023)
• 3B Alex Bregman (Astros) played key role in Houston’s comeback from 6-1 deficit to 7-6 walkoff win against Cubs. Bregman went 3-for-4 with HR and RBI double. Then, intentionally walked in 9th inning, he scored winning run from second base on single. Bregman also threw out Cubs 1B Matt Mervis on 1st-inning ground ball (5/17/2023)
• P Jake Bird (Rockies) tosses 2 scoreless innings on 11-6 win over Reds. From 2022 to 2023, Bird has lowered his ERA from 4.91 to 2.79, reduced his WHIP from 1.427 to 1.138, and increased his strikeout-to-walk ratio from 1.83 to 3.00 (5/17/2023)
• 2B Zack Gelof (Athletics/AAA), Oakland’s #3 prospect, reaches base in all 6 plate appearances in blowout win over Angels affiliate. He goes 4-for-4 with 2 HRs, 2 walks, 3 RBIs, stolen base, and 5 runs scored (5/17/2023)
• P Colton Gordon (Astros/AA), Houston’s #8 prospect, records first save of 2023 in win over Dodgers affiliate. He tosses 4 scoreless innings, yielding 3 hits and 2 walks while striking out 4 (5/16/2023)
• 1B Matt Mervis (Cubs) goes 2-for-4 and smashes first MLB homer, a 393-foot line drive to right field (5/16/2023)
• P Ryan Sherriff (Red Sox) tosses perfect inning in debut with Boston, earning a ‘hold’ in win over Mariners. He strikes out one and retires side on 13 pitches (5/16/2023)
• Third MLB start by P Jared Shuster (Braves) is best yet. Rookie yields 3 earned runs on 3 hits, 2 walks, and 3 strikeouts in loss to Rangers (5/16/2023)
• Blog says Blue Jays prospect Spencer Horwitz (Buffalo Bisons/AAA) is “hitting himself into contention for a promotion sometime this season.” The first baseman is batting .317 with 1 home run, 20 RBIs, OBP of .443, and OPS of .885 (5/16/2023)
• P Jared Shuster is called up by Braves, will start tonight against Rangers (5/16/2023)
• P Ryan Sherriff gets call-up, will join Richard Bleier in Red Sox bullpen (5/16/2023)
• Big day for Jewish hitters. 1B Rowdy Tellez (Brewers) goes 2-for-2 with 2 walks in lopsided loss to Cardinals. LF Kevin Pillar (Braves) homers for second straight game — and third game in his last 4 — as Milwaukee shuts out Rangers. 3B Alex Bregman (Astros) hits 2-run, go-ahead HR in 7th inning to power win over Cubs (5/15/2023)
• 1B Rowdy Tellez (Brewers) is averaging one HR every 12.5 ABs (125/10), ranking him #12 in Majors. LF Kevin Pillar (Braves) is hitting a HR every 14.4 ABs, ranking him #26 (5/15/2023)
• P Jake Bird (Rockies) and DH Bryce Harper (Phillies) are ejected after bench-clearing scrum that allegedly begins when Bird forces Harper into inning-ending flyout and then trash-talks Philadelphia’s dugout. Colorado goes on to win 4-0 (5/14/2023)
• A Joc Pederson single that reached 116.6-mph on 4/25/2023 remains season’s 6th hardest-hit ball (5/14/2023)
• MLB’s Official Historian writes about slugger Lipman Pike, who in 1871 became first Jewish major-leaguer (5/14/2023)
• 3B Jake Scheiner (Mariners/AAA) goes 1-for-3 with 2-run HR and walk in loss to Diamondbacks affiliate. Scheiner’s 12 HRs are tied for #3 among all minor-league hitters, and his 32 RBIs and 1.011 OPS are tied for #4 and #10, respectively, in Pacific Coast League. Yet Scheiner is not counted among Seattle’s Top 30 prospects (5/13/2023)
• 2B Shawn Goosenberg (White Sox/High-A) steals 14th base, tying him for #6 in South Atlantic League. Meanwhile, his .412 OBP ranks #11 (5/13/2023)
• Happy 27th birthday to Guardians P Eli Morgan (5/13/2023)
• 1B Matt Mervis (Cubs) hits game-tying double off centerfield wall in 7th inning. Chicago goes on to beat Twins 6-2 (5/12/2023)
• DH Joc Pederson (Giants) smashes 2-run, 410-foot home run in 1st inning off Cardinals. Ball exits bat at 112 mph (5/12/2023)
• 1B Spencer Horwitz (Blue Jays/AAA) smashes 3 doubles before hitting walk-off single in bottom of 9th against Mets affiliate. Toronto’s #18 prospect is hitting .321 with .455 OBP, #4 in International League (5/11/2023)
• Former Blue Jays prospect Johnny Anderson is pitching for Savannah Bananas, whose beloved and viral stunts include choreographed dancers and batter who wore stilts (5/11/2023)
• P Dean Kremer (Orioles) dominates powerful Rays with 6 scoreless innings, allowing 4 hits and 2 walks while striking out 4 en route to 2-1 win at home. Tampa Bay is averaging 6.1 runs per game, ranking it #2 in MLB (5/10/2023)
• CF Harrison Bader (Yankees) hits 3-run HR in 11-3 win over Athletics at home. In month of May to date, he ranks #2 in MLB with 11 RBIs, #2 in OPS at 1.341, and #3 in average at .429 (5/10/2023)
• 1B Jake Scheiner (Mariners/AAA) goes combined 3-for-6 with 2 solo HRs in doubleheader against Diamondbacks affiliate. He ranks #2 in Pacific Coast League with 11 home runs, #5 in RBIs with 30, and #7 in slugging percentage at .617 (5/10/2023)
• P Rob Kaminsky (Mariners/AAA) — Jake Scheiner’s teammate on Tacoma Rainiers — is near-perfect in first start of 2023. Kaminsky tosses 3 no-hit innings, striking out 4 and allowing only one baserunner in Game 2 of doubleheader (5/10/2023)
• 3B Noah Mendlinger (Cardinals/AA), batting 9th, goes 2-for-3 in Double-A debut (5/10/23)
• P Jake Bird (Rockies) tosses scoreless inning with 3 strikeouts in win over Pirates. His improvement since rookie season in 2022 is substantial: ERA down from 4.91 to 2.88, WHIP trimmed from 1.427 to 1.040, walks per 9 innings reduced from 4.3 to 2.5, and strikeouts per 9 innings up from 7.9 to 10.1 (5/9/2023)
• CF Harrison Bader (Yankees) goes 3-for-4 with RBI single in win over Athletics. In 7 games since coming off injured list, he is hitting .440 (11-for-25) with 2 HRs, 2 triples, and 1.302 OPS (5/9/2023)
• 1B Rowdy Tellez (Brewers) hits 10th HR, tying him for #6 in MLB (5/9/2023)
• P Jacob Steinmetz (Diamondbacks/Single-A), who went 0-7 with a 7.88 ERA in 2022, delivers career-best start in win over Rockies affiliate. The 6’6″ right-hander yields one earned run on 4 hits and zero walks over 6 innings while striking out three (5/9/2023)
• CF Harrison Bader (Yankees) triples and walks in a 7-2 win over Athletics. He now is one of only two MLB players to triple in two consecutives games this season (5/8/2023)
• P Eli Morgan (Guardians) yields an earned run, breaking a 10-game scoreless streak (5/8/2023)
• Joc Pederson (Giants) played outfield in roughly 86% of his games in 2022. In 2023, he has served as designated hitter 100% of the time (5/8/2023)
• LF Kevin Pillar (Braves), who recently became the 12th Jewish player to reach 100 career HRs, talks to Fox5 about what the accomplishment means to him as a former 32nd-round draft pick (5/6/2023)
• OF RJ Schreck (Vanderbilt U.) leads all Jewish collegians with a .360 batting average, .495 OBP, 1.202 OPS, 36 walks, and 5 stolen bases. Schreck’s 52 RBIs are second only to NCAA leader Jake Gelof of U. of Virginia (5/8/2023)
• CF Harrison Bader (Yankees) singles, triples, and hits 2-run HR in extra-inning loss to Rays. In 5 games since coming off injured list, Bader is hitting .389 with 2 HRs and 7 RBIs in 18 at-bats (5/7/2023)
• 2B Shawn Goosenberg (White Sox/High-A) goes 2-for-3 with walk, hit-by-pitch, and RBI to boost average to .313 (5/7/2023)
• P Graham Firoved (3.66 ERA, 0.97 WHIP) and P Daniel Federman (2.57 ERA, 1.57 WHIP) are teammates on Aberdeen IronBirds, the Orioles’ High-A team (5/7/2023)
• INF Jake Gelof, U. of Virginia’s all-time HR leader, shares RBI lead among all D-1 batters, with 73 (5/7/2023)
• Kevin Pillar’s 100th career HR couldn’t have been more dramatic or crowd-pleasing. His 2-run, pinch-hit, go-ahead rocket in 8th inning delivers Braves a 5-4 win at home over Orioles. He joins Ryan Braun, Hank Greenberg, Shawn Green, Ian Kinsler, Sid Gordon, Al Rosen, Joc Pederson, Kevin Youkilis, Mike Lieberthal, Alex Bregman and Mike Epstein in the Jewish 100 Career Homer Club (5/6/2023)
• CF Harrison Bader (Yankees) produces pinch-hit single in 7th inning, then strokes 2-run, go-ahead single in 8th to secure 3-2 win over Rays (5/6/2023)
• P Jake Bird (Rockies) throws 2 scoreless innings and earns first ‘hold’ of season in 5-2 win over Mets. In 11 appearances since his ERA ballooned to 11.12 on April 9, Bird has maintained a 0.49 ERA over 18.1 innings while striking out 21 batters and walking only five (5/6/2023)
• P Ryan Sherriff (Red Sox/AAA) tosses perfect inning to earn first win of 2023. He ranks high among Worcester Red Sox pitchers in multiple categories, including #1 in strikeout percentage at 26.8% and #1 in fielding-independent pitching at 2.32 (5/6/2023)
• 1B Spencer Horwitz (Blue Jays/AAA), who has walked more than struck out this season (22 vs. 21), ranks #5 in International League with .451 OBP (5/6/2023)
• P Dean Kremer (Orioles) surprises many by prevailing over ace Max Fried (Braves). Kremer tosses 6 innings of one-run ball in 9-4 win (5/5/2023)
• 1B Matt Mervis (Cubs) strokes an RBI single in his MLB debut (5/5/2023)
• P Jared Shuster (Braves/AAA), who made MLB debut in Atlanta earlier this season, throws 6 no-hit innings in shutout over White Sox affiliate (5/5/2023)
• CF Harrison Bader (Yankees) drills 3-run HR to tie game against Rays, but New York loses 5-4 (5/5/2023)
• DH Joc Pederson (Giants) puts San Francisco ahead for good with a 2-run single in 5th inning but is tossed out at second base (5/5/2023)
• P Richard Bleier (Red Sox) tosses pefect 7th inning to earn second hold in 5-3 win over Phillies (5/5/2023)
• 1B Rowdy Tellez (Brewers) strokes 9th HR in just 97 at-bats, tying him for #4 in the National League. Tellez is averaging one HR per 10.8 at-bats, #3 in the League (5/4/2023)
• 2B Zack Gelof (Athletics/AAA) steals 10th base in just 56 at-bats, tying him for #2 in Pacific Coast League (5/4/2023)
• 1B Jake Scheiner (Mariners/AAA) hits 9th HR, tying him for #2 in Pacific Coast League. Meanwhile, his 27 RBIs rank #4 (5/4/2023)
• P Colton Gordon (Astros/AAA), Houston’s #8 prospect, is dominant in win, yielding one earned run on one hit and 2 walks over 6 innings while striking out 9 batters (5/4/2023)
• Cubs reportedly will call up 1B Matt Mervis (AAA), a top prospect who hit 36 HRs in 2022 and led the minors in extra-base hits, RBIs, and total bases. He is expected to join the team Friday (5/4/2023)
• In battle of Jewish starters, P Max Fried (Braves) and P Dean Kremer (Orioles) will face off on Friday, May 4
• LF Kevin Pillar (Braves) goes 3-for-5 in a 14-6 drubbing of Marlins. In his last 7 games, Pillar has hit .348 (8-for-23) with 2 HRs, 2 doubles, and 5 RBIs (5/3/2023)
• P Max Lazar (Brewers/High-A) tosses 3 scoreless innings and fans 4 in loss to Cardinals’ affiliate (5/3/2023)
• C Jordan Dissin (Phillies/Single-A), a 2022 draft pick, goes 2-for-3 with a home run, double, and 2 walks. He is hitting .345 (10-for-29) with 6 RBIs and .457 OBP (5/23/2023)
• CF Harrison Bader (Yankees) makes 2023 debut, going 1-for-4 in win over Guardians. His lone hit comes against Cleveland reliever Eli Morgan (5/2/2023)
• P Eli Morgan (Guardians) sees 10-game scoreless streak end against Yankees. But he and Max Fried (Braves) still account for 2 of only seven MLB pitchers who have pitched 14+ innings this season while maintaining ERA below 0.70 (5/2/2023)
• 1B Rowdy Tellez (Brewers) garners 2 doubles and an RBI against Rockies. His second 2-bagger leads Colorado to replace starting P Ryan Feltner with reliever Jake Bird (5/2/2023)
• P Richard Bleier (Red Sox) pitches perfect 8th inning against Blue Jays to earn first victory of 2023 (5/2/2023)
• 2B Chase Strumpf (Cubs/AA), Chicago’s #24 prospect, goes 3-for-3 with 2 walks and his 5th home run (5/2/2023)
• OF Kevin Pillar (Braves) strokes 99th career home run, a 2-run shot off Mets (5/1/2023)
• 3B Dalton Guthrie (Phillies), an 8th-inning defensive replacement, flies out to right field in 2023 debut (5/1/2023)
• 3B Alex Bregman (Astros) is a notoriously slow starter, but 2023 has been especially rough. His .219 batting average through April is a career low, and his OBP, slugging percentage, and OPS are only a shade higher than in 2017, his worst March/April (5/1/2023)
• 3B Alex Bregman (Astros) singles and draws 2 walks in 4-3 win over Phillies. He has 21 walks against 15 strikeouts, leaving him #2 in MLB walk-to-strikeout ratio this season (4/30/2023)
• 1B Spencer Horwitz (Blue Jays/AAA), Toronto’s #18 prospect, goes 4-for-5 with double, walk, and career-high 6 RBIs in 21-9 crushing of Atlanta Braves’ affiliate. His .443 OBP ranks #13 in International League (4/30/2023)
• 1B Matt Mervis (Cubs/AAA) goes 3-for-4 with 2 doubles, walk, and 3 RBIs in 13-0 shutout of Reds’ affiliate. Mervis’s 27 RBIs rank #2 in International League, and he ranks in Top 20 in slugging, OPS, walk-to-strikeout ratio, and ISO, a measure of raw power (4/30/2023)
• P Rob Kaminsky (Mariners/AAA) tosses perfect inning of relief, lowering ERA to 2.70 and WHIP to 1.05 (4/30/2023)
• 2B Shawn Goosenberg (White Sox/High-A) goes 3-for-6 with walk and 2 stolen bases. His 9 thefts are tied for #5 in South Atlantic League, and his .319 batting average ranks #8 (4/29/2023)
• 3B Zack Gelof (Athletics/AAA) hits 2-run double, draws walk, and steals base in 7-2 win. His 7 thefts are tied for #2 in Pacific Coast League (4/29/2023)
• P Max Fried (Atlanta Braves) shuts out New York Mets in rain-shortened game, his third straight scoreless outing. Fried has allowed just one earned run in 20 innings, and his 0.45 ERA is #1 among all MLB pitchers with 20+ innings under their belt (4/28/2023)
• C CJ Stubbs (Astros/AA) strokes 2 HRs to help teammate Colton Gordon earn his first AA victory. Gordon allows 2 first-inning runs but retires 10 of next 11 batters and ends with career-best 10 strikeouts (4/28/2023)
• P Bubby Rossman (New York Mets/AAA) tosses 2 scoreless innings, lowering his ERA to 3.00 (4/28/2023)
• Former Orioles P Richard Bleier (Red Sox) says Baltimore fans spat and threw beer on Boston bullpen. Orioles win 6-2 (4/26/2023)
• 3B Zack Gelof (Athletics/AAA), Oakland’s #2 prospect, goes 3-for-3 with single, triple, home run, walk, and 4 RBIs in 9-7 win (4/27/2023)
• 1B Matt Mervis (Cubs/AAA), Chicago’s #6 prospect, goes 2-for-5 with home run, walk, and 2 RBIs in 18-16 win. His 23 RBIs are tied for #1 in International League (4/27/2023)
• P Ryan Sherriff (Red Sox/AAA) lowers ERA to 2.79 and WHIP to 1.14 with shutout inning (undated)
• P Justin Alintoff (New York Boulders/independent) and IF Benjamin Rosengard (Rice U.) have obtained Israeli citizenship and will play for Israel in September’s European Championships (4/24/2023)
• In battle of Jewish pitchers, Eli Morgan (Guardians) and Jake Bird (Rockies) each toss 1.1 scoreless innings as Cleveland prevails. Morgan is perfect with 3 strikeouts, while Bird yields 2 hits and a walk (4/26/2023)
• Speaking of Eli Morgan (Guardians), the right-hander maintains a 0.00 ERA across 9 relief appearances, during which he has fanned 15 batters while yielding just 2 hits and one walk. Morgan’s 11.2 scoreless innings are tied for #1 in the Majors (4/26/2023)
• 1B Jake Scheiner (Mariners/AAA) goes 4-for-6 with 2 HRs and 6 RBIs in an 18-17 loss. His 8 HRs this season are tied for #2 in the Pacific Coast League (4/26/2023)
• P Max Lazar (Brewers/High-A) tosses 4 scoreless innings of relief, yielding 2 hits and 2 walks while striking out four (4/26/2023)
• RF RJ Schreck (Vanderbilt U.) leads his team with a .366 batting average, 10 HRs, 45 RBIs, 12 HBP (tied), .500 OBP, .697 slugging, and 1.197 OPS (4/26/2023)
• 1B Rowdy Tellez (Brewers) strokes 3rd home run in his last 5 games. His 8 HRs rank #5 in the Majors (4/25/2023)
• DH Mike Rothenberg (Tigers/A) hits 3-run HR and sacrifice fly in 13-6 win. He is hitting .297 (11-for-37) with 2 HRs, 14 RBIs, a .372 OBP, and a .940 OPS (4/25/2023)
• 3B Alex Bregman (Astros) strokes his 3rd home run of the month, a 386-foot shot against the Rays. Over the past week, Bregman has hit .391 with a home run, 3 doubles, 4 RBIs, a .482 OBP, and only one strikeout (4/24/2023)
• P Jake Bird (Rockies) pitches a perfect 2 innings in a shutout win over the Guardians. The effort marks Bird’s 6th straight scoreless outing, during which he has reduced his ERA from 11.12 to 4.02 (4/24/2023)
• SEC names Charlie Goldstein (U. of Georgia) its Co-Pitcher of the Week (4/24/2023)
• LF Kevin Pillar (Braves) backs teammate Max Fried with first HR since September 2021. Solo shot leaves Pillar 2 HRs short of 100 for his career (4/23/2023)
• P Max Fried (Braves) tosses 6.2 scoreless innings and picks off runner in heartbreaking loss to Astros. His 0.60 ERA is #1 in the Majors (4/23/2023)
• CF Joc Pederson (Giants) shines in return from injured list, driving in San Francisco’s first run and scoring winning one against Mets (4/23/2023)
• OF Dalton Guthrie (Phillies/AAA) goes 3-for-4 with a single, double, triple and 2 RBIs in 9-3 win over Worcester Red Sox (4/23/2023)
• 1B Matt Mervis (Cubs/AAA) goes 3-for-5 with a double and 3 RBIs. His 21 RBIs rank #6 among all minor-leaguers (4/23/2023)
• INF Jake Gelof (U. of Virginia), brother of Athletics prospect Zack Gelof, has 67 RBIs, ranking him #1 among Division 1 ballplayers (4/23/2023)
• P Max Fried (Braves) starts today against Astros (4/23/2023)
• P Eli Morgan (Guardians) tosses 2 scoreless innings. His ERA remains 0.00 after 8 appearances (4/22/2023)
• P Jake Bird (Rockies) appears in his 10th game, tying him for #8 in the N.L. (4/23/2023)
• P Charlie Goldstein (U. of Georgia) tosses 3-hit, no-walk shutout over 5th-ranked U. of Arkansas (4/21/2023)
• CF Harrison Bader (Yankees) hits RBI double in first game of 2023 season, a AA rehab assignment with the Somerset Patriots (4/21/2023)
• 1B Rowdy Tellez (Brewers) hits game-tying 6th home run of 2023, tying him for #5 in the Majors (4/21/2023)
• C Mike Rothenberg (Tigers/Single-A) goes 2-for-3 with an RBI and walk to raise season average to .303 and OBP to .395 (4/21/2023)
• P Kenny Rosenberg (Diamondbacks/AAA) hurled 7 shutout innings in a 3-1 win, yielding just 4 hits and one walk while striking out 4. Rosenberg is 1-1 with a 2.70 ERA in 4 starts this season (4/20/2023)
• 1B Rowdy Tellez (Brewers) hit a 2-run, pinch-hit single with 2 outs in the 7th inning against the Mariners (4/19/2023)
• P Jake Bird (Rockies) held the Pirates scoreless over 3 innings of relief. He has 16 strikeouts over 12.2 innings this season (4/19/2023)
• P Richard Bleier (Red Sox) needed just 22 pitches to record 2 perfect innings against the Twins (4/19/2023)
• 2B Shawn Goosenberg (White Sox/High-A) has had only 28 at-bats this season, but his 6 stolen bases are tied for #6 in the South Atlantic League (4/19/2023)
• P Dean Kremer (Orioles) blanks Nationals to win his first game of 2023, yielding 4 hits and zero walks over 6.2 scoreless innings while striking out 6 and hitting one batter. His shutout comes one day after Max Fried (Braves) blanked the Padres (4/18/2023)
• 1B Jake Scheiner (Mariners/AAA) goes 2-for-2 with 2 HRs, 3 walks, and 4 RBIs. His 6 HRs are tied for #5 among all minor-leaguers (4/18/2023)
• 2B Shawn Goosenberg (White Sox/High-A) goes 4-for-5 with a HR, double, walk, stolen base, and 4 RBIs. He is hitting .391 with 2 HRs, 5 RBIs, and 5 stolen bases in 23 at-bats (4/18/2023)
• P Jacob Steinmetz (Diamondbacks/A) to start today in Single-A debut (4/18/2023)
• P Max Fried (Braves) shuts down Padres 2-0 in first start in nearly three weeks (4/17/2023)
• In his two most recent outings, P Jake Bird (Rockies) has struck out 8 batters over a combined 3.1 innings (4/17/2023)
• OF RJ Schreck (Vanderbilt U.) is hitting a team-leading .354 with 9 HRs, 42 RBIs, and a .491 OBP (4/17/2023)
• #1 on his team in batting average (.351), #1/tied in stolen bases (9), and #5 in RBIs (23)
• Boston Herald: Ryan Sherriff honors survivor grandparents (4/16/2023)
• Times of Israel: The Legend of Jacob Steinmetz (4/14/2023)
• P Harrison Cohen (Yankees/Low-A) makes his P Rob Kaminsky (Mariners) tosses 2 scoreless innings on 2023 debut, fanning 4 while yielding one hit and no walks (4/15/2023)
• P Harrison Cohen (Yankees/Low-A) pitches 1.1 perfect innings in his second minor-league outing (4/14/2023)
• 1B Rowdy Tellez (Brewers) homers twice in Milwaukee win. His 5 HRs are tied for 3rd in N.L. (4/14/2023)
• Former major-league P Rob Kaminsky (Mariners/AAA) signs minor-league deal with Seattle (4/14/2023)
• Thursday’s outing against the Rays was the worst of P Richard Bleier’s (Red Sox) 313-game MLB career. The 8-year veteran gave up 4 hits and 4 earned runs over one-third of an inning (4/13/2023)
• The collective batting average of MLB Jews this season finally crawled above .200, reaching .207 on Thursday (4/13/2023)
• C Jordan Dissin (Phillies/Low-A) shines in his team’s home opener, going 1-for-1 with a triple, walk, and sacrifice bunt (4/12/2023)
• P Josh Wolf (Guardians/High-A) earns win in relief, yielding one hit and no walks over 2.2 innings while striking out 4 (4/11/2023)
• SS Shawn Goosenberg (White Sox/High-A), P Graham Firoved (Orioles/High-A) make season debuts (4/11/2023)
• On Monday, 3B Alex Bregman (Astros) became the 15th player this season to draw 3 or more walks in a single game (4/10/2023)
• P Eli Morgan (Guardians) is one of only 6 MLB pitchers with at least one win, one save, and a 0.00 ERA (4/10/2023)
• P Harrison Cohen (Yankees/AA) — one of two Jewish “Harrisons” in the Yankee franchise — makes pro debut (4/10/2023)
• P Eli Morgan (Guardians) throws 2 perfect innings, maintains 0.00 ERA (4/9/2023)
• INF Jake Gelof (U. of Virginia) ranks among the top 10 in RBIs among Division I ballplayers. In 2022, he set Virginia’s all-time RBI record (4/9/2023)
• 1B Matt Mervis (Cubs/AAA) has 10 RBIs, tied for #3 in Int’l League (4/9/2023)

• Diamondbacks activate C Andy Yerzy (AAA) from development list (5/20/2023)
• Angels option P Zack Weiss to Triple-A (5/21/2023)
• Red Sox option P Ryan Sherriff to Triple-A despite 2 successful outings at Fenway (5/18/2023)
• Guardians place P Josh Wolf (Lake County Captains/High-A) on injured list (5/17/2023)
• Red Sox call up P Ryan Sherriff from Triple-A (5/16/2023)
• Braves call up P Jared Shuster from Triple-A (5/16/2023)
• Giants place DH Joc Pederson on injured list due to right-hand contusion (5/15/2023)
• Angels call up P Zack Weiss from Triple-A (5/14/2023)
• Giants remove P Sam Delaplane from injured list and assign him to Single-A. Repeated injuries have limited right-hander to four appearances since 2019 (5/13/2023)
• Cardinals promote 2B/3B Noah Mendlinger to Double-A (5/9/2023)
• Braves place ace starter Max Fried on injured list with strained left forearm (5/9/2023)
• Chicago Cubs call-up 1B Matt Mervis (5/5/2023)
• Gastonia Honey Hunters of independent Atlantic League sign former minor-league C Scott Manea (4/28/2023)
• Yankees activate CF Harrison Bader from injured list (5/2/2023)
• Reds place C Andy Yerzy (AAA) on development list (4/30/2023)
• Phillies call-up OF Dalton Guthrie from AAA (4/29/2023)
• Reds assign P Evan Kravetz to AA (4/28/2023)
• Reds promote C Andy Yerzy to AAA (4/27/2023)
• Yankees send CF Harrison Bader to Triple-A rehab assignment with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (4/25/2023)
• Giants activate CF Joc Pederson from injured list (4/23/2023)
• Yankees send CF Harrison Bader to Double-A rehab assignment with the Somerset Patriots (4/21/2023)
• Diamondbacks promote P Jacob Steinmetz to Single-A (4/18/2023)
• Braves activate P Max Fried (Braves) from injured list (4/17/2023)
• Yankees promote P Harrison Cohen to High-A (4/16/2023)
• Giants place DH Joc Pederson on injured list with right wrist inflammation (4/15/2023)
• Mariners sign P Rob Kaminsky (AAA) to minor-league deal (4/14/2023)
• Athletics activate 3B Jake Fishman (AAA) from injured list (4/12/2023)
• Athletics place P Jake Fishman (AAA) on injured list (4/11/2023)
• Brewers place P Josh Shapiro (A) on injured list (4/10/2023)
• Reds place P Leo Nierenberg (A) on injured list (4/10/2023)
• Giants place OF Hunter Bishop (AA) on injured list (4/10/2023)
• Braves option P Jared Shuster to AAA (4/9/2023)
• Yankees assign P Harrison Cohen to Low-A (4/7/2023)
• Phillies promote C Jordan Dissin to Low-A (4/7/2023)
• Braves promote P Alex Segal to AA (4/7/2023)
• Texas assigns C Ryan Gold to rookie league (4/7/2023)
• Padres release C Adam Kerner (4/7/2023)
• Baltimore promotes P Graham Firoved Low-A (4/7/2023)
• Guardians assign P Josh Wolf to High-A (4/7/2023)
• Braves call up Jared Shuster (4/3/2023)
• Astros assign P Colton Gordon to AA (4/5/2023)
• Astros assign C CJ Stubbs to AA (4/5/2023)
• Braves place P Max Fried on injured list (4/4/2023)
• Athletics place Brewers assign P Max Lazar to High-A (4/4/2023)
• Braves send P Jared Shuster to AAA (4/3/2023)
• Braves call up LF Kevin Pillar (4/3/2023)
• Reds promote C Andy Yerzy to AAA (4/3/2023)
• Athletics place SS Zack Gelof (AAA) on injured list (4/3/2023)
• Yankees place P Eric Reyzelman (Low-A) on injured list (4/3/2023)
• Marlins promote P Zack Leban to AAA (4/2/2023)
• Giants place P Sam Delaplane (AAA) on injured list (4/2/2023)
• Mariners promote 1B Jake Scheiner to AAA (4/1/2023)
• Phillies send OF Dalton Guthrie to AAA (4/1/2023)
• Rockies call up P Jake Bird (3/30/2023)
• Yankees place CF Harrison Bader on injured list (3/30/2023)

By Scott Barancik, editor

A dozen of the 26 Jews who participated in this year’s MLB Spring Training have landed spots on an Opening Day roster.

When the season begins today, the Atlanta Braves will lead the pack with three players. They include starting pitchers Max Fried and Jared Shuster along with veteran outfielder Kevin Pillar, who will be playing for his seventh Major League franchise.

Fried is Atlanta’s #1 starter and took the mound today against the Washington Nationals to kick off the 2023 regular season. Unfortunately, he left during the fourth inning with a possible leg injury. The Braves were up 4-`1 at the time.

Shuster, a 24-year-old southpaw, is the lone first-timer among the dozen. He will make his MLB debut in an April 2 start.

RF Dalton Guthrie (Phillies) technically remains a rookie despite hitting .333 in 21 at-bats last season. Joining him on Philadelphia’s roster is veteran catcher and Team Israel member Garrett Stubbs.

Yankees reliever Scott Effross almost certainly would have appeared on his team’s Opening Day roster if not for Tommy John surgery. The right-hander could well remain out of action the entire 2023 season.

The athletes who did not catch on with their respective MLB franchises include veterans and top prospects. Some may well be brought up later in the season.

One likely call-up is veteran Ryan Sherriff (Red Sox), who tossed 6.2 scoreless innings this Spring and struck out 8 while walking none. Another hurler who may get the call is Kenny Rosenberg (Angels), who made his MLB debut last season. The Cal-State Northridge alum went 1-1 this Spring with a 2.79 ERA and a sizzling 14 strikeouts and zero walks over 9.2 innings.

Several prospects also turned heads in MLB Spring Training.

2B/3B Zack Gelof (Athletics) was sent down to Triple-A despite hitting .320 (8-for-25) with a .414 on-base percentage. 1B/LF Spencer Horwitz (Blue Jays) hit .333 (6-for-18) with 2 RBIs. 1B Jake Scheiner (Mariners) batted just .167 (5-for-30) but showed power with 3 HRs.

In 2022, a total of 17 Jewish players appeared in at least one MLB game.

If tracking Jewish ballplayers is your thing, check out our Jewish Box Score. Located on the Jewish Baseball News home page, it features daily, in-game updates on your favorite players. Meanwhile, our Season Stats box, updated daily, shows cumulative player statistics for every season since 1871.

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By Scott Barancik, editor

Atlanta Braves star Max Fried is having a heckuva Spring.

After finishing second last season in N.L. Cy Young Award voting, the 6’4″ All-Star is 3-0 this preseason with a perfect 0.00 ERA and 14 strikeouts over 11.1 innings. Yet it’s possible he won’t be the only Jewish pitcher in Atlanta’s starting rotation on Opening Day.

That’s because top prospect Jared Shuster is rocking the mound, too. In four preseason starts, Fried’s fellow southpaw is 3-1 with a 0.71 ERA and 16 strikeouts against just 2 walks over 12.2 innings. Shuster reportedly is one of two finalists for Atlanta’s fifth starter spot.

It’s been a pretty bountiful Spring Training all around for the 26 Jewish players who either sit on an MLB preseason roster or have received a non-roster invitation to play.

The 26 are divided evenly between pitchers and position players. All but one of the 13 hurlers, prospect Sam Delaplane (SFG), has Major League experience. By comparison, six of the 13 Jewish hitters have yet to reach the Bigs.

The prospects are among those who have shined brightest.

CJ Stubbs (HOU), who finished the 2022 season in AA ball and is the younger brother of C Garrett Stubbs (PHI), is hitting .539 (7-for-13) through March 19 with one HR, 4 RBIs, and a 1.332 OPS (on-base plus slugging) in his first MLB Spring.

Two AAA prospects who are projected to make the Majors in 2023 also are faring well. 1B Spencer Horwitz (TOR) and SS Zack Gelof (OAK) — who together competed for Israel alongside Stubbs in this month’s World Baseball Championship — both are hitting above .300 this Spring. 3B Jake Scheiner (SEA), whose 105 RBIs in 2022 ranked #3 among all minor leaguers, is hitting just .143, but 3 of his 4 hits have been HRs.

Some MLB veterans also are thriving.

P Ryan Sheriff (BOS), who is fighting to join fellow Red Sox newcomer Richard Bleier in the team’s bullpen, has a 0.00 ERA across 5 relief appearances, with 6 strikeouts and no walks across 4.2 innings.

P Kenny Rosenberg (LAA), who made his MLB debut in 2022, has a 1-1 record and 2.79 ERA in 4 relief appearances. Remarkably, he also has 14 strikeouts and zero walks over 9.2 innings.

1B Rowdy Tellez (MIL) is showing off his enviable power. The fan favorite is hitting .417 (5-for-14) with 3 HRs and 4 RBIs.

Opening Day is March 30.

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By Scott Barancik, editor

A 3rd-round pick of the St. Louis Cardinals in the 2017 amateur draft, the University of Florida alum and 2021 Gold Glove winner is poised to begin his first full season with the Yankees and 7th season overall in the Major Leagues.

Harrison Bader, a 28-year-old centerfielder with the New York Yankees, has joined the pantheon of baseball players who identify as Jewish.

New York acquired fan favorite Bader from the Cardinals in August 2022, just hours before MLB’s trade deadline. The Yankees’ bid for postseason support was rewarded. Bader ended up hitting a combined .333 (10-for-30) with 5 HRs, 6 RBIs, a .429 OBP, and a 1.262 on-base plus slugging across the A.L. Division Series and A.L. Championship Series.

Talk about clutch hitting. Bader’s 5 playoff HRs equaled his round-tripper total for the entire 2022 regular season, during which he recorded 292 at-bats.

Bader’s Jewish journey is ongoing. His Jewish father, Louis Bader, recently told the Forward that Harrison never attended synagogue as a child but recently had consulted with New York rabbis about “converting to Judaism.” Bader also considered playing for Team Israel in this month’s World Baseball Championship but ultimately withdrew due to an injury that likely will sideline him — along with Jewish reliever Scott Effross — for the beginning of the 2023 MLB season.

Earlier today, Louis Bader responded to an email from Jewish Baseball News by saying that Harrison was fine with being listed on the website’s roster. We welcome Harrison and wish his family much naches.

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By Scott Barancik, editor

Since its debut in 2009, Jewish Baseball News has focused its coverage exclusively on Major League, minor league, and independent league athletes.

Thanks to Jewish sports-research legends Ephraim Moxson and Shel Wallman, JBN also has begun tracking Jews who play for NCAA Division 1 colleges and universities.

Our new D-1 College page not only provides players with exposure but introduces JBN fans to a new generation of promising players. And there are plenty.

USC Trojans reliever Josh Blum is 2-0 and leads the team in ERA (0.68) and walks/hits per inning (0.525). He averages 12.2 strikeouts per 9 innings against just 2.0 walks.

Virginia Cavaliers IF Jake Gelof, brother of highly-touted Oakland A’s prospect Zack Gelof, is hitting .344 (21-for-61) nearly midway through the 2023 season and leads the team with 5 HRs and 24 RBIs. Jake broke the school’s RBI record in 2022.

Miami Hurricanes OF Zach Levenson is hitting .368 (21-for-57) with 3 HRs, 10 RBIs, and a team-leading .486 on-base percentage.

Vanderbilt Commodores OF RJ Schreck leads his team in batting average (.318), OBP (.447), on-base plus slugging (1.038), and triples (2).

JBN defines “Jewish” thusly: If a player has at least one Jewish parent or has converted to Judaism, does not practice another faith, and is comfortable being identified as a Jew, we include him on our list.

Each player we list eventually will have a separate webpage containing a photo, basic biographical information, and links to statistics and his college bio.

Last names alone are no guarantee of Jewishness. When JBN college editor Wallman recently reached out to Canisius College about IF Ryan Weiss, coach Matt Mazurek replied that Weiss is not Jewish but that P Justin Giuliano is.

If you are a D-1 Jewish ballplayer who would like to be added to the list, or if you know of an unlisted player, please fill out our Unlisted College Player form.

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By Scott Barancik, editor

Colorado Rockies reliever Jake Bird, who made his MLB debut in June and later committed to represent Israel in next month’s World Baseball Classic, is the most recent Major Leaguer to be identified as Jewish.

The 27-year-old California native starred at UCLA, his hometown school. In 2018, his senior year, Bird became the first Bruin in 30 years to earn Academic All-American honors. He also led the Pac-12 Conference in ERA.

The Rockies selected Bird in the 5th round of the 2018 amateur draft and paid him a modest signing bonus of $50,000. He made quick work of the minors, especially considering the 2020 season was cancelled due to COVID. The 6-foot-3-inch, 205-pound righthander amassed a 19-6 record with four saves and 3.41 ERA in the franchise’s farm system.

Colorado called-up Bird in June 2022 to deepen its bullpen. In his Major League debut on June 16, he tossed a perfect inning of relief, retiring the Guardians on just 10 pitches (see video).

Bird finished his rookie season with a 2-4 record, 4.91 ERA, and 1.427 WHIP (walks/hits per innings).

Bird was one of four Jewish players to break into the Majors in 2022. The others were P Bubby Rossman (Phillies), SS Dalton Guthrie (Phillies), P Jake Fishman (Marlins), and P Kenny Rosenberg (Angels).

Some Jewish Baseball News readers were confused earlier this year when Bird committed to play for Team Israel but wasn’t listed on our website. JBN’s definition of “Jewish” is more stringent than Israel’s, so it often takes us a bit longer to verify eligibility.

As it happens, Bird recently suffered a left oblique strain, so his participation in the World Baseball Classic is in doubt.

Please join us in welcoming Jake. You can follow him on and Instagram or check out his career statistics here.

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By Scott Barancik, editor

Israel’s final roster for the 2023 World Baseball Classic was revealed this evening.

It’s darn good.

The 30-man list features MLB athletes such as All-Star LF Joc Pederson (Giants) and P Dean Kremer (Orioles), red-hot prospects 1B Matt Mervis (Cubs/AAA) and 2B/3B Zack Gelof (Athletics/AAA), and 2021 Summer Olympics stars 1B Danny Valencia (retired MLB) and C Ryan Lavarnway (free agent).

Longtime general manager Peter Kurz told Jewish Baseball News the roster is Israel’s strongest ever.

“We’ve come a long way since our international debut at the 2012 WBC qualifiers,” he said.

Ian Kinsler, a four-time MLB All-Star who is managing Israel for the first time, said the team “will play a hard-nose style of baseball with a lot of energy.”

“We expect to surprise people,” he added in an email.

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The 30-man roster

First	Last	Position	Current Level	Highest Level
Matt	Mervis	1B/DH	Cubs (AAA)	AAA
Danny	Valencia	1B/DH	Retired	MLB
Ryan	Lavarnway	Catcher	Free agent	MLB
Garrett	Stubbs	Catcher	Phillies	MLB
Zack	Gelof	IF	Athletics (AAA)	AAA
Ty	Kelly	IF	Free agent	MLB
Assaf	Lowengart	IF	College	College
Noah	Mendlinger	IF	Cardinals (A+)	A+
Michael	Wielansky	IF	Free agent	AAA
Alex	Dickerson *	OF	Free agent	MLB
Jakob	Goldfarb	OF	Free agent	A
Spencer	Horwitz	OF	Blue Jays (AAA)	AAA
Joc	Pederson	OF	Giants	MLB
Brandon	Gold (R)	Starter	Rockies (AAA)	AAA
Colton	Gordon (L)	Starter	Astros (A+)	A+
Dean	Kremer (R)	Starter	Orioles	MLB
Robert	Stock (R)	Starter	Brewers (AAA)	MLB
Jake	Bird (R)	Reliever	Rockies	MLB
Richard	Bleier (L)	Reliever	Red Sox	MLB
Daniel	Federman (R)	Reliever	Orioles (A+)	A+
Jake	Fishman (L)	Reliever	Athletics (AAA)	MLB
Andrew	Gross (R)	Reliever	Rays (AA)	AA
Rob	Kaminsky (L)	Reliever	Free agent	MLB
Evan	Kravetz (L)	Reliever	Reds (AA)	AA
Kyle	Molnar (R)	Reliever	Free agent	A+
Bubby	Rossman (R)	Reliever	Free agent	MLB
Jacob	Steinmetz (R)	Reliever	D'backs (rookie)	Rookie
Joey	Wagman (R)	Reliever	Free agent	AA
Zack	Weiss (R)	Reliever	Angels	MLB
Josh	Wolf (R)	Reliever	Guardians (A)	A

* Not Jewish but is married to a Jewish woman and thus qualifies to play

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(NOTE: Some mobile users may be unable to see all columns in this table. Click here for an Excel spreadsheet.)

Nearly half the athletes on Israel’s roster have MLB experience. Phillies backup catcher Garrett Stubbs, for example, is strong on defense, hits for power despite a small frame, and helped guide Philadelphia’s pitching staff to the 2022 World Series. Relief pitcher Richard Bleier (Red Sox) has amassed a 14-6 record with 5 saves and a 3.06 ERA over a 7-year MLB career. Fellow reliever Jake Bird (Rockies) made his MLB debut in 2022.

We will play a hard-nose style of baseball with a lot of energy. We expect to surprise people.

Ian Kinsler, manager of team israel

Israel’s roster also features some of the hottest prospects in baseball:

• 1B Matt Mervis (Cubs/AAA) hit a combined .309 with 36 HRs and 119 RBIs across three levels in 2022, the most RBIs of any minor leaguer since 2019. MLB.com projects that Mervis — the Cubs’ 2022 Minor League Player of the Year — will break into the Majors in 2023.
• 2B/3B Zack Gelof (Athletics/AAA) hit .270 with 18 HRs, 66 RBIs, and 10 stolen bases across two levels in 2022. According to MLB.com, he is the 5th-ranked second baseman in the minor leagues and likely will get called-up by Oakland in 2023.
• 1B/LF Spencer Horwitz (Blue Jays/AAA) hit a combined .275 with 12 HRs, 51 RBIs, and a .391 on-base percentage across two levels in 2022. In November, Toronto added him to its 40-man roster.
• P Colton Gordon (Astros/High-A) made his minor-league debut in 2022, and it didn’t take long for Houston to recognize his promise. After an eye-popping season in which he held opposing teams to a .182 batting average and just 0.8 walks/hits per inning, Gordon was sent to the prestigious Arizona Fall League to face some of baseball’s top prospects. Once there, he notched a Pitcher of the Week award.

P Jacob Steinmetz (Reds/rookie), a 19-year-old Orthodox Jew who made his pro debut in 2021, is the youngest man on the roster. Valencia, twice Steinmetz’s age at 38, is the oldest.

Assaf Lowengart, a shortstop at tiny Mansfield University of Pennsylvania, is the only native Israeli. But Baltimore’s Kremer is a Hebrew speaker with dual citizenship, and some other teammates obtained Israeli citizenship in order to play for Israel in the 2021 Summer Olympics. Bullpen catcher Tal Erel also is Israeli.

Each of the 20 countries competing in the WBC has a Designated Pitchers Pool, a small group of hurlers it can add to the roster for the tournament’s second or third rounds, if desired. Israel’s DPP includes minor-league prospects Jake Kalish (Angels/AAA) and Jake Miednik (Mariners/Single-A), former minor leaguer Alex Katz, 43-year-old sabra Shlomo Lipetz, and Dodgers reliever Adam Kolarek, whose wife is Jewish.

“I think the strongest part of our WBC roster is the pitching staff, although we should be able to score runs and put pressure on the opposing team,” Kinsler said.

Israel’s management lineup features a number of former pro ballplayers. Kinsler will receive support from bench coaches Brad Ausmus and Jerry Narron, hitting coach Kevin Youkilis, pitching coach Josh Zeid, bullpen coach Nate Fish, first-base coach Tyger Pederson (Joc’s older brother), third-base coach Blake Gailen, and scouts Simon Rosenbaum and Alex Jacobs.

(Earlier this week, the Texas Rangers hired former teammate Kinsler to serve as special assistant to the team’s general manager.)

Some MLB standouts will not appear in blue and white at the quadrennial tourney, which begins March 8. P Scott Effross (Yankees), for example, is injured. 1B Rowdy Tellez (Brewers), son of a Jewish mother and a father with Mexican heritage, received invitations from both Israel and Mexico but chose to represent the latter.

OF Harrison Bader (Yankees) expressed interest in joining Team Israel but pulled out due to injury. Phillies rookie RF Dalton Guthrie also will be absent.

Israel’s first game will take place March 12 against Nicaragua. The two teams will square off at LoanDepot Park in Miami, Valencia’s hometown.

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By Scott Barancik, editor

Dalton Guthrie, a Philadelphia Phillies rookie who considered joining Team Israel for the upcoming World Baseball Classic, is the latest Major Leaguer to be identified as Jewish.

The lanky 27-year-old is a talented and versatile fielder. Plucked out of the University of Florida in the 6th round of the 2017 amateur draft, Guthrie went on to log 70 or more games at each of four separate positions in the minors, including shortstop, second base, centerfield, and third base.

His father, Mark, pitched for eight MLB teams over a 15-year career that ended in 2003.

Guthrie has stood out at every level. In 2014, he was one of just nine players nationwide named to the Rawlings High School Gold Glove Team. At the 2017 NCAA College World Series, he led national champion University of Florida with a .286 batting average. In 2022, he led the Lehigh Valley IronPigs (AAA) with 21 stolen bases.

But Guthrie saved the best for last. Called up in September 2022 to bolster the playoff-bound Phillies, he hit .333 (7-for-21) with a HR, 5 RBIs, stolen base, and a .500 on-base percentage. Guthrie even made it to the playoffs. In Game 3 of the 2022 N.L. Division Series against Atlanta, he came in as a pinch runner and stayed on to play right field for two innings.

Guthrie strongly considered joining Phillies teammate Garrett Stubbs on Team Israel for the upcoming World Baseball Classic, a quadrennial competition that takes place in March. But that would mean missing a big chunk of Spring Training, so Guthrie — who is hoping to make Philadelphia’s opening-day roster — made the difficult choice to skip the WBC.

Please join us in welcoming Dalton.

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By Scott Barancik, Editor

We’ve seen many Jewish accomplishments in the minor leagues between July 8, 2022 and September 15, 2022. Following are some highlights:

Mazel Tov

• MLB.com recently named 3B Zack Gelof (Athletics/Double-A/Midland RockHounds) #98 out of baseball’s 100 top minor-league prospects. The website projected that Gelof, just 22 years old, will make it to the Majors in 2023.
• At least four Jews have been chosen to play in the prestigious Arizona Fall League, which begins October 3. MLB franchises typically send their top prospects to the AFL for additional competition and seasoning. The four players include Gelof, 1B Matt Mervis (Cubs AAA/Iowa Cubs), P Alex Segal (Braves/High-A/Rome Braves), and rookie P Colton Gordon (Astros/High-A/Asheville Tourists). Mervis and Gelof will be teammates on the Mesa Solar Sox.
• P Jared Shuster (Braves/AAA/Gwinnett Stripes) was named Southern League (AA) Pitcher of the Week for July 11-17. The award came after a dominating win in which the former 1st-round draft pick struck out 12 and yielded just 2 hits and no walks over 7 scoreless innings.
• Brandon Gold (Rockies/AAA/Albuquerque Isotopes) was named Pacific League Pitcher of the Week for August 8-14. The honor came after a win in which the 6-foot-3-inch right hander yielded just 2 hits and no walks over 6 scoreless innings while striking out 2.
• The Rockies recently added P Noah Davis (AA/Hartford Yard Goats) to the club’s 40-man roster.

Debuts and second chances

• P Bubby Rossman (Phillies) defied the odds when he made his Major League debut on July 13 (see article). Until Philadelphia signed him as a free agent in late 2021, the 6-foot-5-inch reliever hadn’t played MLB-affiliated ball since 2016. But when two Phillies pitchers were declared ineligible to play in Canada in mid-July due to their unvaccinated status, Rossman received the call. With his fastball topping out at 98mph, he gave up a walk and a home run before retiring the next three batters. Making the outing even more memorable was the fact that Rossman’s batterymate was C Garrett Stubbs.
• P Jake Fishman (Marlins) made his MLB debut on July 31. A subsequent call-up led to another appearance, on August 30. On September 15, Miami called-up the 27-year-old rookie a third time.
• P Zack Weiss (Angels) made his MLB debut with Cincinnati all the way back in 2018, and it didn’t go well. The 6-foot-3-inch reliever faced four batters that day and retired none of them, instead yielding 2 HRs and 2 walks. But Weiss kept at it, and four years later, it paid off. In five appearances since the Angels called him up September 1, the 30-year-old has maintained a perfect 0.00 ERA over 6 combined innings, yielding 2 hits and 5 walks while striking out 7.

Welcome

• Credit to Team Israel alums Zach Weiss (Angels) and Alon Leichman for identifying two more Jewish prospects, both of them power hitters (see article). Chase Strumpf (Cubs/AA/Tennessee Smokies), a former 2nd-round draft pick who splits his time between second base and third base, ranked #1 on the Smokies through September 15 in times hit by pitch (19), #2 in on-base percentage (.377), and #3 in HRs (21) and doubles (22). 1B Jake Scheiner (Mariners/AA/Arkansas Travelers), a former 4th-round draft pick, ranked #5 among all minor leaguers with 105 RBIs (tied) and had hit 21 HRs.
• The 2022 amateur draft was the least productive in memory, but at least four Jewish players were selected. They include P Eric Reyzelman (Yankees), a 21-year-old right hander out of Louisiana State University (Round 5, #160 overall); P Tanner Jacobson (Cardinals), a 22-year-old right hander out of Queens University of Charlotte (Round 10, #307); C Jordan Dissin (Phillies), a 20-year-old out of the University of Richmond (Round 12, #362); and P Graham Firoved (Cubs), a 22-year-old out of Virginia Polytechnic (Round 16, #467). Shortly after the draft, the Yankees signed P Harrison Cohen, a right hander out of George Washington U., as an undrafted free agent.

Stats to share

• Through September 15, Jewish batters accounted for two of the top 6 run-producers among all minor leaguers. Matt Mervis (Cubs/AAA/Iowa Cubs) ranked #2 with 111 RBIs, while Jake Scheiner (Mariners) ranked #5 with 105 (tied).
• In the space of a month, the Yankees signed three Jewish pitchers: Cubs workhorse Scott Effross, draftee Eric Reyzelman, and undrafted free agent Harrison Cohen.

Player spotlight: Matt Mervis

1B Matt Mervis (Cubs AAA/Iowa Cubs) wasn’t even supposed to be here. An infielder and pitcher at Duke University, he excelled at neither. All 30 MLB teams ignored him in the 2020 draft. The Cubs signed Mervis soon after as an undrafted free agent, but his first season as a pro was uninspired: a .209 batting average with 9 HRs for Chicago’s Low-A team. Then, in 2022, something clicked.

• Mervis started the season in High-A and powered his way through Double-A before settling in with Chicago’s Triple-A squad, the Iowa Cubs. Through September 15, he was hitting a combined .309 with 33 HRs, 111 RBIs, and a .983 OPS (on-base plus slugging).
• Mervis’s 33 HRs ranked second among all minor leaguers. His prior season high, either as a pro or college player, was 9.
• The Cubs named Mervis their Minor League Player of the Month for August. Ironically, that was his least-productive month of the season so far.
• Mervis is one of six top prospects the Cubs have tagged to play in the Arizona Fall League.
• MLB.com projects that Mervis will make his Major League debut in 2023.

At the plate

• C Jordan Dissin (Phillies/Rookie/FCL Phillies), a 12th-round pick in the 2022 amateur draft, made his professional debut on August 6. He is hitting .353 (6-for-17) with 5 walks, 2 hit by pitches, and 6 strikeouts.
• 3B Noah Mendlinger (Cardinals/High-A/Peoria Chiefs), an undrafted free agent who signed with St. Louis in 2021, has upped his game since we last checked in. Through July 7, the 22-year-old was hitting .209 (24-for-115) with 0 HRs, 7 RBIs, and a healthy .372 OBP. From July 8 through September 15, Mendlinger hit .284 (31-for-109) with 2 HRs, 11 RBIs, and a .397 OBP.
• 1B Matt Mervis (Cubs/AAA/Iowa Cubs) was promoted to Triple-A on July 22. From then through September 15, the sophomore pro hit .295 (49 for 166) with 12 HRs, 31 RBIs, a .369 OBP, and a .971 OPS.

On the mound

• Colton Gordon (Astros/High-A/Asheville Tourists), a 2021 draftee who didn’t make his pro debut until 2022, has come a long way since July 7, when he was playing for one of Houston’s rookie-league teams. Gordon’s first stop was at Fayetteville (Low-A), where he went 0-0 with a 2.21 ERA across 5 games (including 3 starts), held opposing batters to a mere 0.787 walks/hits per inning, and struck out 27 batters over 20.1 combined innings while walking only 3. From there the 6-foot-4-inch southpaw headed to Asheville (High-A), where he put up nearly identical numbers. Gordon’s most recent start was his finest yet. In a September 11 win against the Greenville Drive, he tossed 5.2 scoreless innings, yielding just 3 hits and no walks while striking out 9. Small wonder that Houston decided to enroll the 23-year-old rookie in the upcoming Arizona Fall League.

Injured

• C Ryan Gold (Blue Jays/AA/New Hampshire Fisher Cats)
• P Ryan Sherriff (Phillies/AAA/Lehigh Valley IronPigs)
• SS Shawn Goosenberg (White Sox/High-A/Winston-Salem Dash)
• P Ben Gross (Twins/AA/Wichita Wind Surge)
• OF Jake Suddleson (Athletics/AA/Midland RockHounds)
• P Sam Delaplane (Giants/Low-A/San Jose Giants)

Released

• IF Ty Kelly (Dodgers)
• C Jakob Goldfarb (Diamondbacks)

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By Scott Barancik, editor

Two prospects who had been under Jewish Baseball News’ radar are now locked in. Both are infielders, power hitters, and high draft picks who play at the Double-A level

Chase Strumpf (Cubs/AA/Tennessee Smokies), a 24-year-old UCLA alum who once played on Team USA’s 15-and-under squad and splits his time between second base and third base, was a 2nd-round draft pick in 2019. A current .235 hitter and former teammate of fellow prospect Matt Mervis, Strumpf ranks #1 on the Smokies in times hit by a pitch (19), #3 in HRs (19) and doubles (21), and #7 in on-base percentage (.374).

Jake Scheiner (Mariners/AA/Arkansas Travelers), a 27-year-old first baseman and University of Houston alum, was chosen by the Phillies in the 4th round of the 2017 draft. Currently hitting .249, Scheiner leads all Double-A players with 93 RBIs (tied). Among his fellow Travelers, he ranks #1 in walks (71), #2 in HRs (18), and #3 in on-base plus slugging (.804).

Please join us in welcoming these talented athletes.

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By Scott Barancik, editor

Jewish Baseball News’ most recent MLB update took us through games played June 17. Following is an overview of what has happened since then, through games played August 21.

Mazel Tov

• P Jake Fishman (Marlins) became the third Jewish pitcher to make his MLB debut in 2022. In 3.1 innings of relief against the Mets on July 31, the 27-year-old yielded one earned run on 4 hits, no walks, and a hit batter (click here to see a video clip). Fishman was sent back down to Triple-A the following day.
• P Bubby Rossman (Phillies), who played for Israel in the 2021 European Baseball Championship, made his MLB debut on July 13, yielding 2 earned runs over one inning and yielding a HR, one walk, and one strikeout. Since returning to Triple-A, Rossman is 3-1 with a 2.35 ERA and 25 strikeouts over 15.1 innings.
• OF Joc Pederson (Giants) was a starter in the 2022 All-Star Game, his second All-Star appearance. Max Fried was added to the N.L. roster but chose not to pitch, citing a recent lengthy outing.
• The Yankees went on a Jewish pitcher buying spree in August, acquiring reliever Scott Effross from the cellar-dweller Cubs as well as two prospects — draftee Eric Reyzelman and undrafted free agent Harrison Cohen — in the space of 20 days.
• Two Jewish players squared off from the mound in a July 22 game (see box). Cubs hurler Scott Effross tossed a perfect inning. Phillies catcher Garrett Stubbs was far less effective in his second mound appearance this season, yielding 5 earned runs on two HRs and a walk over one inning.
• Retired second baseman Ian Kinsler was selected to manage Team Israel in the 2023 World Baseball Championship. He also was one of five athletes to hoist a torch during the opening ceremony at the 2022 Maccabiah Games in Israel.

Season overview

• Jewish pitchers continue to outpace their peers in 2022. Through August 21, they were a combined 23-16 with a 4.2 strikeout-to-walk ratio and a 3.19 ERA, substantially better than the MLB average ERA of 3.93.
• Jewish batters are hitting a combined .250 so far this season, better than the MLB average of .241. They also are hitting HRs at a far faster clip than the Majors as a whole — one for every 18.0 at-bats, versus one in 31.5 ABs.

Stats to share

• C Garrett Stubbs (Phillies) packs a lot of power into a small frame. So far, he is one of only 11 Major Leaguers to hit a home run this season who stand no more than 5’11” and weigh no more than 170 pounds. Diminutive second baseman Jose Altuve of the Astros (5’6″ and 166 pounds) leads the pack with 20 HRs, but Stubbs’ HR pace (one every 16.6 at-bats) ranks #1.
• 1B Rowdy Tellez (Brewers) celebrated on August 5 when he stole second base. He is one of just 5 MLB players to steal a base this season who stand at least 6’4″ and weigh at least 255 pounds.
• Tellez is among National League leaders in multiple categories, including #2 in intentional walks (9), #2 in fielding percentage among first basemen (.999), #2 in maximum exit velocity (116.9 mph), #4 in at-bats per HR (15.2) and hard-hit balls (40.4%), #7 in HRs (26/tied), and #10 in RBIs (74). Not bad for a 30th-round draft pick. (Special thanks to reader Jack W. for providing JBN with multiple statistical insights.)
• SS Alex Bregman (Astros) is among N.L. leaders in multiple categories, including #1 in lowest swing percentage at balls outside the strike zone (21.2%), #3 in walk-to-strikeout ratio (1.05) and runs scored (72), #6 in highest walk percentage (12.9%), #7 in RBIs (73/tied) and wins above replacement (4.1), #8 in fewest swings and misses on pitches (5.6%), and #9 in lowest strikeout rate (12.4%).
• Among N.L. hitters with at least 250 ABs, LF Joc Pederson (Giants) ranks #3 in hard-hit balls (52.7%) and #4 in average exit velocity (92.9 mph). (NOTE: Pederson is not qualified to win a batting title in 2022 because he will fall short of the minimum number of at-bats. JBN set a lower AB minimum — 250 — in order to show how Pederson lines up against his peers.)
• P Dean Kremer (Orioles) had three consecutive scoreless outings of five innings or more from June 17 through June 28. The Oriole record of four straight scoreless outings is held by Hall of Fame hurler Jim Palmer and two others.
• P Max Fried (Braves) is among N.L. leaders in multiple categories, including #1 in home run infrequency (0.43 per 9 innings) and average curveball vertical movement (-10.4), #2 in walk infrequency (1.55% per 9 innings) and fielding-independent pitching (2.49), #3 in strikeout-to-walk ratio (5.32), #4 in wins above replacement (4.4) and range factor per 9 innings (2.11), #5 in ERA (2.60), #6 in wins (11), and #10 in average fastball velocity (94.1 mph/tied).

At the plate

• Backup catcher Garrett Stubbs (Phillies) is making the most of his limited role. It’s no surprise that the defensive specialist has a .991 fielding percentage, but Stubbs’ prowess at the plate has been intriguing. In just 83 at-bats, he is hitting .289 with 5 HRs, 14 RBIs, 2 stolen bases, a .366 on-base percentage (OBP), and an .896 on-base plus slugging percentage (OPS).
• After a fast start in 2022, LF Joc Pederson (Giants) has tapered off. In 130 at-bats since June 17, the journeyman has hit just .223 with 4 HRs, 13 RBIs, a .297 OBP, and a .697 OPS. Oddly, he’s performed better since returning from a July 28 concussion, hitting .290 with a .342 OBP. A rumor that Atlanta might seek to reacquire Pederson prior to the trade deadline failed to materialize.
• 1B Rowdy Tellez (Brewers) has hit only .215 in 177 ABs since June 17, but that includes 16 HRs, 36 RBIs, and a .335 OBP.
• SS Alex Bregman (Astros) has recovered some of his batting swagger of late. Through games played June 17, he was hitting .216 with 7 HRs, 30 RBIs, a .336 OBP, and a .712 OPS. Since then, Bregman has hit .309 with 11 HRs, 42 RBIs, a .396 OBP, and a .956 OPS. The highlight came August 18, when he went 4-for-6 with 2 HRs, 2 doubles, and 6 RBIs against the White Sox.

On the mound

• Max Fried (Braves) has picked up his already stellar play recently. Through June 17, he was 7-2 with a 2.90 ERA. Since then, he’s dropped his ERA to 2.23, although a lack of run support left him with a 4-2 record.
• In anticipation of the playoffs, the Yankees acquired reliever Scott Effross from the Cubs on 8/1/2022. It’s not hard to understand why. Through July, the workhorse had pitched in 47 games, going 1-4 with 13 holds, one save, and a 2.66 ERA. The move already has paid off. In 7 games with New York, Effross is 0-0 with a save, 2 holds, and a 3.24 ERA.
• Dean Kremer (Orioles) is enjoying career bests in his third MLB season. His record of 5-4 in 2022 compares to a combined 1-8 in his rookie season and 2021, and he has made significant improvements in ERA (3.45 vs. 6.84), walks/hits per inning (1.295 vs. 1.590), walks per 9 innings (2.1 vs. 4.6), and strikeout-to-walk ratio (3.28 vs. 1.86).
• In what has been a challenging season, Richard Bleier (Marlins) is on the upswing. Through June 17, he was 0-1 with a blown save, 3 holds, 5.06 ERA, and was hit by opposing batters at a .338 clip and a .923 OPS. Since then, Bleier is 2-0 with 2 blown saves, one hold, a 2.57 ERA, and has yielded a .286 batting average and a .757 OPS.
• P Kenny Rosenberg (Angels), who made his MLB debut in April, got his third call-up in June — and the opportunity to make his first Major League start. The rookie had his best outing yet, yielding 2 hits and 3 walks over 4.2 innings and striking out one en route to a 4-0 win over the Mariners on June 19. Unfortunately, that didn’t stop Anaheim from sending him down afterward.
• P Eli Morgan (Indians) has been two different pitchers this season. Through June 17, he was 2-2 with one blown save, 6 holds, a 1.71 ERA, 39 strikeouts and just 5 walks across 31.2 innings, and had held opponents to a remarkable .117 batting average and .403 OPS. Since then, Morgan has gone 2-1 with 3 blown saves, 4 holds, an 8.50 ERA, 19 strikeouts and 3 walks across 18 innings, and has given up a .304 batting average and a .988 OPS.

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By Scott Barancik, editor

It’s been just 10 days since we reported that four current MLB players had committed to represent Israel at the 2023 World Baseball Classic.

The quartet included starting pitcher Dean Kremer (Orioles), reliever Richard Bleier (Marlins), and two star outfielders: slugger and World Series hero Joc Pederson (Giants), and Gold Glove winner Harrison Bader (Cardinals).

Now, Jewish Baseball News can confirm that Kevin Pillar (Dodgers) has agreed to complete Israel’s outfield trio — that is, if he’s healthy enough to play. The fearless-bordering-on-reckless Pillar dislocated his shoulder twice during a June 1 game against the Pirates and later underwent season-ending surgery.

Stay tuned to Jewish Baseball News for more updates on Team Israel, along with regular news on MLB and minor-league Jews.

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By Scott Barancik, editor

The last time Israel played in the World Baseball Classic — which also happened to be the first time, in 2017 — the biggest names on its roster were Ike Davis, Sam Fuld, and Jason Marquis, all of whom had retired from pro ball.

The 2023 WBC will be different.

Last week, Team Israel manager Ian Kinsler revealed that slugger Joc Pederson — dubbed “Joctober” for his World Series heroics — will play outfield at the quadrennial tourney, in March. Since then, Jewish Baseball News has learned of at least three other current Major Leaguers who will join the Giants’ left fielder:

• OF Harrison Bader (Cardinals). A 3rd-round pick in the 2015 draft, Bader made quick work of the minors and went on to finish #6 in voting for 2018 N.L. Rookie of the Year. An elite gloveman, he is one of just three N.L. centerfielders who have yet to make an error in 2022.
• P Dean Kremer (Orioles). The son of Israelis who moved to the U.S. after completing their military service, Kremer is 3-1 with a 2.59 ERA in 8 starts this season. At one juncture in 2022, he recorded an eye-popping 23.1 straight scoreless innings.
• P Richard Bleier (Marlins). A middle reliever who recorded sub-2.00 ERAs in each of his first three Major League seasons, Bleier has a career record of 14-5 with a 3.08 ERA and just 1.185 walks/hits per inning.

All but Bader have donned the blue-and-white uniform before, although as minor leaguers. Pederson and Bleier competed for Israel in the qualifiers for the 2013 WBC. Kremer pitched in the 2017 tournament.

Still more Major Leaguers are expected to join Israel’s roster in the weeks and months to come. “We have been in contact with all of the available players, and Joc is going to talk to them as well,” Kinsler said. “There is a whole winter and offseason as well to communicate with them.”

Who can we thank for this largesse? Kinsler has played a key role. A 4-time All-Star and 2-time Gold Glove winner who competed in the 2018 World Series and currently serves as special assistant for baseball operations and player development with the San Diego Padres, Kinsler brings star power and credibility to the team. Add to that his growing appreciation for the country and ongoing relationships with Major League athletes, and you have a manager who can recruit.

Peter Kurz, Team Israel’s general manager and president of the Israel Association of Baseball, has been cultivating relationships with Jewish ballplayers for more than a decade. For evidence of his persuasive power, look no further than the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, when Kurz did the unimaginable: convincing more than a dozen American Jews, including Kinsler, to obtain Israeli citizenship. (Unlike the WBC, Olympic rules requires athletes to be citizens of the country they play for.)

The final piece in the recruiting puzzle? Team Israel itself. Prior to the 2017 WBC, Israel’s baseball team was ranked #41 in the world. Convincing MLB talent to join its roster was a tall order, especially if they had a chance to play for Team USA.

Things rapidly improved, however. After finishing 6th among 16 teams at the 2017 WBC, Israel climbed from the depths of the European B Pool to qualify for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, finished 5th there, and concluded the 2021 European Championships in 2nd place.

Team Israel will need all the talent it can muster to achieve success at the 2023 WBC. Currently ranked #20 in the world, Israel has been assigned to Pool D, which includes 2013 WBC champion Dominican Republic; 2017 WBC runner-up Puerto Rico; and Venezuela, the world’s 6th-ranked team. If Israel gets out of there alive, even tougher opponents lie ahead, including juggernauts USA (which won the 2017 WBC) and Japan.

But the addition of Pederson, Kremer, Bleier, and Bader — who has yet to publicly declare himself exclusively Jewish, and thus is not listed by Jewish Baseball News — is a big step forward for Israel baseball.

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By Scott Barancik, editor

After one of the most improbable call-ups of 2022, P Bubby Rossman made his Major League debut Wednesday night with the Philadelphia Phillies (July 13).

The circumstances were unusual. Four Phillies, including two pitchers, were ineligible to play the Blue Jays in Canada — where COVID laws are stiffer — because they were unvaccinated. Philadelphia filled one of the temporary slots with Rossman, a Double-A righthander who, until this season, hadn’t played MLB-affiliated ball since 2016.

Rossman took the mound in the 8th inning. Things didn’t go well at first. The 30-year-old walked Alejandro Kirk on five pitches. Next up came Teoscar Hernandez, who powered a 2-1 fastball over the right-field fence.

But a mound visit appeared to calm him down. Rossman retired the next three batters on just 9 pitches, including a 98-mph, four-seam fastball to strike out Matt Chapman (see video).

Making the outing even more memorable was the fact that Rossman’s batterymate was Jewish catcher Garrett Stubbs.

The one-inning stint left Rossman with quintessentially Jewish statistics: an 18.00 ERA on 18 total pitches. After the game, he and his fellow replacement pitcher were sent back down to the minors, as expected.

Thus ended the latest chapter in the unlikely career of Charles Rossman III, a 6-foot-5 righthander with dual U.S. and Israeli citizenship and a vegan diet that helps him stay trim.

Drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2014, Rossman got no further than High-A before his release in 2016. Except for representing Israel in the 2021 European Championships, a high point in his baseball arc, Rossman was relegated to independent-league teams, including ones in Mexico and Canada and another called the Nerds.

Yet the California native wasn’t ready to give up on his dream. According to a January 2022 article in NBCSports: “Rossman worked with several data- and technology-based training outfits, including Driveline and Tread Athletics. He refined his mechanics and got in better shape. He worked with throwing guru Tom House, whose clients include Tom Brady and Cole Hamels, and lately has trained with ageless former big-league pitcher Joe Beimel, who made a comeback at age 44 last season.”

To tout his growing skills, Rossman also created a website. “It should be noted that Bub has low miles on a very powerful arm and is healthy both in his career and lifestyle,” he wrote. “Passion, persistence, perseverance.”

What led the Phillies to make the call no other team had since 2016? Jewish Baseball News hasn’t a clue. It’s worth noting that Phillies vice president and general manager Sam Fuld himself represented Israel in the 2017 World Baseball Classic.

For now, Rossman is back in Double-A, where he also is breaking ground. A career reliever dating back to his days at Cal State Dominguez Hills, Rossman has started 8 games this season for the Reading Fightin Phils, during which he has recorded a 2.25 ERA, fanned 21 in 16 innings, and held batters to a meek .148 average.

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By Scott Barancik, Editor

It’s been two months since Jewish Baseball News brought you up to date on how our minor leaguers are doing. Here are some highlights through games played July 7, 2022:

Mazel Tov

• Every year, 50 of the top prospects in the minor-league system are chosen to play in the MLB All-Star Futures Game. The only Atlanta Braves farmhand to make the cut in 2022 is P Jared Shuster (AA/Mississippi Braves), a 1st-round pick in the 2020 draft and Atlanta’s #8 prospect, according to MLB.com. Shuster ranks #5 in the Southern League in ERA (3.13), #3 in WHIP (1.04), #4 in innings pitched, and #3 in strikeouts. The Futures Games takes place July 16 at Dodger Stadium. Side note: former MLB star Shawn Green will serve as the hitting coach for Shuster’s National League team.
• 1B Spencer Horwitz (Blue Jays/AAA/Buffalo Bisons) was named Eastern League (AA) Player of the Week for June 6-12, during which he hit .450 (9-for-20) with a HR, 3 doubles, 4 RBIs, a .577 OBP (on-base percentage), and a 1.477 OPS (on-base plus slugging). That wasn’t the end of Horwitz’s good news, either. On July 1, the Radford University alum went 5-for-6 with a HR, 2 doubles, and 5 RBIs on July 1. Six days later, he made his Triple-A debut, going 4-for-8 with 2 doubles in a July 7 doubleheader. Not bad for an athlete who wasn’t selected until the 24th round of the 2019 draft.
• OF Hunter Bishop (Giants/High-A/Eugene Emeralds) has yet to live up to the promise of being picked #10 overall in the 2019 draft, but the 6-foot-5-inch outfielder appears poised to break out. Bishop was named Northwest League Player of the Week for June 20-26, hitting .381 (8-for-21) with 2 HRs (including a grand slam), a triple, 10 RBIs, a stolen base, .458 OBP, and 1.220 OPS.
• P Colton Gordon (Astros/Rookie/FCL Astros Orange) was the last of 2021’s Jewish draftees to appear on the field. The 6-foot-4-inch southpaw underwent Tommy John surgery two months before the draft and has been recovering ever since. But Gordon finally made his pro debut on June 13. Through four appearances, he is 0-1 with a 0.00 ERA and has held opposing batters to a .120 average, yielded just 3 hits and a walk over 7 combined innings, and struck out 11 batters.

At the plate

• 3B/2B Zack Gelof (Athletics/AA/Midland RockHounds) had rocketed through Oakland’s minor-league system since the A’s selected him in the 2nd round of the 2021 draft. Now ranked the club’s #3 prospect by MLB.com, Gelof has excelled this season, hitting .316 (53-for-168) with 4 HRs, 26 RBIs, 8 stolen bases, and a .371 OBP. Some more optimistic observers foresaw the 6-foot-3-inch Gelof not only advancing to Triple-A this season but possibly Oakland. Unfortunately, a recent injury — torn labrum in his non-throwing shoulder — hit “pause” on Gelof’s ascent.
• 1B Matt Mervis (Cubs/AA/Tennessee Smokies) was selected out of high school in the 39th round of the 2016 draft but instead went to Duke University, where he started out as a pitcher. Four years later, the Cubs signed him as an undrafted free agent, and boy, has that proved to be a smart move. After a lackluster debut in 2021, Mervis began the 2022 season in High-A, where he hit a sizzling .350 with 7 HRs, 29 RBIs, and a 1.039 OPS. He’s been nearly as productive since a promotion to Double-A, hitting .312 with 13 HRs, 44 RBIs, and a 1.001 OPS. Mervis’s total of 20 HRs ranks him #10 (tied) among all minor leaguers.
• May 22 was a memorable day for C CJ Stubbs (Astros/High-A/Asheville Tourists) and big-league brother Garrett Stubbs (Phillies), as both homered. CJ wasn’t done with the long ball, though. From June 29 to July 3, the USC alum homered in four straight games.

On the mound

• Angels rookie P Kenny Rosenberg (Angels/AAA/Salt Lake Bees) got his third call-up of the year on June 19, and just like the two prior promotions, he made one appearance and was sent back to Triple-A the following day. But Rosenberg’s most recent demotion was a bit puzzling, given his performance: 4.2 scoreless innings marked by 2 hits, 3 walks, and a strikeout.
• Could P Jake Fishman (Marlins/AAA/Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp) be the next Jewish minor leaguer to make his MLB debut this season? Setting aside the status of Miami’s depth chart, Fishman would seem a good candidate. The 6-foot-3-inch middle reliever is 3-0 with one save, a 1.88 ERA, and 36 strikeouts in 38.1 innings. Fishman’s WHIP (walks/hits per inning) of .097 ranks #9 among International League pitchers who have tossed at least 30 innings.
• P Kyle Molnar (Angels/High-A/Tri-City Dust Devils) didn’t have a promising rookie season in 2021. After a decent start in High-A, the UCLA alum was trounced in Double-A, going 0-2 with a 13.21 ERA, yielding 2.62 WHIP, and being hit by opposing batters at a .400 clip. Talk about your turnarounds. In 18 games across Low-A and High-A this season, Molnar is 4-0 with a 2.14 ERA and has held opponents to 1.13 WHIP and .190 batting average.
• P Bubby Rossman (Phillies/AA/Reading Fightin Phils) played for Israel in the 2021 European Championships, but by then he hadn’t played affiliated ball since 2016. The tide turned in late 2021, when Philadelphia signed Rossman as a free agent and, in April 2022, plunked him down in Double-A. Rossman has acquitted himself well so far, going 2-2 with one save, a 3.58 ERA, modest 1.27 WHIP, and 44 strikeouts in 37.2 innings. And he’s been steadily improving, lowering his ERA from 7.84 in April to 2.03 in May and 1.50 in June.

Other news

• More bad luck for P Sam Delaplane (Giants/Low-A/San Jose Giants). Once ranked as high as #20 on MLB.com’s list of the Mariners’ top prospects, the reliever has dominated batters since 2017, going 12-6 with 17 saves, a 2.56 ERA, and jaw-dropping average of 15.3 strikeouts per 9 innings. But Tommy John surgery cost the Eastern Michigan alum nearly three years of his career, and an ill-fated rehab stint this season recently ended with a forearm strain.
• 2B Tyler Krieger (Braves/AA/Mississippi Braves), who played for Team Israel in the 2017 World Baseball Classic, has retired after a 6-year career. A 4th-round pick in the 2015 draft, Krieger was named the 10th-best minor-league second baseman in 2017 by MLB.com. He finished his pro career with a .250 average in 1,775 at-bats.

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Many readers have expressed regret that Jewish Baseball News is no longer producing weekly MLB summaries. We hope someday to resume that level of activity. For now, however, the best we can do is produce occasional updates — such as the one below — and encourage you to follow our posts on social media.

Jewish Baseball News also is fully aware that our home page, with the exception of the Jewish Box Score and Season Stats tables, mostly contains dated content. Some day — with time, money, and external expertise — we hope to replace it with something more useful.

In the meantime, thank you for asking us to do more. We take that as a compliment.

Now, onto the update.

Season overview

• Simply and crudely put, Jewish pitchers are kicking ass in 2022. Through June 17, they were a combined 11-8 with a 4.83 strikeout-to-walk ratio and a 3.05 ERA, substantially below the MLB average of 3.90.
• Jewish batters are hitting a combined .245 so far this season, modestly better than the MLB average of .241. They also are hitting HRs at a far faster clip than the Majors as a whole — one for every 19.1 at-bats, versus one in 32.2 ABs.

Stats to share

• Through games played June 17, OF Joc Pederson (Giants) had hit one home run for every 11.4 ABs, ranking him #1 among N.L. players with at least 150 ABs. Meanwhile, Pederson’s career average of 16.9 ABs per home run ranks #5 among all active MLB players.
• Among active MLB pitchers with at least 50 career decisions, Max Fried (Braves) ranks #2 in win-loss percentage, at .702 (47-20).
• Despite technically still being a rookie, sophomore pitcher Scott Effross (Cubs) has been a workhorse. His 31 appearances rank #1 among N.L. hurlers this season.

At the plate

• Despite serving in a backup role, C Garrett Stubbs (Phillies) is winning fans in his new home town of Philadelphia. After three years in Houston, where he hit just .182 (14-for-77) with 0 HRs and 6 RBIs, the 29-year-old has upped his game, hitting .317 (13-for-41) with 3 HRs, 7 extra-base hits, a .404 OBP, and a 1.036 OPS (on-base plus slugging). Perhaps the greatest moment of Stubbs’ career came on June 15, when he hit a 3-run, walk-off HR against the Marlins, sparking a debate as to whether Stubbs’ post-HR celebration was the best of the year. (Click here to see him discuss the HR and receive a Gatorade bath.) On June 12, Stubbs took the mound for an inning, yielding a solo HR in a 13-1 loss to Arizona.
• LF Joc Pederson (Giants), who has earned two World Series rings in a row (Dodgers in 2020, Braves in 2021), is hitting a career-best .269 (43-for-160) with 14 HRs, 34 RBIs, a .343 OBP, and a career-best .905 OPS. Three of his HRs came on May 24, a night he went 4-for-6 with 8 RBIs. San Francisco would appear to be getting a bargain with Pederson, who has a one-year, $6-million contract.
• CF Kevin Pillar (Dodgers) has had an excellent season in Triple-A but played just four games in the Majors, hitting. 083 (1-for-12) with a double and a walk. He did make a remarkable catch on May 29, however, one that Statcast said had only a 20% probability of success.
• 1B Rowdy Tellez (Brewers) is hitting .252 (55-for-218) with 10 HRs, a team-high 38 RBIs, a .314 OBP, and a .768 OPS. Tellez was named N.L. Player of the Week in early May after hitting .500 (12-for-24) with an MLB-best 1.580 OPS — not bad for a 6-foot-4, 255-pound man. The highlight was a historic performance on May 4, when Tellez went 4-for-6 with 2 HRs (including a grand slam), a double that was just a few feet short of a second grand slam, and a team-record 8 RBIs. Click here to see a recent interview with the 27-year-old California native.
• After beginning the season with a bang — he won the first A.L. Player of the Week award in 2022 — Alex Bregman (Astros) is hitting a career-low .216 (47-for-218) with 7 HRs, 30 RBIs, a .336 OBP, and a .712 OPS.

On the mound

• Max Fried (Braves) lost his first two starts of the season but has gone 7-0 since then, leaving him with a 7-2 record, a 2.90 ERA (#10 in the N.L.), a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 5.769 (#3), and 1.054 walks/hits per inning (#10).
• As a rookie starter in 2021, Eli Morgan (Indians) struggled, going 5-7 with a 5.34 ERA — which makes his 2022 reincarnation as a middle reliever that much more astonishing. And don’t let his 2-2 record fool you. Among all N.L. pitchers with at least 30 innings under their belt this season, the 26-year-old right hander ranks #1 in opponent batting average (.114), #1 in walks/hits per innings (0.54), #3 in strikeout-to-walk ratio (7.80), #4 in ERA (1.71), #8 in walks per 9 innings (1.42), and #8 in strikeouts per 9 innings (11.08).
• Scott Effross (Cubs) is 1-2 with a 3.10 ERA (#2 among all Chicago pitchers), 37 strikeouts and just 7 walks across 29 innings, and a WHIP (walks/hit per inning) of 1.172.
• An injury kept Dean Kremer (Orioles) out of the lineup until early June, but the Israeli-American has gotten better in each of his three starts, culminating with a shutout of the Rays on June 17. For the season, Kremer is 1-1 with a 2.35 ERA, 10 strikeouts and 4 walks across 15.1 innings, and a 1.175 WHIP.
• Richard Bleier (Marlins) is enduring the toughest trial of his 7-year career. Despite entering the season with a career record of 12-4 and a 2.96 ERA, the 6-for-3-inch southpaw is 0-1 in 2022, with a 4.76 ERA and a 1.647 WHIP.
• Kenny Rosenberg (Angels) made his MLB debut in 2022 — click here to see his first strikeout — but he hasn’t had much chance to develop his stuff. Rosenberg tossed one inning on April 18 and 5 innings on May 31, and both times he was demoted the following day. For the season, the 26-year-old is 0-0 with a 7.50 ERA, 7 strikeouts and 3 walks across 6 innings, and a 1.667 WHIP.

On the mend

• P Ryan Sherriff (Phillies), recovering from a left shoulder strain, began a series of minor-league rehab assignments on June 9. In 4 appearances across three leagues, Sherriff is 1-0 with 2 holds, a 1.00 WHIP, and 7 strikeouts over 4 combined innings.

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• 

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By Scott Barancik, Editor

A total of 33 Jewish players have played minor-league ball in 2022. Here are some highlights through games played May 10:

At the plate

• 3B Zack Gelof (Athletics/AA/Midland RockHounds) is only 22 years old, but the 2021 draftee is tearing up the Texas League (AA) like an old pro. The University of Virginia alum is hitting .339 (ranked #6) with 4 HRs, 22 RBIs (#6), 5 stolen bases, a .391 on-base percentage, and a .517 slugging percentage in 118 at-bats. He’s had two 2-HR games this season.
• 1B Matt Mervis (Cubs/High-A/South Bend Cubs) was selected out of high school in the 39th round of the 2016 draft, the 1,174th pick out of 1,216 players. Still only 24 years old, the 6’4″ lefty is off to a fast start in 2022. Mervis is hitting .313 with 7 HRs (#4/tied), 26 RBIs (#2), a .363 OBP. and a .627 SLG in just 83 ABs. Like Gelof, he’s had two 2-HR games this season.
• Two former Major Leaguers working hard to get back to the MLB are making a strong case. OF Kevin Pillar (Dodgers/AAA/Oklahoma City Dodgers) is hitting .319 with 7 HRs (#3/tied), 25 RBIs (#3/tied), 13 walks against 9 strikeouts, a .407 OBP (#7), and a .638 SLG (#3) in 94 ABs. Meanwhile, C Ryan Lavarnway (Tigers/AAA/Toledo Mud Hens) is hitting .324 (#9) with 2 HRs, 10 RBIs, a .413 OBP, and a .515 SLG in 68 ABs.

On the mound

• Jared Shuster (Braves/AA/Mississippi Braves), just 23 years old, is 2-2 in 5 starts with a 1.84 ERA (4th/tied), 0.78 walks/hits per inning (#1), 34 strikeouts in 29.1 innings, and just 5 walks.
• Kyle Molnar (Angels/Low-A/Inland Empire 66ers), 25, is 1-0 in 6 relief appearances with a 1.42 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, and 12 strikeouts against 3 walks. He was promoted to the Tri-City Dust Devils (High-A) on May 9.
• Kenny Rosenberg (Angels/AAA/Salt Lake Bees), 26, made his MLB debut on April 18 before being sent back to AAA, where he is 0-0 in 3 starts with a 0.76 ERA and is averaging 11.68 strikeouts per 9 innings.
• Jake Fishman (Marlins/AAA/Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp), 27, is in his second season at AAA. He is a perfect 3-0 with one save, a 2.81 ERA, and a WHIP of 1.00.

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By Scott Barancik, editor

P Kenny Rosenberg made his MLB debut last night (4/18/2022) with the Los Angeles Angels.

The Angels were down 7-3 to the Houston Astros when they sent the 26-year-old southpaw to the mound in the 8th inning. Rosenberg struck out the first batter he faced on three pitches before yielding one run on a walk and two singles. He retook control by retiring Houston’s Alex Bregman — yes, a fellow Jew — on a two-pitch flyout and then closed out the inning by striking out Yordan Alvarez swinging.

All in all, not a bad start for Rosenberg, a 2016 draftee out of Cal State Northridge whom the Tampa Bay Rays left unprotected in 2021’s Rule 5 draft.

In six minor-league seasons, Rosenberg is 34-17 with 4 saves, a 3.87 ERA, 1.344 WHIP, 9.2 strikeouts per 9 innings, and a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 2.62. He primarily worked as a starter until moving to the bullpen in 2021.

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Despite the will-they-or-won’t-they drama concerning the 2022 MLB season, a lot has happened during the offseason, and Spring Training has sprung. Jewish Baseball News wishes to welcome you back with abbreviated highlights.

Comings and goings

• OF Joc Pederson signed a one-year contract with the San Francisco Giants. He played for the Chicago Cubs and World Series champion Atlanta Braves in 2021.
• P Richard Bleier extended his Miami Marlins tenure with a 2-year, $6-million deal.
• CF Kevin Pillar, who has played for five franchises since leaving the Toronto Blue Jays after the 2018 season, signed a minor-league contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
• C Ryan Lavarnway, who played for Israel in the 2020 Olympics, signed a minor-league contract with the Detroit Tigers. In a recent column penned for the Detroit News, Lavarnway chronicled his crazy love affair with baseball, during which he has “been sent down, traded or released 24 times.”
• P Ryan Sheriff was selected off waivers by the Philadelphia Phillies.
• C Garrett Stubbs joined the Philadelphia Phillies after a late-season trade.
• 2B Ty Kelly, who represented Israel in the 2020 Olympics and last played in the Majors in 2018, has unretired. The 33-year-old signed a minor-league contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
• P Zack Weiss signed a minor-league contract with Los Angeles Angels. Weiss’s sole Major League appearance so far was a one-inning outing with the Cincinnati Reds in 2018.
• P Robert Stock, who pitched for four MLB teams from 2018 through 2021, signed a one-year deal with the Doosan Bears of South Korea’s KBO League.
• P Sam Delaplane, a rising star who was felled by Tommy John surgery in 2019, signed a free-agent deal with the San Francisco Giants.
• P Bubby Rossman, who pitched for Israel in the 2021 European Championships but last played minor-league ball in 2016, signed a minor-league deal with the Philadelphia Phillies.

Off-field news

• Brad Ausmus, who managed the Detroit Tigers and Los Angeles Angels after completing an 18-year Major League career, is the new bench coach for the Oakland A’s.
• Brad Goldberg, who pitched for the Chicago White Sox in 2017, has joined his hometown Cleveland Guardians organization as a pitching coach.
• Blake Gailen, a former minor leaguer who played for Israel in the 2020 Olympics, was hired by the Los Angeles Dodgers as a rookie-league hitting coach.
• Alon Leichman, who played for Israel in the 2020 Olympics, joined the Seattle Mariners as a Double-A pitching coach.

Honors

• Gabe Kapler was named the National League’s 2022 Manager of the Year after leading the San Francisco Giants to a team-record 107 wins. He is the first Jewish manager to win that award.
• Max Fried, who helped the Atlanta Braves become World Series champs in 2021, became only the third Major League pitcher since 1980 to earn the Silver Slugger and Gold Glove awards in the same season.

New face

• IF Noah Mendlinger, an undrafted free agent who played Single-A ball for the St. Louis Cardinals in 2021, is the most recent addition to Jewish Baseball News’ player list.

College

• Denison University’s baseball team apparently is a magnet for Jewish athletes. Seven Jews are on the school’s Division III baseball team. A mother of one player says the seven teammates plan to make matzoh ball soup together for Passover.

Spring Training

At least 24 Jewish players had participated in Spring Training so far as of April 1. Some highlights:

• 3B Alex Bregman (Houston Astros) leads all Jewish players with a .278 average and 3 doubles.
• 1B Rowdy Tellez (Milwaukee Brewers) is hitting .250 with 2 HRs, a double, 5 RBIs, and a .321 on-base percentage.
• P Scott Effross, who made his MLB debut with the Chicago Cubs in 2021, has hurled 5 shutout innings over 5 games, yielding 2 hits, 2 walks, and a wild pitch while striking out 5.
• In a March 25 win over the Yankees, P Ryan Sherriff and C Garrett Stubbs were battery-mates for the Philadelphia Phillies.
• Among other players with Major-League experience, C Garrett Stubbs (Philadelphia Phillies, OF Joc Pederson (San Francisco Giants), OF Kevin Pillar (Los Angeles Dodgers), C Ryan Lavarnway (Detroit Tigers), P Richard Bleier (Miami Marlins), P Dean Kremer (Baltimore Orioles), P Max Fried (Atlanta Braves), and P Zack Weiss (Los Angeles Angels) all have struggled.
• Two prospects in the Colorado Rockies’ system have performed well. P Noah Davis has tossed 4 hitless innings over 2 games, yielding one walk while striking out 4. And Brandon Gold has thrown two scoreless innings, yielding one hit while striking out one and earning a win.
• Two players who were drafted in 2021 have made Spring Training appearances. 3B Zack Gelof (Oakland Athletics), a 2nd-round pick who was a standout in his first minor-league season, is 1-for-6 with a walk. 3B Noah Medlinger (St. Louis Cardinals), an undrafted free agent, is 1-for-1
• Click here to download an Excel spreadsheet that contains stats through Friday, April 1.

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