A BRIGHT Future(2010’s - Present)

Since the early years of the Millenium, there has been an explosion in the number of Jewish pro baseball players.  That increase has coincided with a significant increase in Jewish intermarriage and assimilation, as well as demographic shifts which first began in the 1970's and which have accelerated ever since. 

As a result of those changes, it has been difficult at times to determine whether a particular ballplayer should be included as a Member of the Tribe, i.e., Jewish. For decades, the Jewish Sports Review out of Los Angeles was the authoritative source for identification of baseball's Jews. If the ballplayer in question identified himself as Jewish in whole or part, that was good enough for the Review, and that standard remains good enough to merit inclusion in this exhibit.

Of the legion of Jewish figures who became involved with baseball in the last twenty years, few initially became artistic subjects. However, over the past few years, artists all over the country have rectified those as well as earlier omissions.

Consequently, this collection is able to include artwork of such current day stars as pitcher Max Fried and infielder Alex Bregman.  It even includes a portrait of the future Major League pitcher (hopefully), Jake Steinmetz, the first Modern Orthodox Jew drafted into the Major Leagues.

MONEY PITCHER

MAX FRIED (1994 - )

ACRYLIC ON MASONITE BOARD, 12x16                               

NOAH STOKES (2023)

Max is an All-Star, Gold Glove and Silver Slugger pitcher for the Atlanta Braves, and hails from southern California. He is only the third pitcher in Major League history to win both a Gold Glove and a Silver Slugger award in the same year. Max threw 6 shutout innings to win the final game of the 2021 World Series. He has patterned his best pitch, a curveball, after that of his hero Sandy Koufax. Significantly, that pitch had the largest vertical movement of all NL curveballs in 2022. The NY Yankees signed him as a Free Agent after the 2024 season in order to join the top of their pitching rotation.

FINE ART PRINT (signed by artist)

NOAH STOKES (2023)

[Not Original]

THE SEARCHER

RYAN LAVARNWAY (1987 - )

'1/1' TWO DIGITALly ILLUSTRATed book pages (ENLARGED) FROM BASEBALL & BELONGING by ryan lavarnway, 16x20 each image

CHRIStopher BROWN (2023) 

Ryan is a Yale philosophy major from Southern California who was a back-up catcher for 8 Major League teams. The child of a Jewish mother and non-Jewish father, he began actively pursuing his Judaism in high school, but his experience playing for Team Israel at the 2017 World Baseball Classic is what led Ryan to be ‘spiritually attracted’ to the faith. He made Aliyah to play for Israel at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. With Craig Breslow, they formed the first All-Yale Jewish battery since 1883 and the first Yale teammates in the Majors since 1949. In his first Major League start, as the result of catching a troublesome knuckleballer, Ryan tied the ignominious Major League record, set in 1954. of allowing 4 passed balls in 1 inning. After baseball, he wrote a children's book, Baseball and Belonging, about his journey to find religion as the child of a mixed marriage.

A STAR, OF DAVID

JOSH ZEID (1987 - )

'1/1' enlarged DIGITAL ILLUSTRATION book PAGE, FROM BASEBALL & BELONGING BY RYAN LAVARNWAY, 16X20          

CHRISTOPHER BROWN (2023)

Josh was a RH relief pitcher from Connecticut who always wore a Star of David while on the mound because, as he put it: "If you become a successful athlete, you should let people know where you're from." He had a short Major League career with the Houston Astros. Josh has played for Team Israel on several occasions. His stellar play resulted in his being named to the All-World Baseball Classic Team at the 2017 World Baseball Classic. Josh made Aliyah in 2020 in order to play for Israel at the Olympics. Years earlier, when Josh gave his Bar Mitzvah speech, he presciently shared his dream of playing professional baseball, and of course referenced his hero, the great Sandy Koufax.

A WINNER AT ALL COSTS

ALEX BREGMan (1994 - )

WATERCOLOR, DYE & MARKER cartoon ON illustration board, 16x20

DREW LITTON (2024)

A potential future Hall of Fame infielder, Alex is a New Mexican who was part of the Houston Astros team that cheated its way to become 2017 World Series champs. Earlier that year, Alex won a World Baseball Classic gold medal for Team USA while its youngest player. He was MVP of the 2018 All-Star Game, and already is the Majors’ all-time postseason HR and RBI leader at 3B. Alex was picked second in the 2015 Major League Draft, trailing only Ron Blomberg's #1 selection in 1967 among Jewish ballplayers historically. Alex's lawyer-father was head of the New Mexico Democratic Party and his grandfather was General Counsel to the original Washington Senators. Alex became a free agent after the 2024 season, and then signed a $120 million, 3 year deal with the Boston Red Sox.

‘25/48’ FINE ART PRINT IN TOPPS LIVING SET, 10x14

MAYUMI SETO (2022)

A YANKEE BY BIRTH

HARRISON BADER (1994 - )

PENCIL SKETCH ON FRONT INSIDE COVER OF THE ART OF BASEBALL, THE WATERCOLORS OF JAMES FIORENTINO (27/200), 8X10

JAMES FIORENTIO (2024)

Raised in Bronxville, NY, and a lifelong Yankees fan, Harrison briefly was the NY Yankees starting Center Fielder, and later played that position for his other hometown team, the NY Mets. In 2022, he joined Mickey Mantle and Bernie Williams as the only Yankee CFers to hit 3 HRs in a postseason series. At the start of Harrison's baseball career, while a St. Louis Cardinal, the restaurant chain Sonic Drive-In sold Bader Tots in Harrison’s honor, resulting in his being nicknamed ‘Tots’. His cousin is actor Scott Baio, who played Chachi on the iconic TV show, Happy Days. Harrison wears a 'performance mouthguard' while batting in order to help him to relax by causing him to breathe more efficiently. A defensive specialist, Harrison has spent much of his later career shuffling  between teams seeking a solid outfielder. 

MR. DUAL LOYALTIES

DEAN KREMER (1996 - )

INK, WATERCOLOR AND COLOR PENCIL ON PASTEL PAPER, 12x18

MAZ ADAMS (2024)

Dean is a star Baltimore Orioles pitcher who is the first Israeli citizen to be drafted and to play (2022) in the Major Leagues. He was born in California with dual Israeli-American citizenship because his parents are Israeli-born, i.e., Sabras. Most of Dean's extended family lives in Israel. He speaks fluent Hebrew (the language his family speaks at home), had his Bar Mitzvah in Israel, and spends several months every year in Israel. Dean starred for Team Israel at European Championship tournaments even before becoming a Major Leaguer. He was the youngest player to play for Team Israel at the 2017 World Baseball Classic. Several days after the Oct. 7th Hamas terrorist attacks in Israel, Dean pitched and lost the final game of the 2023 AL Division Series, making no excuses for his subpar result although he clearly had been preoccupied with worry about the safety of his family abroad.

THE TRADITIONALIST

JAKOB STEINMETZ (2003 -  )

OIL ON CANVAS, 16x20

DR. CLIFFORD SNAPPER (2024)

An up-and-coming RH pitcher from Long Island, Jakob is the 1st practicing modern orthodox Jew to play Major League baseball. His Hebrew name is Yaakov Meir. Jakob's interpretation of Shabbosdik, i.e., how to observe the spirit of Shabbat, permits him to play ball on Shabbat but not to use a car. Jakob is strictly Kosher, and the Arizona Diamondbacks, the team that drafted him, has gone out of its way to accommodate him in this regard. At age 19, playing for Team Israel in the 2023 World Baseball Classic, Jakob introduced himself to baseball's elite by striking out 3 Team Dominican Republic superstars: future Hall of Famer Manny Machado, reigning World Series MVP Jeremy Pena, and All-Star Gary Sanchez. Jakob's father, an attorney, is also the basketball coach at Yeshiva University.

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