Jewish Baseball News

By Scott Barancik, Editor

Here are your MLB highlights for the week of September 30-October 6, 2019, the first week of the playoffs:

Mazel tov

• Kevin Pillar is San Francisco’s nominee for the 2019 Hank Aaron Award, given annually to the outstanding offensive player in each league (see article).

Stats to share

• By one measure, Max Fried may be the best-fielding pitcher in the Majors. According to FanGraphs, Fried’s defensive play saved Atlanta six more runs in 2019 than the average pitcher would have. Meanwhile, his 34 assists were tied for the MLB lead.
• Alex Bregman swung at only 18.8% of all pitches that arrived outside the strike zone in 2019, the best rate of any MLB batter (see table). The worst rate? Kevin Pillar held that dubious honor, at 48.8%.
• Joc Pederson’s home run in Game 1 of the N.L. Division Series had an exit velocity of 114.9-mph, the second-fastest by a Dodger since 2015.
• Though several respected journalists have argued for naming Alex Bregman the A.L. MVP, at least one oddsmaker has him finishing a distant third in the voting, behind Mike Trout and DJ LeMahieu.
• Special thanks to JBN reader Jack W. for many of today’s statistics.

 At the plate

• 3B Alex Bregman (Astros) hit .500 (3-for-6) with a HR, double, RBI, and a .625 on-base percentage. Houston leads Tampa Bay 2-0 in the A.L. Division Series.
• LF Joc Pederson (Dodgers) hit .286 (2-for-7) with a HR, double, RBI, and a .444 on-base percentage over three playoff games. Los Angeles leads the Nationals 2-1 in the N.L. Division Series.
• LF Ryan Braun (Brewers) went 1-for-4 in Milwaukee’s Wild Card loss on October 1, ending his season.

On the mound

• Max Fried (Braves) pitched 2.1 scoreless innings across 3 games, yielding a hit and 2 walks while striking out 4. Atlanta leads the Cardinals 2-1 in the N.L. Division Series.

Arizona Fall League

• Orioles prospect Dean Kremer tossed 4 innings for the Surprise Saguaros in an October 4 start, yielding one earned run on 2 hits and a walk while striking out 2.
• Mariners prospect Sam Delaplane pitched 2 scoreless innings over 2 games for the Peoria Javelinas, yielding 2 hits and no walks while striking out 4. He is one of just 8 pitchers in the AFL with 2 or more saves.

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By Scott Barancik, Editor

Here are your MLB highlights for the week of September 23-29, 2019, the final week of the regular season:

Mazel tov

• CF Kevin Pillar, playing in his first season with San Francisco, won the 2019 Willie Mac award. The honor is given to the Giants’ most inspirational player, as voted by players, coaches, trainers and fans (see article).

Other news

• The Los Angeles Angels fired manager Brad Ausmus on September 29. The team’s 2019 record was its worst in 20 years (see article).

Stats to share

• Max Fried, who finished the 2019 season with a 17-6 record, is just the seventh jewish player in MLB history to win at least 17 games in a season. The last one was Scott Feldman, who went 17-8 for the Texas Rangers in 2009.
• At least four Jewish players – Alex Bregman (Astros), Ryan Braun (Brewers), Max Fried (Braves), and Joc Pederson (Dodgers) – are playoff-bound. If Garrett Stubbs were to make Houston’s roster, he would be the fifth.
• Alex Bregman, who finished the season with 41 HRs, is only the fifth Jewish player in MLB history to reach that mark — and the first to do so since Ryan Braun hit 41 in 2012. The other three are Shawn Green (three times), Al Rosen (once), and Hank Greenberg (four times).
• Bregman drew an MLB-best 117 walks in 2019, and he did so while striking out just 83 times, a walk-to-strikeout ratio of 1.43. He is only the second player since 2010 to have more than 100 walks and a walk-to-strikeout ratio of more than 1.4. The other was Joey Votto, in 2017.
• Meanwhile, yet another columnist – this one from USA Today – is arguing that Bregman should be named American League MVP over Mike Trout (see article).
• Rowdy Tellez hit his 20^th and 21^st home runs on September 25 to become the record 5^th Jewish player with more than 20 HRs in 2019. Amazingly, each of the four Jewish players with enough at-bats to win the batting title this season had at least 20 HRs. Tellez — who is just the 4th rookie in Blue Jays history to hit at least 20 HRs — fell just short of the minimum.
• Those last two home runs Tellez hit, on September 25? They came after a 6-year-old child told him he had to hit one (see article).

 At the plate

• LF Ryan Braun (Brewers) hit .667 (4-for-6) with 2 HRs, 6 RBIs, and a .750 on-base percentage. Braun enjoyed his best season since 2016, hitting .285 with 22 HRs, 75 RBIs, a .343 on-base percentage, and a .505 slugging percentage.
• LF Joc Pederson (Dodgers) hit .375 (6-for-16) with 4 HRs, 6 RBIs, and a .421 OBP. Pederson set multiple career highs in 2019, hitting .249 with 36 HRs, 16 doubles, 3 triples, 74 RBIs, a .339 OBP, and a .538 slugging percentage.
• 3B Alex Bregman (Astros) hit .368 (7-for-19) with 2 HRs, 2 doubles, 4 RBIs, and a .538 OBP. Bregman reached career highs in multiple categories in 2019. Overall, he hit .296 with 41 HRs, 37 doubles, 2 triples, 5 stolen bases in 6 tries, a .423 OBP, and a .527 slugging percentage.
• 1B Rowdy Tellez (Blue Jays) hit .348 (8-for-23) with 2 HRs, 3 doubles, 5 RBIs, and a .423 OBP. For the season, the rookie first baseman hit .227 with 21 HRs, 19 doubles, 54 RBIs, a .293 OBP, and a .449 slugging percentage.
• CF Kevin Pillar (Giants) hit .182 (4-for-22) with a triple, 3 RBIs, and a .240 OBP. For the season, he hit .259 with 21 HRs, 37 doubles, 3 triples, 88 RBIs, 14 stolen bases in 19 tries, a .287 OBP, and a .432 slugging percentage.
• C Garrett Stubbs (Astros) hit .000 (0-for-3). The rookie catcher finished the season with a .200 batting average, 3 doubles, 2 RBIs, a stolen base, a .282 OBP, and a .286 slugging percentage.
• 2B Ian Kinsler (Padres) missed the final six weeks of the season with a herniated cervical disk. Kinsler finished 2019 with a .217 batting average, 9 HRs, 12 doubles, 22 RBIs, a .278 OBP, and a .368 slugging percentage.
• C Ryan Lavarnway (Indians) spent the final two months of 2019 in the minors. In 5 games with the Reds before being traded, he hit .278 with 2 HRs, 2 doubles, 7 RBIs, and a .316 OBP.

On the mound

• Max Fried (Braves) pitched 3.2 innings of scoreless relief on September, yielding a hit and a walk while striking out 5. Fried finished the 2019 season with a 17-6 record, 4.02 ERA, 1.33 walks/hits per inning, and 173 strikeouts.
• Richard Bleier (Orioles) went 0-0 across 3 games, yielding 3 hits over 3.1 combined innings while walking none and striking out 4. For the season, Bleier went 3-0 with 4 saves, a 5.37 ERA, 1.32 walks/hits per inning, and 30 strikeouts.
• Robert Stock (Padres) missed the final three months of 2019 with a right bicep strain. For the season, he went 1-0 with a 10.13 ERA, 2.06 walks/hits per innings, and 15 strikeouts.

Arizona Fall League

• Orioles prospect Dean Kremer tossed 3 innings for the Surprise Saguaros in a September 27 start, yielding one earned run on a hit and a walk while striking out 5.
• Mariners prospect Sam Delaplane pitched an inning of scoreless relief on September 28, yielding no hits and one walk while striking out 3 for the Peoria Javelinas.

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By Scott Barancik, Editor

Here are your MLB highlights for the week of September 16-22, 2019:

Mazel tov

• Led by 1B Danny Valencia and P Joey Wagman, Israel’s national baseball team won an Olympic qualifying tournament in Italy last week, earning it a berth in the 2020 games in Tokyo (see article). The last time Israel played a team sport in the Olympics was 1976, when its soccer squad competed in Montreal.
• Two Jewish pitchers are competing in the prestigious Arizona Fall League, which features the top 7 prospects from each Major League franchise. Orioles prospect Dean Kremer, a dual Israeli-American citizen, pitched 2 scoreless innings in a September 20 start for the Surprise Saguaros, yielding 2 hits and no walks while striking out 3. Mariners prospect Sam Delaplane pitched 2 scoreless innings on September 18 to earn a save for the Peoria Javelinas. He pitched well on September 22, too, but gave up one hit — a home run that earned him a loss.

Stats to share

• Alex Bregman (Astros) has 39 home runs so far. If he gets to 40, he’ll be just the fifth Jewish player to reach that mark and the first to do so since 2012, when Ryan Braun (Brewers) hit 41. The others are Hank Greenberg, Shawn Green and Al Rosen.
• Correction: last week, we erroneously wrote that Ryan Braun (Brewers) and Rowdy Tellez (Blue Jays) each hit their 20th home run, when Tellez in fact had hit only 19. Even so, four Jewish players have reached the 20-HR mark so far this season, a new record.

At the plate

• LF Ryan Braun (Brewers) hit .389 (7-for-19) with 4 doubles, 3 RBIs, and a .421 on-base percentage.
• 3B Alex Bregman (Astros) hit .235 (4-for-17) with 3 HRs, 4 RBIs, and a .381 OBP. The third and final home run, his 39th of the season, came as Houston clinched the A.L. West title on Sunday.

• CF Kevin Pillar (Giants) hit .259 (7-for-27) with a double, 5 RBIs, and a .310 OBP.
• 1B Rowdy Tellez (Blue Jays) hit .222 (2-for-9) with a double and a .500 OBP.
• LF Joc Pederson (Dodgers) hit .111 (1-for-9) with an RBI and a .385 OBP. He played just one complete game last week.
• C Garrett Stubbs (Astros) hit .000 (0-for-1) with a walk.
• 2B Ian Kinsler (Padres) is out for the rest of the season with a herniated cervical disk.

On the mound

• Max Fried (Braves) rebounded from two straight losses with a scoreless gem on September 21, yielding 5 hits and no walks over 5.1 innings while striking out 2 to earn his 17th win.

• Richard Bleier (Orioles) went 0-0 with a 3.60 ERA and a save across 3 games. Over 5 combined innings, he yielded 5 hits and no walks while striking out 2.
• Robert Stock (Padres) is out for the rest of the season with a right bicep strain.

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By Scott Barancik, Editor

A veteran oddsmaker wouldn’t have taken the bet. A Hollywood producer wouldn’t have entertained such a preposterous plot line.

No one — except perhaps Israel Association of Baseball president Peter Kurz, the eternally optimistic uncle you might dismiss as delusional — would have believed the Israeli national baseball team could earn a berth in the 2020 Olympics, where it likely will face powerhouse teams such as the United States, Japan, and the Dominican Republic.

As a whole, Israel’s current roster is far less experienced and polished than even the “has-beens and wannabes” who led the team to unlikely success in the 2017 World Baseball Classic, a run that inspired the documentary Heading Home.

(Credit: Margo Sugarman)

The last time an Israeli team from any sport reached the Olympics was 1976, when its men’s soccer team competed in Montreal. No one from Israel’s current baseball team — not even 40-year-old Tel Aviv native Shlomo Lipetz — was alive back then.

But in its long slog from obscurity, Israel’s baseball team has repeatedly beaten the odds, and this past week was no different.

On Sunday, the team defeated South Africa by a score of 11-1 to win a six-team Olympic qualifying tournament in Italy, thus earning the right to represent Europe and Africa in Tokyo (see full-game replay). Among the teams Israel (4-1) vanquished during the September 18-22 tourney were top seeds Netherlands, Italy and Spain, each of which had soundly beaten Israel a week earlier at the European Championships.

Despite hitting only .234 in the qualifiers, Israel was the highest-scoring team. Danny Valencia, a former Major Leaguer who last played in 2018, led all tournament players with 3 home runs and 9 RBIs, while his .375 average ranked #5. Former minor-league prospect Nick Rickles hit .316 with 2 home runs and 6 RBIs. (Click here to see complete stats.)

Israel truly shone on the mound, where it maintained a tournament-best 2.25 ERA. The clear standout was starter Joey Wagman, an independent-league player who finished 2-0 with a 0.56 ERA and a complete-game shutout against Spain.

Ben Wanger also turned heads. A 2019 graduate of Yale University, he hit a respectable .231 with 2 doubles and 3 RBIs while playing first base and designated hitter. But the two-way player also pitched, tossing 4.1 scoreless innings against the Czech Republic.

What will the baseball team’s Olympic berth mean to rank-and-file Israelis? Hard to know. Ending a 44-year drought in Olympic team sports has to be worth something. On the other hand, most Israelis remain unfamiliar with baseball, and it’s unclear how much pride they will take in the team’s players, a group largely led by Americans who obtained Israeli citizenship this year in order to qualify.

But there’s no question how much it all means to teammates like Alon Leichman, a pitcher and native Israeli.

“I can’t believe I’m saying this: We are Olympic athletes,” he tweeted.

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By Scott Barancik, Editor

After finishing 4th in the 12-team European Championship in Germany last week, the Israeli baseball team is moving on to Italy.

Starting today (9/18/2019), Israel will compete with five other countries — Netherlands, Italy, Czech Republic, South Africa and Spain — for the right to represent Europe and Africa at the 2020 Olympic games in Tokyo. Only one team will make it.

Israel takes on Spain this afternoon in Game 1. Click here to watch the game live, or here to see the box score.

To get to Italy, Israel had to finish among the top 5 teams in its first-ever trip to the European Championship. After winning its first four games there, the team lost three of four to finish 5-3 overall and #4 among the 12 competitors.

Joey Wagman led all pitchers in the Championship series with a 0.00 ERA over 10.2 innings. Los Angeles Angels prospect Blake Gailen and former MLB’er Danny Valencia each hit 4 HRs over the series.

If Israel is to conquer the five-day Olympic qualifiers, it will have to do better against the top European teams than it did in the Championship tournament. Israel’s three losses came against #1 Netherlands, #2 Italy, and #3 Spain.

Either way, it’s an impressive and unprecedented step for Israel and its fledgling baseball program, which until this year had never even reached the European Championship.

Representatives from all six teams in the Europe Africa Qualifying tourney for the 2020 Olympics pose together. Included are Israel manager Eric Holtz (rear, second from left) and infielder Mitch Glasser (in front of Holtz)

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By Scott Barancik, Editor

The 2019 minor-league season is all but over. Here are all the playoff stats — good and bad — for the week of September 9-15, 2019:

Ryan Lavarnway celebrates after hitting the first of 2 HRs in a September 11 playoff win

Mazel tov

• Israel’s national baseball team finished 4th in the 12-team European Championship that ended Sunday (9/15/2019), good enough to advance to the Olympic qualifiers taking place in Italy from September 18-22.
• P Sam Delaplane (Mariners/AA/Arkansas Travelers) was named to MLB Pipeline’s Prospect Team of the Year, Second Team. Of the 24 players selected for the First and Second Teams, Delaplane was one of only two not currently ranked among his franchise’s Top 30 prospects, as determined by MLB.com. That could change before long.

Other highlights

• C Ryan Lavarnway (Indians/AAA/Columbus Clippers) went 2-for-4 with 2 HRs — including a grand slam — and 6 RBIs to win Game 2 of the International League Championship on September 11 (see article, video). It marked Lavarnway’s third two-HR game this season, the first coming in his Cincinnati Reds debut (July 2) and the second in his Clippers debut (August 1). Columbus went on to win the International League Championship and faces the Sacramento River Cats in a one-game, Triple-A National Championship taking place September 17.
• C Scott Manea (Astros/High-A/Fayetteville Woodpeckers) went 3-for-7 with a home run, a walk, and an RBI over 3 games. Fayetteville went on to lose the Carolina League Championship.
• LF Tyler Benson (Padres/High-A/Lake Elsinore Storm) went 3-for-7 with an RBI over 2 games. He also threw out a runner at second base. Lake Elsinore went on to lose the California League Championship.
• 2B Colby Schultz (Royals/High-A/Wilmington Blue Rocks) went 1-for-7 over 2 games. Wilmington went on to win the Carolina League Championship.
• 1B Andy Yerzy (Diamondbacks/A-short-season/Hillsboro Hops) went 1-for-9 with 2 walks. Hillsboro went on to win the Northwest League Championship.
• P Noah Davis (Reds/Rookie Advanced/Billings Mustings) pitched 2 innings on September 9, yielding 2 earned runs on 3 hits, a walk, and a strikeout. Billing went on to lose in the first round of the Pioneer League Championship.

Transactions

• LF Tyler Benson (Padres) was reassigned from the AZL Padres (Rookie) to the Lake Elsinore Storm (High-A) on September 10.

Free agents

• Players believed to be seeking employment include RC Orlan.

Injured list

• P Keith Weisenberg (Giants/A/Augusta GreenJackets), since August 22.
• P Evan Kravetz* (Reds/Rookie/Greenville Reds), since July 1.

* Players marked with an asterisk were drafted in 2019.

Note to readers: Minor-League Monday does not include stats for all current Jewish minor-leaguers. Click here for a complete list of players, and then click on a player’s name to be taken to his stat page.

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By Scott Barancik, Editor

Here are your MLB highlights for the week of September 9-15, 2019:

Mazel tov

• Israel’s national baseball team finished 4th in the 12-team European Championship that ended Sunday (9/15/2019), good enough to advance to the Olympic qualifiers taking place in Italy from September 18-22.

Stats to share

• Two players — rookie Rowdy Tellez (Blue Jays) and veteran Ryan Braun (Brewers) — reached the 20-HR plateau last week. That brings to 5 the number of Jewish players with 20-plus home runs this season, smashing the previous record of 3 set in 2009 by Ryan Braun (32), Ian Kinsler (31) and Kevin Youkilis (27), and matched in 2016 and 2018. Jewish home-run hitters have not always been so prolific. From 1980 through 1996, for example, not a single player broke the 20-HR barrier.
• Braun’s 20th home run was historic. A go-ahead grand slam, it came with 2 outs in the 9th, a full count, and the Brewers trailing. According to Baseball Reference, it was just the 5th grand slam in Major League history to match those criteria.

• Alex Bregman (Astros) and Joc Pederson (Dodgers) have matched the record for most Jewish players with 30-plus home runs in a single season. Shawn Green (42) and Mike Lieberthal (31) set the record in 1999, which was equaled in 2009, 2011 and 2012.
• Bregman has more walks this season (109) than anyone but Mike Trout (110). Meanwhile, he is averaging 1.4 walks for every strikeout, by far the best in the Major Leagues. Speaking of Trout, MLB.com columnist Richard Justice makes a strong case for why Bregman should be named American League MVP this season, but it looks like sportswriters rank him second to the Angels centerfielder.
• When 20-year-old Braves outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. stole his 35th base and stroked his 35th home run of the season recently, he became the youngest player in Major League history to reach the 35/35 plateau, an exclusive club populated by only 15 players. The sixth-youngest player in the club is Shawn Green, who joined it in 1998 at age 25.

At the plate

• C Garrett Stubbs (Astros) hit .400 (2-for-5) with a double.
• 3B Alex Bregman (Astros) hit .222 (4-for-18) with 2 HRs, a double, 4 RBIs, an astounding 9 walks, and a .481 OBP.
• 1B Rowdy Tellez (Blue Jays) hit .211 (4-for-19) with 2 HRs and 4 RBIs. He also made a nifty over-the-head catch.

• CF Kevin Pillar (Giants) hit .250 (6-for-24) with a double. Speaking of catches, how many times has Pillar made this play in 2019? We’re running out of fingers.

• LF Joc Pederson (Dodgers) hit .250 (5-for-20) with 2 doubles and a .286 OBP.
• LF Ryan Braun (Brewers) hit just .105 (2-for-19) but he made the most of his two hits, stroking 2 HRs — his 19th and 20th of the season — and driving in 7 runs. Braun now has 10 season of 20-plus home runs, tying him for #4 among active Major Leaguers.
• 2B Ian Kinsler (Padres) is out for the rest of the season with a herniated cervical disk.

On the mound

• Richard Bleier (Orioles) went 0-0 with a 0.00 ERA across 3 games. In 4 no-hit innings, he yielded just one walk and struck out one. After going 0-0 with a 7.27 ERA, 2 saves, and 1.50 walks/hits per inning before the All-Star break, Bleier is 3-0 since then, with a 3.86 ERA, one save, and 1.24 walks/hits per inning.
• Max Fried (Braves) had a rough week, losing two starts while posting a 12.27 ERA.
• Robert Stock (Padres) is out for the rest of the season with a right bicep strain.

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By Scott Barancik, Editor

Israel’s national baseball team, buoyed by American players who obtained dual citizenship this year, dominated France 8-2 today in the European Championships to guarantee a spot in the upcoming Olympic qualifying tournament.

Robb Paller’s solo HR in the 4th padded Israel’s lead to 6-0

Israel never trailed, scoring three runs in the first inning and going ahead 7-0 before France scored its two lone runs in the 5th. Former major leaguer Danny Valencia, independent-league outfielder Robb Paller, and former minor-league catcher Nick Rickles homered, while outfielder Blake Gailen, a Triple-A prospect with the Los Angeles Angels, stroked two doubles.

On the mound, starter Joey Wagman pitched four scoreless innings, while Zack Weiss and Jonathan de Marte closed out the game with three perfect innings of relief. (Click here for complete stats.)

“For months it’s been a dream for us to reach the Olympic Games qualifiers alongside the very top teams in Europe, and today, this dream came true,” Israel baseball president Peter Kurz said in a news release. “We still have more games to win, but our players are motivated to go all the way to Tokyo 2020.”

In another bit of good news today, Jeremy Bleich, a Triple-A reliever for the Minnesota Twins, has joined Israel’s roster.

Israel is not done with the European Championships in Germany. After going 4-1 in the initial part of the tournament, the team’s quarterfinal win today moves it to the semifinals tomorrow.

But regardless of tomorrow’s outcome, Israel will compete in the Olympic qualifiers to be held September 18-22 in Italy. The winner of that tournament will represent Europe and Africa in the 2020 Olympics.

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By Scott Barancik, Editor

Here are your minor-league highlights for the week of September 2-8, 2019. Since most leagues completed their regular season on September 2, the stats include playoff performances:

Yerzy

Hitter of the Week: Andy Yerzy (Diamondbacks)
1B Andy Yerzy (Diamondbacks/A-short-season/Hillsboro Hops) went 1-for-3 with a double, walk, and 3 RBIs in the team’s regular-season finale on September 2. In four playoffs games since then, Yerzy — who moved from catcher to first base this season — hit .455 (5-for-11) with a home run, 2 doubles, 3 walks, and 4 RBIs. The highlight: a three-run, walk-off home run in Game 1 of the Northwest League championship series on September 7 (see article/video, photo).

Rosenberg

Pitcher of the Week: Kenny Rosenberg (Rays)

Kenny Rosenberg (Rays/AA/Montgomery Biscuits) pitched beautifully in a September 5 playoff game, pitching 7 scoreless innings on 5 hits, one walk, and 2 strikeouts. Unfortunately, Montgomery scored just one run, so Rosenberg — through no fault of his own — took the loss.

Mazel tov

• C Garrett Stubbs (Astros) was called up from Triple-A on September 2. On September 8, his sole appearance since then, Stubbs went 1-for-1 with a double, walk, and 3 RBIs.
• Danny Valencia, a 34-year-old infielder who spent nine years in the Major Leagues and last played in 2018, obtained Israeli citizenship last week and is playing for Israel in the European Championships held in Germany. Valencia manned third base in Game 1 and served as the designated hitter in Game 2. Haaretz had an interesting article on the Israeli team and the growing number of American players who have obtained joint citizenship this year. Click here to see the team’s roster.
• Speaking of the European Championships — a pit stop on the improbable road to the 2020 Olympics — Israel is 2-0 so far, beating the Czech Republic 6-1 on Saturday and earning a walk-off, 4-3 win against Sweden on Sunday.

Other highlights

• LF Tyler Benson (Padres/AA/Amarillo Sod Poodles) went 3-for-4 with a HR, 2 RBIs, and a stolen base in the team’s regular-season finale on September 2, with Benson’s 8th-inning home run providing the winning margin. Amarillo begins the Texas League playoffs on Wednesday, but Benson — who hit .417 in 11 games for the Sod Poodles this season and didn’t make a single error — may not be playing. He was demoted on September 4.
• 3B Zane Gurwitz (Angels/High-A/Inland Empire 66ers) went 1-for-3 with an RBI single in the team’s regular-season finale on September 2. Inland did not make the playoffs.
• C CJ Stubbs* (Astros/A/Quad Cities River Bandits) went 3-for-5 with a home run and 4 RBIs in the team’s regular-season finale on September 2. In three playoff games since then, Stubbs hit .125 (2-for-12) with one RBI.
• P Sam Delaplane (Mariners/AA/Arkansas Travelers) earned a save in Game 1 of the playoffs September 4, pitching a perfect inning with one strikeout. In another playoff appearance on September 7, Delaplane delivered 1.2 scoreless innings, yielding no hits and one walk while striking out 4.
• P Jake Fishman (Blue Jays/AA/New Hampshire Fisher Cats) retired the only batter he faced in the team’s regular-seas0n finale September 2 and earned a save for it. New Hampshire did not make the playoffs.
• P Jake Miednik (Indians/A/Lake County Captains) struggled a bit in Lake County’s regular-season finale on September, but he earned a win in a September 5 playoff game. In 3 shutout innings, Miednik yielded 2 hits and a walk while striking out one.
• P Noah Davis (Reds/Rookie Advanced/Billings Mustangs) pitched well in a 5-inning start on September 4, yielding one earned run on 4 hits and no walks while striking out 2. Billings has since moved on to the Pioneer League playoffs.

Transactions

• P Rob Kaminsky (Indians/AAA/Columbus Clippers) was placed on the temporary inactive list on September 7.
• LF Tyler Benson (Padres) was reassigned from the Amarillo Sod Poodles (AA) to the AZL Padres (Rookie) on September 4.
• 2B Michael Wielansky (Astros/A/Quad Cities River Bandits) came off the injured list on September 4.
• C Garrett Stubbs (Astros) was called up from Triple-A on September 2.

Free agents

• Players believed to be seeking employment include RC Orlan.

Injured list

• P Keith Weisenberg (Giants/A/Augusta GreenJackets), since August 22.
• P Evan Kravetz* (Reds/Rookie/Greenville Reds), since July 1.

* Players marked with an asterisk were drafted in 2019.

Note to readers: Minor-League Monday does not include stats for all current Jewish minor-leaguers. Click here for a complete list of players, and then click on a player’s name to be taken to his stat page.

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By Scott Barancik, Editor

Here are your MLB highlights for the week of September 2-8, 2019:

Mazel tov

• Danny Valencia, a 34-year-old infielder who spent nine years in the Major Leagues and last played in 2018, obtained Israeli citizenship last week and is playing for Israel in the European Championships held in Germany. Valencia manned third base in Game 1 and served as designated hitter in Game 2. Haaretz had an interesting article on the Israeli team and the growing number of American players who have obtained joint citizenship this year. Click here to see the team’s roster.
• Speaking of the European Championships — a pit stop on the improbable road to the 2020 Olympics — Israel is 2-0 so far, beating the Czech Republic 6-1 on Saturday and earning a walk-off, 4-3 win against Sweden on Sunday. Israel plays the estimable Germany (2-0) today; click here to see a live stream of the game.
• C Garrett Stubbs (Astros) was called up from Triple-A on September 2.

Stats to share

• When Kevin Pillar (Giants) went 4-for-5 on September 4, it was his fourth game of the season with 4 or more hits. The big day included an 8th-inning, go-ahead home run that Baseball Reference called the biggest play of the day, statistically speaking. The round-tripper increased San Francisco’s odds of winning from 46% to 72%.

• Joc Pederson (Dodgers) had an extraordinary run last week. In three games stretching from September 1-4, the left fielder had six consecutive at-bats that went like this: home run, home run, double, home run, home run, home run. Yes, that’s 5 HRs in 6 at-bats, plus a double.

• Max Fried (Braves) pitched the greatest game of his young career on September 5, and he did it against Nationals ace Stephan Strasburg. In 7 innings of near perfection, Fried yielded one hit and no walks while striking out 9 to earn his 16th win — and tie Strasburg for the National League lead. After giving up a two out single in the 1st inning, the 25-year-old southpaw retired 19 straight batters before being pulled.

• Jewish players continue to build on their home-run record, with 133 struck through September 8. The previous record of 118 was set in 2018.

At the plate

• LF Joc Pederson (Dodgers) hit .533 (8-for-15) with 4 HRs, 2 doubles, 8 RBIs, and a .563 on-base percentage. On September 2, he went 3-for-3 with 2 HRs, a double, 5 RBIs, and a home run-robbing catch that caused him to be removed from the game.

• 3B Alex Bregman (Astros) had at least one hit in every game, hitting .458 (11-for-24) with 2 HRs, 3 doubles, 6 RBIs, and a .519 OBP. The highlight was a 4-for-5 performance on September 1. Or was it stealing home on September 6? In his last 30 games, Bregman has hit .412 with 7 HRs, 33 RBIs, and a .493 OBP.

• C Garrett Stubbs (Astros) went 1-for-1 on September 8 with a double, walk, and 3 RBIs.
• CF Kevin Pillar (Giants) hit .259 (7-for-27) with his 21st home run, 4 RBIs, and a .286 OBP.
• LF Ryan Braun (Brewers) hit .188 (3-for-16) with a double, 2 RBIs, and a .316 OBP. He hasn’t homered since belting 2 on August 17, leaving him with 18 for the season.
• 1B Rowdy Tellez (Blue Jays) hit .250 (4-for-16) with 2 HRS, a double, 2 RBIs, and a .333 OBP. His 17 HRs rank #4 among National League rookies.
• 2B Ian Kinsler (Padres) is expected to miss the remainder of 2019 due to a herniated cervical disk. He finished the season with an awkward 1,999 career hits.

On the mound

• Max Fried (Braves) won his 16th game on September 5 (see above).
• Richard Bleier (Orioles) went 0-0 with a save and a 6.75 ERA across 1.1 innings and 2 games, yielding no hits and one walk while striking out one. The September 3 save was his third of the season.
• Robert Stock (Padres) is expected to miss the remainder of 2019 due to a right bicep strain.

Staying close by

• C Ryan Lavarnway (Indians/AAA/Columbus) went 1-for-4 on September 2, then joined his team in the playoffs.

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By Scott Barancik, Editor

Valencia shows off his new Israeli passport

Israel’s bid to play baseball in the 2020 Olympics just grew a little more believable.

Danny Valencia, a 34-year-old infielder who spent nine years in the Major Leagues, obtained Israeli citizenship today and is headed to Germany to play in the European Championships later this week. The top 5 finishers in that 12-team tournament will move on to the Olympic qualifiers in Italy.

A Miami native who was bar mitzvahed there, Valencia debuted with the Minnesota Twins in 2010 and finished third in voting for American League Rookie of the Year that season. The right hander went on to play for a total of 7 Major League franchises before the Baltimore Orioles released him in August 2018. Valencia finished his career with 96 home runs, a .268 batting average, and a .408 slugging percentage.

Valencia spent the bulk of his career at third base and may end up playing there for Israel. But with substantial experience at first base and in the outfield, he gives head coach Eric Holtz some options.

Multiple American ballplayers have obtained dual Israeli-American citizenship this year in anticipation of Israel’s Olympic bid. Recent additions include Ty Kelly, a second baseman who retired from pro ball last month, just days before obtaining an Israeli passport. But no one on Israeli’s current roster has as much Major League experience as Valencia.

Unlike many of his new teammates, this will be Valencia’s first time representing Israel on the diamond. American players dominated Israel’s roster in the 2017 World Baseball Classic, but for that tournament, a player needed only to have Jewish heritage to qualify. By contrast, both the European Championships and the 2020 Olympics require citizenship.

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By Scott Barancik, Editor

Here are your minor-league highlights for the week of August 26-September 1, 2019. Because there were no standout performances at the plate, Jewish Baseball News is skipping its regular Hitter of the Week award.

Delaplane

Pitcher of the Week: Sam Delaplane (Mariners)

Sam Delaplane (Mariners/AA/Arkansas Travelers) pitched 3.1 hitless innings over 3 games to earn 3 saves, yielding just one walk while striking out 6. Since his promotion to Double-A in early June, the 24-year-old is 3-1 with 5 saves in 6 chances. Among all Texas League pitchers with at least 30 innings tossed, Delaplane is #1 in ERA (0.49), percentage of batters struck out (43.3%), opponent batting average (.107), and walks/hits per inning (0.59).

Mazel tov

• Rosters have not yet been finalized for the prestigious Arizona Fall League, which features the 7 top prospects from each Major League franchise, but at least two Jewish pitchers have been selected so far: Sam Delaplane (Mariners/AA/Arkansas Travelers), and Dean Kremer (Orioles/AAA/Norfolk Tides). The AFL’s season begins September 18.
• C Ryan Lavarnway, who played briefly for the Reds this season, was released by the franchise on August 29 but signed a minor-league contract with the Indians a day later. He has been assigned to the Columbus Clippers (AAA).
• 2B Ty Kelly, who announced his retirement with characteristic humor late last month, has obtained Israeli citizenship and will be joining Israel’s national baseball team for the European championships taking place in Germany from September 7-15.

Other highlights

• C Ryan Lavarnway (Indians/AAA/Columbus) hit .429 (3-for-7) in his first three games with the Cleveland franchise, generating a double, 2 RBIs, and a .500 OBP.
• C Garrett Stubbs (Astros/AAA/Round Rock Express) hit .300 (3-for-10).
• LF Tyler Benson (Padres/AA/Amarillo Sod Poodles) hit .500 (6-for-12) with an RBI, a stolen base, and a .538 OBP.
• SS Scotty Burcham (Rockies/AA/Hartford Yard Goats) hit .333 (4-for-12) with a double, RBI, and a .385 OBP.
• 2B Colby Schultz (Royals/High-A/Wilmington Blue Rocks) hit .389 (7-for-18) with a double, RBI, and a stolen base.
• 2B Zane Gurwitz (Angels/High-A/Inland Empire 66ers) hit .318 (7-for-22) with a double, triple, and a .348 OBP.
• C CJ Stubbs* (Astros/A/Quad Cities River Bandits) hit .286 (6-for-21) with a double, stolen base, and a .318 OBP.
• SS Zack Kone (Pirates/A/Greensboro Grasshoppers) hit .304 (7-for-23).
• OF David Vinsky* (Cardinals/A-short-season/State College Spikes) hit .333 (11-for-33) with a double, 3 RBIs, 3 stolen bases, and a .371 OBP.
• C Andy Yerzy (Diamondbacks/A-short-season/Hillsboro Hops) hit .294 (5-for-17) with 2 doubles and a .429 OBP.
• P Brandon Gold (Rockies/AA/Hartford Yard Goats) earned his 5th straight decision on August 28, yielding one earned run over 7 innings on 5 hits and a walk while striking out 3. His 12 wins are #2 in the Eastern League.
• P Jake Fishman (Blue Jays/AA/New Hampshire Fisher Cats) tossed 3 hitless innings across 2 games, yielding 4 walks and striking out 4.
• P Scott Effross (Cubs/High-A/Myrtle Beach Pelicans) pitched 4 scoreless innings across 2 games, yielding 4 hits and no walks while striking out 2.

Transactions

• P Jeremy Bleich (Twins/AAA/Rochester Red Wings) came off the injured list on September 1.
• C Ryan Lavarnway signed a minor-league contract with the Indians on August 30, a day after he was released by the Reds.
• LF Albee Weiss (Twins) was reassigned from the Cedar Rapids Kernels (A) to the Elizabethton Twins (Rookie Advanced) on August 30.
• 2B Ty Kelly (Angels/AAA/Salt Lake Bees) announced his retirement from pro baseball on August 26.

Free agents

• Players believed to be seeking employment include Danny Valencia and RC Orlan.

Injured list

• P Keith Weisenberg (Giants/A/Augusta GreenJackets), since August 22.
• 2B Michael Wielansky (Astros/A/Quad Cities Rivers Bandits), since August 10.
• P Evan Kravetz* (Reds/Rookie/Greenville Reds), since July 1.

* Players marked with an asterisk were drafted in 2019.

Note to readers: Minor-League Monday does not include stats for all current Jewish minor-leaguers. Click here for a complete list of players, and then click on a player’s name to be taken to his stat page.

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By Scott Barancik, Editor

Here are your MLB highlights for the week of August 26-September 1, 2019:

Mazel tov

• LF Joc Pederson set a career high with his 27th and 28th home runs last week. The latter was special: a pinch-hit, 11th-inning home run on September 1 that traveled 454 feet and proved the game-winner for Los Angeles. “It was as big a hit for us as we’ve had all year,” manager Dave Roberts said.

• C Ryan Lavarnway, who played briefly for the Reds this season, was released by the franchise on August 29 but signed a minor-league contract with the Indians a day later. He has been assigned to the Columbus Clippers (AAA).
• 2B Ty Kelly, who announced his retirement with characteristic humor late last month, has obtained Israeli citizenship and will be joining Israel’s national baseball team for the European championships taking place in Germany from September 7-15.

Stats to share

• During the month of August, 3B Alex Bregman (Astros) ranked #1 among all Major Leaguers in on-base percentage (.487) and Wins Above Replacement, a measure of how many more wins a player is worth than a replacement-level player in terms of batting, baserunning and fielding. Bregman ranked #2 in batting average (.404) and #3 in slugging percentage (.747).
• CF Kevin Pillar (Giants) hit home run #20 on September 1 to become the third Jewish player with 20 or more home runs this season, tying a record set in 2009 and matched in 2016 and 2018. A new record could be on the horizon, with Ryan Braun at 18 home runs so far and Rowdy Tellez at 15.

At the plate

• 3B Alex Bregman (Astros) hit .435 with 3 doubles, 4 RBIs, and a .500 on-base percentage.
• LF Joc Pederson (Dodgers) hit .333 (6-for-18) with 2 HRs, 2 doubles, 2 RBIs, and a .400 OBP.
• CF Kevin Pillar (Giants) hit .261 (6-for-23) with a home run, 2 doubles, 4 RBIs and a .280 OBP. He has reached career highs in home runs (20), RBIs (76), slugging percentage (.454), on-base plus slugging (.742), hit-by-pitches (8), and intentional walks (4). The only stat to see a decline? Bases on balls. Pillar has drawn just 14 walks in 511 at-bats.
• LF Ryan Braun (Brewers) hit .182 (2-for-11) with a double and a .308 on-base percentage.
• 1B Rowdy Tellez (Blue Jays) continued to struggle in his return to the Majors, hitting .071 (1-for-14) with a .188 OBP.
• 2B Ian Kinsler (Padres), who has been out since mid-August due to a herniated cervical disk, was moved to the 60-day injured list and is expected to miss the remainder of the season.

On the mound

• Max Fried (Braves) earned his 15th win on August 30 and struck out 11 batters to match a career high. At 15-4, he leads the National League in win-loss percentage (.789).
• Richard Bleier (Orioles) was 0-0 with a hold and a 13.50 ERA over 3 games, yielding 4 earned runs on 6 hits over a combined 2.2 innings. That wasn’t the worst of it. After a particularly rough outing on August 28, Bleier and third-base coach Jose David Flores shouted at each other in the dugout over defensive positioning (see video). “Right now, we’re not thrilled with each other maybe, but I’m sure we can move past this and get back to a healthy relationship,” Bleier said afterward.
• Robert Stock (Padres), who joined the injured list in early July and began a minor-league rehab assignment on August 10, was placed on the 60-day injured list on September 1.

Staying close by

• C Garrett Stubbs (Astros/AAA/Round Rock Express) hit .300 (3-for-10).
• C Ryan Lavarnway (Indians/AAA/Columbus) hit .429 (3-for-7) in his first three games with the Cleveland franchise, producing a double, 2 RBIs, and a .500 OBP.

In other sports

• Israel’s Sagi Muki won the 2019 Judo World Championships in the 81-kilogram division last week.
• Israel’s Aviv Gozali recorded the fastest win in Bellator MMA history.
• New England Patriots’ Nate Ebner wrote about his first trip to Israel.

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By Scott Barancik, Editor

Kelly flashes his new Israeli passport

Baseball journeyman Ty Kelly announced his retirement last weekend with characteristic humor, accusing retiring Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck of stealing his thunder. “Let me have my moment, Andrew,” he wrote.

It turns out Kelly’s not quitting baseball entirely.

The 31-year-old second baseman recently obtained Israeli citizenship and will be joining Israel’s national baseball team for next month’s European championships in Germany. The top 5 finishers in that 12-team tournament will move on to the Olympic qualifiers taking place in Italy beginning September 18.

A native of northern California, Kelly was picked by Baltimore in the 13th round of the 2009 draft and spent the bulk of his pro career in the minors. The switch-hitter made his Major League debut in 2016 and played a total of 118 games for the New York Mets and Phillies.

Kelly has represented Israel before. In its improbable run in the 2017 World Baseball Classic, Kelly hit .321 while playing second base. Kelly only needed Jewish heritage to qualify for Israel’s roster in that tournament. By contrast, the European Championships requires citizenship.

Although Kelly manned the infield in 80% of his pro starts, he will be playing right field in Germany. Second base, Kelly’s most common spot, will be occupied by Mitch Glasser, an independent-league player who became a dual Israeli-American citizen earlier this year.

Multiple American ballplayers have obtained dual Israeli-American citizenship this year in anticipation of Israel’s Olympic bid. Members of Kelly’s cohort include former minor-league catcher Nick Rickles and former Yale University closer Benny Wanger.

Other players with Major League experience who will be representing Israel at the European championships next month include Jon Moscot and Zack Weiss.

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In other sports

• Hockey: Florida Panthers rookie Chase Priskie made his NHL debut tonight against the Washington Capitals (11/4/2021)
• MMA: On Oct. 26, Israel’s Oron Kahlon (16-0) will face Afghanistan’s Javid Basharat (10-0) on Dana White’s Contender Series, a UFC program on ESPN+. Betting lines favor Basharat (10/25/2021)
• Hockey: The Canucks’ Quinn Hughes (#2) and the Rangers’ Adam Fox (#4) were among the top four vote-getters for the NHL’s 2020 Rookie of the Year (2/12/2021)
• Judo: Israel’s Sagi Muki wins 2019 Judo World Championships in 81-kilogram division (9/2/2019)
• MMA: Israel’s Aviv Gozali records fastest win in Bellator MMA history (8/29/2019)
• Football: Patriots’ Nate Ebner discusses first trip to Israel (8/28/2019)
• Wrestling: All four Finesilver brothers qualified for this year’s NCAA wrestling championships (5/2/2019)
• Hockey: Consensus #1 NHL draft pick is a 17-year-old Jewish kid (4/5/2019)
• Israel Softball preparing for Euro tourney, aiming for 2020 Olympics
• MMA fighters trained by Tiger Schulmann went 2-1 at UFC 230 (11/4/2018)
• Israel beat Croatia 80-66 in July to win the under-20 Euro basketball championship (9/12/2018)
• Itay Gershon, first Israeli to sign with Glory Kickboxing, earns unanimous win in debut fight (7/14/2017)
• Washington State star Gabe Marks awaits NFL draft (4/27/2017)
• Tampa Bay Buccanners guard Ali Marpet is learning to play center (4/22/2017)
• Israel’s Or Sasson (100kg) and Yarden Gerbi (63kg) return home with bronze medals in judo (8/16/2016)
• Olympic gold-winning swimmer Katie Ledecky has a Jewish grandmother who lost relatives in the Holocaust (8/10/2016)
• After retiring from the NBA, Amar’e Stoudemire — a self-described Hebrew Israelite — is moving to Israel. He will play for Hapoel Jerusalem, a team he co-owns (8/6/2016)
• Two Jewish athletes will be playing for the U.S. Olympic rugby team in Rio: New England Patriots safety Nate Ebner, and rugby veteran Zack Test (8/1/2016)
• Daniel Berger, 23, won the Fed Ex St. Jude Classic in Memphis on June 12, becoming first Jewish golfer to win a PGA title since Jonathan Kaye in 2004. He was named the PGA tour’s Rookie of the Year in 2015 (6/21/2016)
• U. of Pennsylvania’s Sam Mattis tossed a discus 221′-3″ in March, the longest in the world so far in 2016. The second-place competitor threw 184′-9″ (5/11/2016)
• Former Arizona State University quarterback Mike Bercovici signed as an undrafted free agent with the San Diego Chargers, and former Vanderbilt offensive guard Jake Bernstein signed with the Kansas City Chiefs (5/4/2016)
• The Chicago Bears drafted 177-lb. former Western Michigan wide receiver Daniel Braverman in the 7th round of the 2016 draft. Sports Illustrated says he has a strong Jewish identity (5/2/2016).
• Only four players in the NBA this season are shooting 50% from the floor, 40% from three-point range, and hitting at least one triple per game: Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Kawhi Leonard and Israel’s Omri Casspi (1/10/2016)
• Patriots’ wide receiver Julian Edelman explores his Jewish heritage in Israel. 
• “They’re like an underdog, and I like underdogs” (8/28/2015)
• College soccer coach recalls a young winger now known worldwide as Daily Show host Jon Stewart ***
• NBA M.V.P. Stephen Curry isn’t Jewish, but mother Sonya Curry said this week that a “trip to Israel five years ago transformed her and sparked her interest in learning Hebrew” ***
• A documentary about Jews and Arabs playing American football in Israel is making the rounds of Jewish film festivals (5/27/2015) ***
• Our condolences to the family of Justin Zemser, a 5’8″ wide receiver on the U.S. Naval Academy’s sprint football team who died in last week’s Amtrak crash (5/18/2015) ***
• Pro surfer and Hawaii native Makuakai “Makua” Rothman is ranked #1 on the World Surf League’s 2015 Big Wave Tour. Check out his website here *** (5/10/2015) ***
• The Tampa Bay Buccaneers selected 6’4″, 307-pound offensive lineman Ali Marpet in the 2nd round of the NFL’s 2015 draft. The 61st overall pick, Marpet is an unlikely selection, having played for Hobart College, a Division III school in upstate New York with just 2,400 students (5/3/2015) ***

By Scott Barancik, Editor

Here are your minor-league highlights for the week of August 19-25, 2019:

Stubbs

Hitter of the Week: CJ Stubbs (Astros)
C CJ Stubbs* (Astros/A/Quad Cities River Bandits) hit .304 (7-for-23) with 2 HRs, 3 doubles, and 7 RBIs. The highlight came on August 23, when Stubbs went 4-for-4 with 2 HRs and 4 RBIs. Since being promoted to Single-A on August 15, the 22-year-old rookie — and brother of fellow Astros catching prospect Garrett Stubbs — has hit .313 with 3 HRs, 4 doubles, and 12 RBIs in just 32 at-bats.

Gross

Pitcher of the Week: Ben Gross (Twins)

Ben Gross* (Twins/Rookie Advanced/Elizabethton Twins) was nearly unhittable in an August 24 start. In 5 scoreless innings, Gross yielded just 2 hits and zero walks while striking out 7.

Mazel tov

• Simon Rosenbaum, a 6’7” first baseman who works in the front office of the Tampa Bay Rays, will be joining Team Israel for the European Baseball championships in Germany, which begins September 7. Click here if you want to support Israel in its pursuit of the 2020 Olympics.
• Simon Rosenblum-Larson (Rays/High-A/Charlotte Stone Crabs) retired one batter on August 24 to earn a hold. He was succeeded on the mound by a rehabbing Ryan Sheriff, who pitched 2 scoreless innings to earn a save.

Other highlights

• 2B Zane Gurwitz (Angels/High-A/Inland Empire 66ers) hit .261 (6-for-23) with 2 HRs, a double, 6 RBIs, and a .320 OBP. Gurwitz is hitting .284 for the 66ers this season, versus .227 in 2018.
• C Andy Yerzy (Diamondbacks/A-short-season/Hillsboro Hops) hit .238 (5-for-21) with 2 doubles, 6 RBIs, and a .385 OBP.
• SS Keaton Weisz* (Angels/Rookie/AZL Angels) hit .444 (4-for-9) with 2 RBIs and a .545 OBP.
• P Dean Kremer (Orioles/AAA/Norfolk Tides) fared much better in his second Triple-A start, yielding 3 earned runs on 5 hits and a walk over 5 innings while striking out 5.
• P Brandon Gold (Rockies/AA/Hartford Yard Goats) earned his 4th straight win on August 23, yielding 2 earned runs on 3 hits and 2 walks over 6 innings while striking out 5. For the season, Gold is 11-5 with a 3.55 ERA and 5 times as many strikeouts (107) as walks (20).
• P Sam Delaplane (Mariners/AA/Arkansas Travelers) tossed 3 scoreless innings over two appearances, yielding a hit and a walk while striking out 5 and earning his 4th save of the season.
• P Mitchell Osnowitz (Cardinals/AA/Springfield Cardinals) pitched 2 scoreless innings across 2 games, yielding zero hits and a walk while striking out 2.
• P Simon Rosenblum-Larson (Rays/High-A/Charlotte Stone Crabs) pitched 4 perfect innings across 3 games, yielding no hits or walks, striking out 6, and earning his 8th save in 8 chances this season.
• P Ryan Sherriff (Rays), on a rehab assignment with the Charlotte Stone Crabs (High-A), pitched 2 scoreless innings on August 24, yielding 3 hits and no walks to earn a save.
• P Scott Effross (Cubs/High-A/Myrtle Beach Pelicans) pitched 4.2 innings across 3 games, yielding one earned run on 3 hits and zero walks while striking out 5.
• P Max Lazar (Brewers/A/Wisconsin Timber Rattlers) struck out a career high 10 in an August 20 win, holding opponents to one earned run on 7 hits and no walks over 7 innings. Since an early-season promotion to Single-A, Lazar is 7-2 with a 1.60 ERA, 100 strikeouts, and just 15 walks.
• P Noah Davis (Reds/Rookie Advanced/Billings Mustangs) was dominant in an August 19 start, yielding just 2 hits and a walk over 5 scoreless innings while striking out 8. He had less success in an August 24 start that ended in a no-decision.
• P Josh Wolf* (Metes/Rookie/GCL Mets) pitched 2 scoreless innings on August 24, yielding one hit and no walks while striking out 4.
• P Josh Shapiro* (Brewers/Rookie/AZL Brewers Gold) pitched 4 innings of one-run ball on August 25, yielding 3 hits and no walks while striking out 3. Batters are hitting .347 against rookie Shapiro, but he has struck out 38 in 34 innings while walking only 5.

Transactions

• 2B Ty Kelly (Angels/AAA/Salt Lake Bees) was placed on the temporary inactive list on August 25.
• P Ryan Sherriff (Rays) was sent to the Charlotte Stone Crabs (High-A) for a rehab assignment on August 24.
• P Kenny Rosenberg (Rays) was promoted from the Montgomery Biscuits (AA) to the Durham Bulls (AA) on August 22 to pitch one game and then was returned to Montgomery the following day.
• P Keith Weisenberg (Giants/A/Augusta GreenJackets) was placed on the injured list on August 22.
• P Jeremy Bleich (Twins/AAA/Rochester Red Wings) was placed on the injured list on August 19.

Free agents

• Players believed to be seeking employment include Danny Valencia and RC Orlan.

Injured list

• P Keith Weisenberg (Giants/A/Augusta GreenJackets), since August 22.
• P Jeremy Bleich (Twins/AAA/Rochester Red Wings), since August 19.
• 2B Michael Wielansky (Astros/A/Quad Cities Rivers Bandits), since August 10.
• P Evan Kravetz* (Reds/Rookie/Greenville Reds), since July 1.

* Players marked with an asterisk were drafted in 2019.

Note to readers: Minor-League Monday does not include stats for all current Jewish minor-leaguers. Click here for a complete list of players, and then click on a player’s name to be taken to his stat page.

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By Scott Barancik, Editor

Here are your MLB highlights for the week of August 19-25, 2019:

Mazel tov

• Alex Bregman’s 2-run HR on August 22 marked the 119th Jewish home run of 2019, surpassing the 118 hit in 2018. Like the Majors as a whole, Jewish ballplayers are seeing a surge in HRs. Alex Bregman (32) and Kevin Pillar (19) have already set personal records, Joc Pederson (26) has matched his career high, and rookie Rowdy Tellez has added 15.

Stats to share

• An adjustment Kevin Pillar made to his stance and swing in early June has “completely turned his season around,” according to Forbes. Before the change, Pillar was hitting .213 with a .344 slugging percentage. Since then, he’s hit .302 and slugged .549.
• Ryan Braun has been on a tear since the All-Star Break. According to Fangraphs, his 1.031 OPS (on-base plus slugging) since the Break ranks #5 in the National League, and his batting average (.339) is tied for #6.

At the plate

• LF Ryan Braun (Brewers) hit .385 (5-for-13) with a double.
• 3B Alex Bregman (Astros) hit .318 (7-for-22) with 2 HRs, a double, a .400 OBP, and a 1.036 OPS (on-base plus slugging). Bregman also stretched his current on-base streak to 19 games, a period during which he has hit .389 with 5 HRS, 25 RBIs, 11 doubles, and a .476 OBP. Bregman currently ranks #2 in the A.L. in OPS (.973), #3 in on-base percentage (.408), #4 in slugging percentage (.565), #5 in home runs (32/tied), and #7 in RBIs (90).
• CF Kevin Pillar (Giants) hit .235 (4-for-17) with 2 HRs — both of them game-tying — a double and 4 RBIs.

• 1B Rowdy Tellez (Blue Jays) hit .154 (2-for-13) with a home run, double, 2 RBIs, and a .214 OBP, but his hitting was clutch. His 9th-inning home run on August 21 tied the game, and his 8th-inning double on August 24 put Toronto in the lead.

• LF Joc Pederson (Dodgers) hit .083 (1-for-12) with a home run, 3 RBIs, and a .214 OBP.
• 2B Ian Kinsler (Padres) remained on the injured list with a herniated cervical disk.

On the mound

• Max Fried (Braves) was hit hard in a no-decision outing on August 24, yielding 5 earned runs on 7 hits and no walks over 5 innings while striking out 5.
• Richard Bleier (Orioles) had his best outing out of the season on August 21, pitching 2 perfect innings of relief on just 27 pitches while striking out 3 to close out an 8-1 win.
• Robert Stock (Padres), who has been on the injured list since early July, is on a rehab assignment with the El Paso Chihuahuas (AAA).

Staying close by

• C Garrett Stubbs (Astros/AAA/Round Rock Express) hit .200 (4-for-20) with a double, 3 RBIs, 2 stolen bases, and a .273 OBP. In 53 minor-games behind the plate this season, Stubbs has thrown out 39% of attempted base-stealers (13-of-33).
• C Ryan Lavarnway (Reds/AAA/Louisville Bats) hit .250 (3-for-12) with a home run, 2 RBIs, and a .308 OBP. In 40 minor-league games behind the plate this season, Lavarnway has tossed out 35% of attempted base-stealers (15-of-43).

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By Scott Barancik, Editor

Here are your minor-league highlights for the week of August 12-18, 2019:

Manea

Hitter of the Week: Scott Manea (Astros)
C Scott Manea (Astros/High-A/Fayetteville Woodpeckers) hit .286 (4-for-14) with 3 HRs, 3 RBIs, and 7 walks last week, good enough for a .524 on-base percentage. The highlight was a 2-HR game on August 17. Manea has just one error in 445.1 innings behind the plate this season.

Gold

Pitcher of the Week: Brandon Gold (Rockies)

P Brandon Gold (Rockies/AA/Hartford Yard Goats) narrowly edged out Mariners prospect Sam Delaplane for this week’s award. The 24-year-old righty went 2-0 with a 1.80 ERA across 2 starts, yielding 13 hits and just one walk over 15 combined innings while striking out 12. Gold’s 8-inning outing on August 18 was his longest of the year. For the season, he is 10-5 with a 3.57 ERA.

Mazel tov

• It was a fun week for Padres prospect Tyler Benson. On August 16, the left fielder made his pro pitching debut in a 19-1 laugher, yielding 5 earned runs in two-thirds of an inning to rack up a nifty 67.50 ERA. A day later, San Diego promoted Benson to the wonderfully-named Amarillo Sod Poodles (AA). And on August 18, his Double-A debut, Benson hit the first home run of his 3-year minor league career. Later, Benson celebrated on Twitter: “Only took me two and a half years but finally on the board,” he wrote. Click here to see a video of his home run.
• P Dean Kremer, ranked the Orioles’ #8 prospect by MLB.com, was promoted to Triple-A on August 16 after going 9-4 with a 2.98 ERA in Double-A. Although he lost his Triple-A debut the next day, the young Israeli-American’s ascension is to be celebrated. At just 23, Kremer is 3.3 years younger than the average pitcher in the International League (AAA) and thus off to a fast start.
• We didn’t notice it before, but C Jakob Goldfarb* (White Sox/Rookie/AZL White Sox) hit grand-slam HRs in two straight games earlier this month (August 3 and 7).

Other highlights

• RF Rhett Wiseman (Nationals/AA/Harrisburg Senators) hit .333 (4-for-12) with 2 doubles, 2 RBIs, and a .429 OBP.
• 2B Zane Gurwitz (Angels/High-A/Inland Empire 66ers) hit .300 (6-for-20) with a home run, 4 RBIs, and a .333 OBP.
• C Ryan Gold (Blue Jays/A/Lansing Lugnuts) hit .375 (6-for-16) with 2 HRs, a double, triple, 5 RBIs, and a .412 OBP.
• C CJ Stubbs* (Astros/A/Quad Cities River Bandits) hit .333 (3-for-9) with a home run, 5 RBIs, and a .455 OBP in his first three games at the Single-A level.
• OF David Vinsky* (Cardinals/A-short-season/State College Spikes) hit .360 (9-for-25) with a double, 2 RBIs, 2 stolen bases, and a .467 OBP. The 21-year-old rookie has hit .342 in his past 10 games.
• C Hunter Bishop* (Giants/A-short-season/Salem-Keizer Volcanoes) homered twice last week. Although the rookie is hitting just .216 across two levels this season, Bishop’s prolific walking — 37 walks in 102 at-bats — has bumped his on-base percentage to .426.
• P Sam Delaplane (Mariners/Double-A/Arkansas Travelers) continued his domination of the Texas League, pitching 4.2 near-perfect innings across 3 games. The 24-year-old righty yielded only one base runner — a hit batter — while striking out 9. Delaplane’s 15.74 strikeouts per 9 innings ranks #1 among all minor-league pitchers with at least 50 innings tossed.
• P Jake Fishman (Blue Jays/AA/New Hampshire Fisher Cats) pitched 3.1 scoreless innings across 2 games, yielding a hit and a walk while striking out 3 and earning his 3rd save.
• P Scott Effross (Cubs/High-A/Myrtle Beach Pelicans) pitched 2 scoreless innings on August 15, yielding one hit and no walks while striking out 2.
• P Jake Miednik (Indians/A/Lake County Captains) pitched 3 scoreless innings across 2 games, yielding a hit and 2 walks while striking out 2 to earn his 2nd save.
• P Alex Segal* (Braves/Rookie Advanced/Danville Braves) earned his first pro save on August 16, yielding no hits and one walk while striking out 3.
• P Greg Leban* (Braves/Rookie Advanced/Danville Braves) pitched 2 scoreless innings on August 16, yielding no hits and a walk while striking out one to earn his 2nd win.
• P Josh Wolf* (Mets/Rookie/GCL Mets) pitched 2 scoreless innings on August 17, yielding 2 hits and no walks while striking out one.

Transactions

• LF Tyler Benson (Padres) was promoted from the Fort Wayne TinCaps (A) to the Amarillo Sod Poodles (AA) on August 17.
• P Dean Kremer (Orioles) was promoted from the Bowie Baysox (AA) to the Norfolk Tides (AAA) on August 16.
• P Robert Stock (Padres) was sent on a rehab assignment to the El Paso Chihuahuas (AAA) on August 16.
• C CJ Stubbs* (Astros) was promoted from the Tri-City ValleyCats (A-short-season) to the Quad Cities River Bandits (A) on August 15.
• 2B Ty Kelly (Angels/AAA/Salt Lake Bees) was reinstated to the active roster on August 14.
• Rowdy Tellez (Blue Jays) was recalled by Toronto on August 13.
• P Keith Weisenberg (Giants) was reassigned from the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes (A-short-season) to the August GreenJackets (A) on August 12.

Free agents

• Players believed to be seeking employment include Danny Valencia and RC Orlan.
• We had been holding out hope that P Brad Goldberg was still in the game, but the former White Sox and Diamondbacks prospect told Jewish Baseball News that he has retired.

Injured list

• 2B Michael Wielansky (Astros/A/Quad Cities Rivers Bandits), since August 10.
• P Evan Kravetz* (Reds/Rookie/Greenville Reds), since July 1.

* Players marked with an asterisk were drafted in 2019.

Note to readers: Minor-League Monday does not include stats for all current Jewish minor-leaguers. Click here for a complete list of players, and then click on a player’s name to be taken to his stat page.

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By Scott Barancik, Editor

Here are your MLB highlights for the week of August 12-18, 2019:

Mazel tov

• 2B Ian Kinsler (Padres), who joined the injured list on August 16 with a herniated cervical disk, played just one game last week, on August 12. It was a memorable one. Entering the game in the top of the 9th inning, Kinsler took the mound for the first time in his career, and while his performance was laughable — 2 walks, a hit, and a hit batter on 27 pitches — he held the Rays scoreless. Then, in the bottom of the 9th, Kinsler hit a 2-run HR for his 1,999th career hit.

• The Blue Jays optioned 1B Rowdy Tellez to Triple-A on July 15 to work on his hitting. A month later, on August 13, Toronto recalled him. Tellez had left the club little choice. In 93 minor-league at-bats, the rookie hit .366 with 7 HRs, 9 doubles, a .450 on-base percentage, and a 1.138 OPS (on-base plus slugging).

Stats to share

• OPS is a measure of a player’s ability to get on base and hit for power, and Jewish players had both in spades last week. Ryan Braun’s 1.458 OPS ranked #6 in the National League, while Kevin Pillar’s 1.310 ranked #13. Over in the American League, Alex Bregman’s 1.350 OPS ranked #7.
• Max Fried (Braves) has 14 wins, second only in the National League to Stephen Strasburg’s 15.

At the plate

• CF Kevin Pillar (Giants) hit .458 (11-for-24) with 2 HRs, 2 doubles, 6 RBIs, and a .519 OBP. The highlight was a 5-for-5 performance on August 17, his first five-hit game in a 7-year MLB career. Pillar’s 68 RBIs are a career high, and after starting the season 1-for-17 with Toronto, he is hitting .268 with the Giants.

• 3B Alex Bregman (Astros) hit .400 (8-for-20) with 2 HRs, 3 doubles, 9 RBIs and a .500 OBP. The highlight was a 4-for-4 performance on August 18, including a home run, double, and 3 RBIs. It was the fourth 4-hit game of his career and the first in nearly a year. At 30 HRs — tied for #5 in the American League — Bregman is one HR away from matching his career high of 31, set in 2018.

• LF Ryan Braun (Brewers) hit .444 (8-for-18) with 2 HRs, a double, 2 RBIs, and a .524 OBP. The highlight was a 2-HR performance on August 17, including a go-ahead shot in the 9th inning. It was the 33rd multi-homer game of Braun’s career.

• 1B Rowdy Tellez (Blue Jays) hit .222 with a .364 OBP.
• LF Joc Pederson (Dodgers) hit .118 (2-for-17) with one RBI and a .167 OBP. On the bright side, Pederson reported has become an “above-average corner outfielder,” statistically speaking (see article).

On the mound

• Max Fried (Braves) went 1-0 with a 3.27 ERA across 2 appearances, yielding 14 hits and 6 walks across a combined 11 innings while striking out 12. In an August 18 no-decision, Fried struggled at first, yielding a 3-run HR to Cody Bellinger before retiring a batter. But he calmed down afterward and didn’t allow another run. At the plate, Fried hit .400 (2-for-5) for the week, with 2 doubles.
• Richard Bleier (Orioles) went 0-0 with a 9.00 ERA across 2 appearances, yielding 2 hits and 2 walks over a combined one inning while striking out none.
• Robert Stock (Padres), who has been on the injured list since early July, is on a rehab assignment.

Staying close by

• C Garrett Stubbs (Astros/AAA/Round Rock Express) hit .273 (3-for-11) with a HR, 2 RBIs, and a .333 OBP. Since being sent down to the minors, he has a five-game hitting streak.
• C Ryan Lavarnway (Reds/AAA/Louisville Bats) hit .000 (0-for-10).

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By Scott Barancik, Editor

Here are your minor-league highlights for the week of August 5-11, 2019:

Tellez

Hitter of the Week: Rowdy Tellez (Blue Jays)
1B Rowdy Tellez (Blue Jays/AAA/Buffalo Bisons) hit .478 (11-for-23) with 7 doubles, a HR, 2 RBIs and a .520 OBP. Since Toronto sent him to the minors on July 15, Tellez has hit .366 (34-for-93) with 7 HRs, 9 doubles, a .450 OBP, and a blistering 1.138 OPS (on-base plus slugging).

Kremer

Pitcher of the Week: Dean Kremer (Orioles)

Dean Kremer (Orioles/AA/Bowie Baysox), Baltimore’s #8 prospect, earned his 8th straight win on August 10, yielding 3 hits and 3 walks over 5 scoreless innings while striking out 10. Kremer aims to become the first Israeli-American to play in the Majors.

Mazel tov

• P Ryan Sheriff (Rays), whose Tommy John surgery had kept him off the mound since May 2018, pitched an inning of scoreless relief on August 6 in a rehab outing with the GCL Rays (Rookie).
• Nick Rickles, a 29-year-old catcher and former minor leaguer who played for Team Israel in the 2017 World Baseball Classic, is obtaining Israeli citizenship — and will join Israel’s national team in its ongoing quest to make the 2020 Olympics. Israel’s next stop is the European Championship A-Pool tourney in Germany, from September 7-15. More roster additions are expected in the coming weeks, so stay tuned.

Other highlights

• C Ryan Lavarnway (Reds/AAA/Louisville Bats) hit .333 (2-for-6) with a double, RBI, and a .500 OBP.
• RF Rhett Wiseman (Nationals/AA/Harrisburg Senators) hit .353 (6-for-17) with a HR, 2 doubles, 6 RBIs, and a .389 OBP.
• LF Tyler Benson (Padres/A/Fort Wayne TinCaps) hit .294 (5-for-17) with 2 doubles, 3 RBIs, 2 stolen bases, and a .368 OBP.
• OF Hunter Bishop* (Giants/A short season/Salem-Keizer Volcanoes) hit .333 (3-for-9) with a HR, 3 RBIs, and a .571 OBP.
• C Jakob Goldfarb* (White Sox/Rookie/AZL White Sox) hit .333 (2-for-6) with a grand-slam HR and a .500 OBP.
• P Robert Stock (Padres), who has been on the injured list since early July, was sent to the AZL Padres (Rookie) on a rehab assignment. He pitched a perfect inning of relief on August 10, striking out 2 of the 3 batters he faced.
• P Sam Delaplane (Mariners/Double-A/Arkansas Travelers) earned his first Double-A save on August 5, but his 9-game scoreless streak came to an end on August 9.
• P Matthew Gorst (Red Sox/AA/Portland Sea Dogs) went 0-0 with a 2.25 ERA across 2 appearances, yielding 2 hits and no walks over 4 innings while striking out 5.
• P Simon Rosenblum Larson (Rays/High-A/Charlotte Stone Crabs) went 1-0 with a save across 2 games, yielding 2 earned runs on 3 hits and 3 walks over 7 innings while striking out 9.
• Jake Miednik (Indians/A/Lake County Captains) pitched 3.1 no-hit innings across 2 games and earned his second save, yielding just one walk and striking out 4.
• P Noah Davis (Reds/Rookie advanced/Billings Mustangs) pitched 4 innings of one-run ball on August 8, yielding 4 hits and 2 walks while striking out 4.
• P Alex Segal* (Braves/Rookie advanced/Danville Braves) pitched a scoreless inning of relief on August 7, yielding 2 hits and no walks while striking out 2.
• P Josh Wolf* (Mets/Rookie/GCL Mets), an 18-year-old draftee pitching in just his third pro game, needed just 20 pitches to record 2 scoreless innings on August 11, yielding a hit and a walk while striking out 3.
• P Josh Shapiro* (Brewers/Rookie/AZL Brewers Gold) pitched 2 scoreless innings on August 6, yielding 2 hits and no walks while striking out 3.

Transactions

• 2B Ty Kelly (Angels/AAA/Salt Lake Bees) was placed on the temporary inactive list on August 11.
• 2B Michael Wielansky (Astros/A/Quad Cities Rivers Bandits) joined the injured list on August 10.
• C Garrett Stubbs (Astros) was sent down to the Round Rock Express (Triple-A) on August 8, less than a week after Houston called him up.
• P Ryan Sherriff (Rays) was sent to the GCL Rays (Rookie) on August 6 for a rehab assignment.
• P Scott Effross (Cubs) was reassigned from a rehab stint with the AZL Cubs (Rookie) to the Myrtle Beach Pelicans (High-A) on August 6.

Free agents

• Players believed to be seeking employment include Danny Valencia, RC Orlan and Brad Goldberg.

Injured list

• 2B Michael Wielansky (Astros/A/Quad Cities Rivers Bandits), since August 10.
• P Evan Kravetz* (Reds/Rookie/Greenville Reds), since July 1.

* Players marked with an asterisk were drafted in 2019.

Note to readers: Minor-League Monday does not include stats for all current Jewish minor-leaguers. Click here for a complete list of players, and then click on a player’s name to be taken to his stat page.

Get your Jewish Baseball News updates via E-mail, Facebook, Twitter or Instagram