How are Jewish baseball players doing?

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SAN DIEGO (SDJW) — Are you interested in how Jewish baseball players are doing in the majors and the minors?  The website Jewish Baseball News keeps track of them on a daily basis, and we have arranged to periodically pick up their stories, starting today, Sunday, June 29.   If you want more frequent updates, by all means visit this dedicated website at http://www.jewishbaseballnews.com/

  • Dodgers prospect Joc Pederson, who separated his shoulder attempting a diving catch 6/24, will miss at least 10 games (6/29/2014) ***
  • News flash: the Oakland Athletics have called up surging slugger Nate Freiman and placed him 5th in today’s lineup vs. the Miami Marlins. Go Nate! (6/29/2014) ***
  • Buffalo Bisons (AAA) LF Kevin Pillar went 2-for-4 and stole 3 bases Wednesday, including 2 during a heads-up play in the first (6/28/2014)
  • c/o David Spaner: in Fading Gigolo, Woody Allen’s character teaches kids to hit by imitating Kevin Youkilis’ batting stance (6/28/2014) ***
  • Pirates “A-short-season” prospect Jared Lakind was nearly flawless in a 2-inning stint Friday, allowing just one walk while striking out 4 and earning his first 2014 save (6/28/2014) ***
  • Second-year Toronto prospect Scott Silverstein won his 8th game Friday, tying him for the Midwest League (A”) lead. He yielded just 1 hit and 1 walk over 3 scoreless innings, while fanning 4 (6/28/2014) ***
  • Zach Borensteincan’t hit “AAA” pitching? Yeah, right. The Angels prospect drove in 5 runs Friday, one short of his career best. He’s hit .325 over the past 10 games (6/28/2014) ***
  • Jason Marquis‘ second rehab game, this time with the Phillies’ “AAA” team, was stellar on Friday: 6 IP, 1 ER, 3 H, 1 BB, 6 K (6/28/2014) ***
  • Jew vs. Jew: Charlie Cutler‘s RBI single Friday off David Colvin led the Tennessee Smokies to a comeback win over the Jackson Generals (6/28/2014) ***
  • Wow! Check out this acrobatic double-play flip by Peoria Chiefs 2B Mason Katz (6/28/2014) ***
  • After 2 weeks on the disabled list with a concussion, Detroit prospect Tim Remes has been activated and reassigned to the “A-short -season” Connecticut Tigers (6/28/2014) ***
  • On Thursday, Cardinals “A” prospect Mason Katz walked, collected his 40th RBI, and had an “incredible time” visiting Children’s Hospital of Illinois (6/27/2014) ***
  • Jew vs. Jew: Cubs “AA” prospect Charlie Cutler doubled in a run Thursday but was thrown out trying to stretch it into a triple…by Seattle prospect (and Team Israel cohort) Jack Marder (6/27/2014) ***
  • He’s on a power trip. Detroit “AAA” prospect Ben Guez singled twice and doubled on Thursday. He has hit 4 HRs and 4 doubles in his last 10 games (6/27/2014) ***
  • 2014 All-Star Jon Moscot‘s record is 4-6 with the last-place Pensacola Blue Wahoos (AA). But his 75 Ks ranks 3rd in the Southern League, and his 2.83 ERA ranks 5th (6/26/2014) ***
  • Rays prospect Maxx Tissenbaum is 11-for-26 in his last five games with the Charlotte Stone Crabs, including 2 HRs, 3 doubles and 3 RBIs. So far in June he’s hitting .366 (6/26/2014)
  • Cardinals’ “A-short-season” prospect Jacob Booden tossed 3 perfect innings of relief Wednesday, retiring all 9 batters he faced, three of them by strikeout (6/26/2014) ***
  • Indians “A” prospect Richard Stock smacked a 2-run HR in the Lake County Captain’s 7-2 win Wednesday (6/26/2014) ***
  • Mason Katz, a second-year player with the “A” Peoria Chiefs, went 2-for-3 with his 12th HR on Wednesday, leaving him one home run out of the Midwest League lead (6/26/2014) ***
  • Not a bad week for Tigers “AAA” prospect Ben Guez. In a doubleheader Wednesday, he went a combined 4-for-6 with a double and 2 HRs, including a grand slam. Today he went 3-for-5 with a double (6/26/2014) ***
  • Toronto’s Kevin Pillar lost his temper Wednesday after being pulled for a pinch hitter with the bases loaded. The Blue Jays sent him back to AAA to cool off (6/26/2014) ***
  • One game into his call-up from AAA, Toronto’s Kevin Pillar got himself sent back down Wednesday. How? Throwing a tantrum after getting pulled for a pinch hitter with the bases loaded (6/26/2014) ***
  • Was that a friendly wave Ian Kinsler made to the Rangers’ dugout while circling the bases Tuesday, or a ‘nyah-nyah!’ wave? (6/25/2014) ***
  • Ian Kinsler homered Tuesday in his first at-bat at Rangers Ballpark since being traded to Detroit. Or as MLB.com put it, “Kinsler Goes Roundtrip on His Return Trip” (6/25/2014) ***
  • What a great day in baseball when nine MLB MOTs take to the field! (6/25/2014) ***
  • Sportswriter Jonathan Mayo and filmmaker Jeremy Newberger are organizing a ‘Birthright Israel’-type trip for MLB Jews — and they plan to film it, according to the Times of Israel (6/24/2014) ***
  • Dodgers #1 prospect Joc Pederson hurt his right shoulder today while attempting to make a diving catch in the first inning. No word yet on the injury’s severity (6/24/2014) ***
  • RBI machine: A pair of solo HRs Monday launched Nate Freiman  into 2nd place among ALL minor leaguers with 68 RBIs and drove the Sacramento River Cats to a 4-2 win (6/24/2014) ***
  • Mets “AAA” prospect Josh Satin hit three doubles, drew a walk and knocked in a run Sunday. The 29-year-old 1B is hitting .296 with 3 HRs, 17 RBIs and a .394 OBP (6/23/2014) ***
  • Identical non-twins? Tigers “A-” prospect Jacob Kapstein is hitting .348…the very same as brother (and Red Sox “A” prospect) Zach Kapstein (6/23/2014) ***
  • The Boston Globe yesterday named LF Zach Kapstein – who’s hitting .348 — one of two prospects “flying under the radar in the Red Sox system.” He later went on to walk, steal a base, score 2 runs, and nail a runner at the plate (6/23/2014) ***
  • Rays “A-advanced” prospect Maxx Tissenbaum hit zero HRs in the first 36 games of 2014 — and then bashed three over the next four games (6/23/2014) ***
  • Multi-hit Maxx Tissenbaum hit his third HR in four games Sunday and added a double.His OPS in June is .944 and climbing (6/23/2014) ***
  • Two more RBIs Sunday for Oakland “AAA” prospect Nate Freiman (65 and 66) — and 2 more walks. He has 17 in 19 games this month (6/23/2014) ***
  • Two more RBI (65,66) for @natefreiman — and two more walks. He has 17 this month in 19 games
  • Cubs “AA” prospect Charlie Cutler singled twice and walked Sunday. No surprise there — he’s hitting .336 with a .455 OBP (6/23/2014) ***
  • Angels prospect Zach Borenstein went 3-for-4 Sunday with his 2nd HR and 16th RBI in 24 “AAA” games, raising his average to .275 (6/23/2014) ***
  • Wanna see a spreadsheet showing 2014 stats of all Jewish minor leaguers through June 21? We’ve created one! Click here to download it (6/23/2014) ***
  • After hitting nearly .400 in May and June in “AAA,” Kevin Pillar is headed back to Toronto. The Blue Jays recalled the 25-year-old LF today (6/23/2014) ***
  • Good news for Royals fans: Danny Valencia is back from the disabled list (6/23/2014) ***
  • Sean Bierman, a former Tampa Bay Rays prospect who was released by the White Sox in early May, is pitching for the Rockland Boulders of the independent Canadian-American Association (6/22/2014) ***
  • One-two punch: Mariners “AA” prospect Jack Marder went 2/4 Saturday, while reliever David Colvin lowered his ERA to 1.69 (6/22/2014) ***
  • Maxx Tissenbaum‘s solo HR broke up a 6th-inning no-hitter Saturday for the “A-advanced” Charlotte Stone Crabs. The Rays prospect also singled (6/22/2014) ***
  • Dodgers “AAA” OF Joc Pederson singled, walked twice, and scored 2 runs Saturday. He’s hitting .323 with 17 HRs, 42 RBIs, and 19 SBs (6/22/2014) ***
  • Toronto prospect Kevin Pillar went 3/5 Saturday with a 2-run double and a walk. He’s hit .405 since the Blue Jays optioned him to the “AAA” Buffalo Bisons (6/22/2014) ***
  • On Saturday, Angels prospect Zach Borenstein recorded his 15th RBI in 23 games since being promoted to “AAA,” and his 42nd RBI overall (6/22/2014) ***
  • Jewish one-two punch: Padres “AAA” DH Cody Decker homered and drew a bases-loaded walk Saturday, while 3B Jake Lemmerman walked twice and scored 2 (6/22/2014) ***
  • Jason Marquis triumphed in his first game since undergoing Tommy John surgery nearly a year ago. In 5 shutout innings for the rookie-league GCL Phillies, he gave up 5 hits, walked none, and struck out 7 (6/22/2014) ***
  • Pittsburgh “A-short season” prospect Jared Lakind, who played 1B his first 3 years in the minors, pitched a scoreless inning Friday, striking out two batters swinging and retiring another on a bunt (6/22/2014) ***
  • Detroit’s Ian Kinsler singled, hit his 8th HR, and scored the game-winning run in the 10th inning of Saturday’s 5-4 victory over Cleveland (6/22/2014) ***
  • A 2010 article spotted by David Spaner said that Red Sox exec Jeremy Kapstein — uncle of minor-leaguers Zach Kapstein and Jacob Kapstein – has another ballplayer in the family: cousin Scott Schoeneweis, who pitched 12 years in Majors (6/21/2014) ***
  • Minnesota’s Sam Fuld hit a warning-track sacrifice fly and drew a crucial 9th-inning walk Friday in a 5-4 walkoff win over the White Sox (6/21/2014) ***
  • Ryan Braun shined in his 1,000th game with the Brewers, contributing two doubles, a single, a stolen base, and 2 RBIs in a 13-10 win Friday over Colorado (6/21/2014) ***
  • In his 2014 debut, Braves “rookie league” starter Alec Grosser fanned 7 batters over 3.2 innings and yielded 2 earned runs Thursday (6/20/2014) ***
  • Orioles “A-advanced” shortstop Sammie Starr went 2/4 Thursday with 2 RBIs, and so far today he’s 3/5 with a triple and 2 more RBIs (6/20/2014) ***
  • Two more hits (and RBI #20) on Thursday for Mariners “AA” prospect Jack Marder, who is hitting .356 in June (6/20/2014) ***
  • Making uncle proud: Boston “A” prospect Zach Kapstein, nephew of the franchise’s senior advisor for baseball projects, went 2/4 Thursday to raise his average to a team-high .349 (6/20/2014) ***
  • Cubs’ “AA” prospect Charlie Cutler went 2/4 Thursday to raise his average to .333. After hitting just .148 in May, he’s hit .382 in May and June alike (6/20/2014) ***
  • With a 2-run HR on Wednesday, Oakland “AAA” prospect Nate Freiman vaulted into 5th place among minor-leaguers of ALL levels (excluding the Mexican League) with 63 RBIs (6/19/2014) ***
  • Rare event: when Houston’s Scott Feldman left the game with a 5-2 lead Wednesday, he was replaced in the sixth by reliever Josh Zeid. Unfortunately, Zeid yielded 3 runs, and the Nats later won 6-5 (6/19/2014) ***
  • Two games into a rehab assignment with the Royals’ “AAA” club, Danny Valencia is 3-for-8 with a HR, 2 walks and a stolen base (6/18/2014) ***
  •  Tigers “AAA” prospect Ben Guez hit an RBI double and his 7th home run Tuesday. He’s hitting .278 this month, with 3 HRs and 9 RBIs (6/18/2014) ***
  • Ex-MLB’er Gabe Kapler says Houston is “likely happy” with Scott Feldman, whose ERA is 3.98 despite workout out of hitter-friendly Minute Maid Park (6/18/2014) ***
  • Indians “A” prospect Richard Stock drove in 4 runs Saturday with an RBI single and his first HR of the year, a three-run shot that left the park (6/17/2014) ***
  • Orioles “A-advanced” shortstop Sammie Starr, at 5’8″ the smallest Jewish player in the pros, homered both on Saturday and Sunday (6/17/2014) ***
  • The West Michigan Whitecaps have placed Detroit “A” prospect Tim Remes on the disabled list with a concussion (6/17/2014) ***
  • In his past 10 games at the “AAA” level, Toronto prospect Kevin Pillar has hit .415 with a HR, 7 doubles, 5 RBIs and 2 stolen bases (6/17/2014) ***
  • Dodgers #1 prospect Joc Pederson ranks 1st in the “AAA” Pacific Coast League in OBP (.442), OPS (1.040), runs (55) and strikeouts (89), 2nd in slugging (.598), and 3rd in HRs (17) and stolen bases (18)…(6/17/2014) ***
  • Mariners “AA” prospect Jack Marder went 2-for-4 Sunday with a double, 2 RBIs, and his second HR in three games. He’s hitting .341 this month (6/17/2014) ***
  • A day before Mason Katz won Player of the Game honors, teammate Rob Kaminsky earned the same in a shutout win, giving up 2 singles and no walks Saturday (6/17/2014) ***
  • St. Louis “A” prospect Mason Katz hit 2 HRs on Sunday, including a 10th-inning shot that gave the Peoria Chiefs a 6-5 walkoff win (6/17/2014) ***
  • Jacob Kapstein’s older brother, Boston “A” prospect Zach Kapstein, is averaging .343 this season and has had two hits in four of his last seven games (6/17/2014) ***
  • In just his second game this season, Detroit “A-short-season” prospect Jacob Kapstein went 2-for-4 with three RBIs on Saturday (6/17/2014) ***
  • Padres “AAA” prospect Cody Decker went 2-for-4 Monday before getting tossed out arguing a called third strike. El Paso Chihuhuas manager Pat Murphy soon followed (6/17/2014) ***
  • Cubs “AA” prospect Charlie Cutler continues to thrive at the plate, hitting.328 with a .442 on-base percentage and 25 RBIs in 125 at-bats. His walk-to-strikeouts ratio is an excellent 21-to-15 (6/17/2014)
  • After hitting just .204 in April, Oakland “AAA” prospect Nate Freiman hit .316 in May — along with an extraordinary 35 RBIs — and is hitting .308 this month (6/27/2014) ***
  • Zach Borenstein smashed his first Triple-A home run on Sunday. In his last 10 games, the Angels’ #11 prospect has hit .282 with 10 RBIs (6/17/2014) ***
  • The 2014 MLB draft netted at least six Jewish players. For background on the players click here (6/17/2014) ***
  • Milwaukee’s Ryan Braun singled, walked and hit a 2-run triple off a J.J. Putz fastball in a 9-3 win over Arizona (6/17/2014) ***
  • Brought on to face Evan Longoria last night, Houston’s Josh Zeid struck him out on four pitches. The reliever has pitched 3 days in a row since being called up Friday (6/16/2014) ***
  • St. Louis catching prospect Adam Ehrlich has left the DL and joined pitcher Jacob Booden — who pitched a scoreless inning in his 2014 debut Saturday — on the State College Spikes (6/15/2014) ***
  • Astros reliever Josh Zeid pitched a perfect 9th inning Saturday, retiring three Rays batters on 15 pitches (6/15/2014) ***
  • Ian Kinsler helped Detroit beat Sam Fuld‘s Twins on Saturday, going 3-for-5 with 3 RBIs, his 20th double – tied for 6th in the A.L. – a walk, and a stolen base (6/15/2014) ***
  • Milwaukee’s Ryan Braun rates his swing the past couple weeks as “somewhere between terrible and awful.” But Saturday, his two-run HR in the 8th was a game-winner (6/15/2014) ***
  • In his 2nd game since being sent to “AAA,” Blue Jays prospect Kevin Pillar doubled twice, singled and drove in 2 runs Friday (6/14/2014) ***
  • Solid game Friday for Dodgers #1 prospect Joc Pederson, who hit an RBI single, went to 2nd on the throw, stole 2 bases, and walked twice (6/14/2014) ***
  • Cubs “AA” prospect Charlie Cutler singled, walked and was hit by a pitch Friday. He’s hitting .331 with 24 RBIs in just 121 at-bats and a .439 OBP (6/14/2014) ***
  • Sam Kimmel tripled, singled and walked Friday in his first game since being assigned to the Orioles’ A-short-season club, the Aberdeen IronBirds (6/14/2014) ***
  • Nate Freiman‘s second grand-slam of the season lifted the “AAA” Sacramento River Cats to victory Friday. The Oakland prospect’s 59 RBIs are tied for 7th across all Minor League levels (6/14/2014)
  • A two-run, 4th-inning HR by Mariners “AA” prospect Jack Marder, his 3rd of the season, proved the game winner Friday for the Jackson Generals (6/14/2014) ***
  • More good news Friday for the Kapstein family: younger brother Jacob Kapstein, a Detroit prospect, went 1/3 with a double in his 2014 debut (6/14/2014) ***
  • Red Sox “A” prospect Zach Kapstein went 3-for-6 with 2 RBIs in a doubleheader Friday. After hitting .276 in April, he hit .358 in May and, so far, .438 in June (6/14/2014) ***
  • In his first game with the Twins since suffering a concussion in early May, Sam Fuld is 1-for-4 tonight with a walk and a single thru 7 innings (6/14/2014) ***
  • He’s back! The Astros recalled Josh Zeid on Friday, and later that evening the reliever tossed 2 scoreless innings against the Rays (6/14/2014) ***
  • Batting cleanup Friday, Ike Davis went 2-for-3 and with a two-run double in Pittsburgh’s 8-6, extra-inning win over Miami (6/14/2014) ***
  • Sure, he’s no giant (5’11″, 180#), but there was nothing small about the HR that Detroit AAA prospect Ben Guez hit yesterday, or his career-tying 5 RBIs (6/13/2014) ***
  • In one of his best outings since exiting the DL a month ago, Houston’s Scott Feldman held the D’backs to 4 hits and 2 ERs over 6.33 innings Thursday. He struck out 6 and walked none (6/13/2014) ***
  • Rays prospect Maxx Tissenbaum smashed his first HR of the season Wednesday, a 2-run shot for the A-advanced Charlotte Stone Crabs. A converted catcher, it was his 14th career game behind the plate (6/12/2014) ***
  • Out since May 7 with a concussion, Sam Fuld is rehabbing with the Twins’ AA club. He went 1-for-3 in each of his first 3 games there, including a HR yesterday, and is 2-for-2 so far today (6/11/2014) ***
  • Kansas City’s Danny Valencia has been on the disabled list since 6/1/2014 with a sprained left hand. Here’s wishing him a speedy recovery (6/11/2014) ***
  • Toronto OF Kevin Pillar, who had a walkoff single Monday, has been optioned to Triple-A. He was hitting .243 with 0 HRs, 3 doubles, 2 RBIs, and 0 walks in 37 at-bats (6/11/2014) ***
  • Snubbed: At a baseball meeting in Tunisia, Israel was forbidden from displaying its flag. Israel’s baseball chief agreed to abide only after being told the flag would endanger his safety. The IOC is investigating (6/11/2014) ***
  • Matt Lauer’s most inspiring interview in 20 years on the Today Show? “I loved interviewing Adam Greenberg, the baseball player who got a second chance in the pros. I learned a lot about life from him” (6/11/2014) ***
  • Blue Jays Single-A prospect Scott Silverstein struck out 2 and gave up 1 hit over 1.2 scoreless innings Tuesday, raising his record to 6-2 with 4 saves and a 3.94 ERA (6/11/2014) ***
  • Josh Satin singled, doubled and walked Tuesday, raising his average with the Triple-A Las Vegas 51s to .312 and his OBP to .394 (6/11/2014) ***
  • Dodgers No. 1 prospect Joc Pederson singled, walked, scored 2 runs and stole his 15th base Tuesday, tying him for 4th highest in the league (6/11/2014) ***
  • After nearly winning the triple crown last season in the A-advanced California League, Angels No. 11 prospect Zach Borenstein is ‘finding his stride’ in AAA, MiLB.com says (6/10/2014) ***
  • Cardinals prospect Mason Katz drove in his 34th run Monday, tied for 7th-highest in the Single-A Midwest League (6/10/2014) ***
  • Cubs AA prospect Charlie Cutler went 2/4 with a walk and a stolen base Monday. The 27-year-old is hitting .327 with a .426 OBP and one of the league’s best RBI-to-At-bat ratios: 22 to 113 (6/10/2014) ***
  • MLB.com: “Kevin Pillar went from the goat to the hero in a matter of minutes during the ninth inning of Monday night’s 5-4 victory over the Twins.” See his walk-off single here (6/10/2014) ***
  • Batting cleanup Monday, Pittsburgh’s Ike Davis broke a 0-for-19 slump with a HR to dead center, his 5th round-tripper of the year (6/10/2014) ***
  • White Sox prospect Brad Goldberg pitched 3-and-two-thirds scoreless innings to earn a win Sunday. Over the last 10 games, he’s 2-0 with 1 save and a 2.57 ERA (6/9/2014) ***
  • Proving again the Cardinals’ wisdom in making him a 1st-round pick, Single-A prospect Rob Kaminsky gave up just 1 ER on 2 Hs and 3 BBs in a 5-inning start Sunday. In 6 starts, he’s 1-1 with a 1.72 ERA (6/9/2014) ***
  • Padres AAA prospect Cody Decker smacked a 2-run HR and singled Sunday in the El Paso Chihuahuas’ 10-7 win (6/9/2014) ***
  • Orioles A-advanced prospect Sammie Starr got on base 6 times Friday, going 3-for-5 with a double, 2 walks, a hit-by-pitch, and a stolen base (6/8/2014) ***
  • Angels prospect Zach Borenstein doubled today for his first extra-base hit in Triple-A. Over the past 10 games, he’s hit .333 (6/8/2014) ***
  • Astros AAA prospect Josh Zeid earned his 7th and 8th saves this weekend. He is averaging 10.2 strikeouts per 9 innings (6/8/2014) ***
  • Another strong start Saturday for Reds AA prospect (and 2014 All-Star) Jon Moscot, who gave up just 1 ER on 2 hits and no walks over 6 innings (6/8/2014) ***
  • St. Louis Cardinals A-advanced prospect Corey Baker pitched 1.2 scoreless innings on Saturday, lowering his ERA to 2.54 (6/8/2014) ***
  • Detroit Single-A prospect Tim Remes went 2-for-3 Saturday with 2 RBIs (6/8/2014) ***
  • Dodgers AAA prospect Joc Pederson broke an 11-game dry spell Saturday with his 16th HR, 3rd best in the Pacific Coast League. With A’s RF Yasiel Puig injured, Pederson could get a call-up soon (6/8/2014) ***
  • Oakland AAA prospect Nate Freiman hit a 3-run HR today, giving him 9 HRs, a league-leading 55 RBIs, and a .282 average (6/8/2014) ***
  • Cubs AA prospect Charlie Cutler went 2-for-4 with a HR and 3 RBIs Saturday. The 27-year-old catcher is hitting .324 with a .423 OBP and an impressive 22 RBIs in just 108 ABs (6/8/2014) ***
  • Left-handed pitcher Michael Fagan, who skipped a 2010 offer from the Padres to attend Princeton, was selected by Oakland in the 9th round of this week’s draft. Our thanks to JSR for the tip (6/7/2014) ***
  • The Nats have reassigned OF prospect Greg Zebrack to the A-short-season Auburn Doubledays (6/7/2014) ***
  • Padres SS prospect Jake Lemmerman celebrated his return to the team’s Triple-A club yesterday with a double in two at-bats (6/7/2014) ***
  • Baltimore has reassigned LF prospect Sam Kimmel to its A-short-season club, the Aberdeen IronBirds (6/7/2014) ***
  • Red Sox prospect Zach Kapstein, a left fielder hitting .329 for the Single-A Greenville Drive, has landed on the disabled list (6/7/2014) ***
  • The Atlanta Braves have released Double-A prospect Eric Berger, a 7-year Minor League veteran and Team Israel alum (6/7/2014) ***
  • Ian Kinsler and Torii Hunter hit back-to-back HRs on Friday in Detroit’s 6-2 win over Boston (6/7/2014) ***
  • Although a Jewish player was selected in the 1st round of both the 2013 and 2012 drafts, Jewish Sports Review says no known Jews were selected in the first 2 rounds yesterday (6/6/2014) ***
  • In a AAA Jewish faceoff Thursday, A’s prospect Nate Freiman went 2/5 with an RBI, while Angels prospect Zach Borenstein went 3/5 with 3 RBIs in his team’s 8-7 win (6/6/2014) ***
  • The latest tally of MLB All-Star votes shows Seattle’s Robinson Cano displacing Detroit’s Ian Kinsler among A.L. second basemen (6/6/2014) ***
  • Milwaukee’s Ryan Braun went 3-for-5 Thursday with a double, two singles, 2 runs, and his fifth stolen base in 7 tries, upping his average to .318 (6/6/2014) ***
  • Detroit’s Ian Kinsler went 2-for-4 today with a triple and 2 runs batted in (6/5/2014) ***
  • Sending good wishes to Oakland AAA prospect Jeff Urlaub, who’s been placed on the Sacramento River Cats’ 7-day disabled list (6/5/2014) ***
  • Mariners AA prospect Jack Marder continued his hot hitting Wednesday with a single, double, walk and 2 RBIs. He’s hit .417 with a .488 OBP over his past 10 games (6/5/2014) ***
  • H.S. senior Keith Weisenberg, a 6’5″ pitcher from the Tampa Bay area who is ranked 70th in today’s amateur draft, has wowed scouts but may go later due to his commitment to Stanford (6/5/2014) ***
  • Jason Knapp, a 2nd-round draft pick who missed the 2011-13 seasons due to injury, earned his first win in nearly 4 years Wednesday. The stats from his stellar if rain-shortened start: 4 IP, 0 ER, 2 H, 0 BB, 4 K (6/5/2014) ***
  • Detroit’s Ian Kinsler hit his 5th HR of the year Wednesday, a solo shot off Toronto’s R.A. Dickey (6/5/2014) ***
  • Interview: Bud Selig, 80, tells the Jewish Exponent about his immigrant parents, Jewish causes, and being a frustrated academic (6/4/2014) ***
  • Padres AAA prospect Cody Decker drove in two runs Tuesday. You can hear him shower love on El Paso in this brief interview (6/4/2014) ***
  • Orioles A+ prospect Sammie Starr singled, doubled and stole a base Tuesday. He’s hitting .233 with 2 HRs and 11 RBIs in 60 at-bats (6/4/2014) ***
  • Dodgers AAA prospect Joc Pederson hit an RBI triple for the second game in a row Tuesday and the third time in his last 9 games (6/4/2014) ***
  • CityBeat has a nice article on 19th-century Jewish slugger Lipman Pike and his tenure with the Cincinnati Reds (6/4/2014) ***
  • The Rangers recalled Aaron Poreda from Triple-A today. In an earlier MLB stint this season, he was 2-0 with 4 holds, one blown save, a 3.38 ERA, and 1 of 7 inherited runners scored (6/4/2014) ***
  • Back from an illness Monday, Dodgers No. 1 prospect Joc Pederson roped a 2-run triple, singled, and drew two walks (6/3/2014) ***
  • Cardinals Single-A prospect Mason Katz backed teammate Rob Kaminsky‘s stellar game Monday with two doubles and a single (6/3/2014) ***
  • Rob Kaminsky, the Cardinals’ No. 3 prospect at just 19 years old, pitched his second straight gem Monday, yielding 1 ER, 7 Hs and no BBs over 6.2 innings. His ERA? A slim 1.71 (6/3/2014) ***
  • News flash: Philadelphia Phillies sign 35-year-old Jason Marquis, who’s recovering from Tommy John surgery, to a minor-league contract (6/3/2014) ***
  • Reds AA prospect Jon Moscot, who went 4-15 last year, is 4-3 after a dominant start Monday: 7 IP, 1 ER, 1 BB, 8 K. His 2.33 ERA is 4th best in the Southern League (6/3/2014) ***
  • Mariners AA prospect Jack Marder went 2-for-3 with an RBI on Monday, including his second triple in a week. In the past 10 games he’s hit .333 (6/3/2014) ***
  • Braves prospect Alec Grosser, plucked out of high school in the 11th-round last year, says he’s done with extended spring training and expects to begin playing for a short-season team in a couple weeks (6/3/2014) *** 
  • Article: When a little league umpire told a 9-year-old Lubavitch boy he had to remove his tzitit or leave the field, the boy calmly walked off the field, and his non-Jewish teammates followed (6/2/2014) ***
  • Mariners AA prospect Jack Marder went 2/4 with an RBI double on Sunday. His 24 runs are 2nd among the Jackson Generals, his .377 OBP ranks 3rd, and he’s one of just 2 with more walks than strikeouts (6/2/2014) ***
  • Ryan Braun‘s 153 at-bats aren’t on pace to qualify for the N.L. batting title. If they were, he’d rank among the Top 10 in average, slugging, OPS and ABs per HR. And he’s yet to make an error (6/2/2014) ***
  • Ryan Braun hit his 2nd HR in three games and his 9th of the season Sunday. The shot came against Cubs ace Jeff Samardzjia (6/2/2014) ***
  • Cardinals prospect Mason Katz earned Player of the Game honors Saturday for a three-run triple that lifted the Peoria Chiefs to a come-from-behind win (6/1/2014) ***
  • Nate Freiman‘s two RBIs on Saturday lifted his season total to 50, tops among all Triple-A players (6/1/2014) ***
  • Padres AA prospect Jake Lemmerman hit a 2-run HR and a 2-run single Saturday for the San Antonio Missions (6/1/2014) ***
  • Second-year White Sox prospect Brad Goldberg earned his first 2014 save Saturday. He’s held opponents scoreless in 5 of his last 6 games (6/1/2014) ***
  • Mets AAA prospect Josh Satin went 3-for-5 on Friday with a triple and an RBI. He’s hitting .321 with 2 HRs and 10 RBIs in 78 ABs (5/31/2014) ***
  • Check out this nice diving catch Friday by Cardinals Single-A prospect Mason Katz (5/31/2014) ***
  • Nate Freiman had his second walk-off hit in 3 games Friday. Oakland’s AAA prospect went 3/5 with a HR and a walk-off single (5/31/2014) ***
  • Pity: Catcher-rich Boston gave Ryan Lavarnway his first career start at 1B on Thursday, but he broke his wrist in his first AB (5/31/2014) ***
  • Ike Davis crushed a 453-foot HR on Friday and went 2-for-4. Since joining Pittsburgh he’s hitting .292 with 3 HRs and 12 RBIs (5/31/2014) ***
  • Ryan Braun went 3-for-5 Friday with a home run and 3 RBIs. The HR, his 8th, was his first at Milwaukee’s Miller Park in over a year (5/31/2014) ***
  • The Blue Jays are giving away 20,000 cowboy hats Sunday for ‘Country Day.’ Kevin Pillar rocks one in this pic (5/30/2014) ***
  • Oakland AAA prospect Nate Freiman took over the league lead Thursday with his 45th and 46th RBIs (5/30/2014) ***
  • Tag team: Oakland AAA prospect Jeff Urlaub pitched a perfect 1.2 innings Thursday, while teammate Nate Freiman smacked a walk-off sacrifice fly for the win (5/29/2014) ***
  • With two doubles Thursday, Detroit’s Ian Kinsler entered a tie for the A.L. lead at 19. Meanwhile, he’s the 2nd-hardest to batter strike out (5/30/2014) ***
  • Kevin Pillar scored from first on a bunt and errant throw Wednesday to give Toronto a thrilling walk-off win over the Rays. Check out his flying slide! (5/29/2014) ***
  • Texas has optioned Aaron Poreda to AAA. In 15 games, he was 2-0 with 4 holds, one blown save, a 3.38 ERA and 1 of 7 inherited runners scored (5/29/2014) ***
  • Former minor leaguer Steve Moss, who began this season in independent ball, is hitting .293 for the Mexican League’s Toros de Tijuana (5/28/2014) ***
  • Oakland AAA prospect Nate Freiman has 42 runs batted in, just shy of the league-leaders’ 44 (5/28/2014) ***
  • After a slow start, Mariners AA prospect Jack Marder has raised his average to .259 and his OBP to an 8th-ranked .392. The 2B has 19 BBs and only 13 Ks (5/28/2014) ***
  • Out since May 8 with concussion symptoms, Minnesota’s Sam Fuld is still lacking the three straight symptom-free days required to resume on-field workouts (5/28/2014)
  • has yet to resume on-field workouts because he hasn’t had three straight symptom-free days (5/28/2014) still lacking the three straight symptom-free days required for clearance.
  • Even after going 0/5 on Tuesday, Detroit’s Ian Kinsler has the A.L.’s 6th-best batting average at .322 (5/28/2014) **
  • Toronto’s Kevin Pillar went 2/4 on Tuesday and is hitting .333 in the 12 games since his call-up (5/28/2014) ***
  • In 2012, Ryan Braun hit 24 of his 41 HRs at home. This year, all 7 have come on the road. Significance? (5/28/2014) ***
  • Congrats to Eastern League Pitcher of the Week Jeremy Bleich, who struck out 10 in a scoreless 7-inning start Friday. The Yankees AA prospect ranks sixth with 49 Ks and eighth with a 1.16 WHIP (5/27/2014) ***
  • Yasher Koach to Angels prospect Zach Borenstein on his promotion to Triple-A. At 23, he’s nearly 4 years younger than the league average (5/27/2014) ***
  • Braves AA prospect Eric Berger was perfect in relief Saturday, striking out 3 batters over 3 innings and yielding zero baserunners (5/27/2014) ***
  • Houston’s Scott Feldman pitched well in a win Sunday, even though it was his first start without a strikeout since 2010 (5/27/2014) ***
  • Kevin Pillar doubled and scored in Toronto’s 10-5 win over the Rays on Sunday. Even better was his run-saving catch off Evan Longoria (5/27/2014) ***
  • There’s talk that Sunday’s Tigers-A’s game was the first-ever matchup of Jewish managers: Brad Ausmus vs. Bob Melvin. But Melvin, despite a Jewish mother, was raised Christian (5/27/2014) ***
  • The Cubs have optioned Ryan Kalish to Triple-A Iowa. The 26-year-old LF was hitting .242 with 5 extra-base hits and 3 stolen bases in 91 ABs (5/26/2014) ***
  • Ryan Braun went 4/5 with a double and triple Sunday, the first time since August 27, 2012 he’s had 4+ hits in a game and 16th overall (5/26/2014)
  • MLB.com writers say their first choice to represent the A.L. at 2B in the 2014 All-Star is, at present, Detroit’s Ian Kinsler. In his first 8 years in the MLB, Kinsler was named an All-Star three times (5/26/2014) ***
  • The Boston Red Sox today called-up catcher Ryan Lavarnway. A lifetime .208 hitter in the Majors, he was hitting .265 in Triple-A with 2 HRs and 11 RBIs this season (5/26/2014) ***