Jewish Major Leagues take a ‘break’
(Statistics through July 12)
The July 12 All-Star game in San Diego represented the unofficial halfway point of the baseball season. So here’s a look at how the minyan of Jewish Major Leaguers — not all of whom are still on big league rosters — have fared so far.
Ryan Braun, Milwaukee Brewers: Has appeared in 73 games with 13 home runs, 44 RBI, and a .312 batting average and .881 OPS (on-base plus slugging percentage). Reached a milestone earlier this year with his 1,500th hit.
Ike Davis, NY Yankees: Began the year in the Texas Rangers minor league system. Signed by the NY Yankees and appeared in eight games before being sent back down.
Ryan Kalish, Chicago Cubs: Had a brief call up in May, appearing in seven games with two hits and two RBI.
Ian Kinsler, Detroit Tigers: Became the fifth JML to achieve 200 home runs. Has 103 hits, 16 home runs, 52 RBI, .289/.837, in 86 games.
Kevin Pillar, Toronto Blue Jays: Continues stellar defensive play while improving his contributions at the plate, appearing in 89 games with seven home runs, 35 RBI, and .268/.699.
Joc Pederson, Los Angeles Dodgers: Second-year outfielder currently on the disabled list. Still trying to find his way, batting just .236/.804 but with 13 home runs and 33 RBI in 75 games.
Danny Valencia, Oakland Athletics: Finally found an everyday job at third base and responded well with 12 home runs, 33 RBI, and .304/.854, with an interruption of two weeks on the disabled list.
Scott Feldman, Houston Astros: Reinvented himself as a reliever after struggling as a starter. Appeared in 26 games (five as a starter) with a 5-3 record, tossing 52.2 innings and posting a 2.56 earned run average.
Jon Moscot, Cincinnati Reds: Spent most of the season on the disabled list or in the minors. Threw 21.1 innings in five games, losing three of them and showing an ugly 8.02 ERA.
Richard Bleier, NY Yankees: Made his ML debut on May 30. 10.2 innings in 10 games, 4.22 ERA.
In other baseball news, Dean Kremer became the first Israeli to sign with a Major League team. He was selected by the Dodgers in the MLB draft on June 14. He had been drafted by the San Diego Padres last year but did not accept a contract.
There are no Jewish players on the 2016 All-Star rosters. Braun has appeared in six “midsummer classics” with Kinsler getting the honor four times. Both were on the ballot for the final 2016 vote-in spot but failed to garner enough votes. Braun and Pederson appeared in the 2015 contest in Cincinnati, with Pederson finishing second in that year’s Home Run Derby.
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