JEWISH MLB PLAYERS

Every Jewish Major League Baseball Player | Baseball Almanac

From 1913, when the song "Jake! Jake! The Yiddish Ballplayer" was written, to 2004, when the National Baseball Hall of Fame prepared a retospective "A Celebration of Jews in Baseball, Jewish baseball players have played a role both on an off the baseball field. Baseball Almanac is attempting to honor the role of the Jewish baseball player by preserving their heritage here on this page.

Chart Notes: The Player Name column links to the player's career stats. The Debut column is the exact date of their first Major League game. The Position column is the position they played most often during their Major League career. The Notes column lists those who converted and / or those with only one Jewish parent. Research by Baseball Almanac.

Baseball Almanac Top Quote

"There is talk that I am Jewish - just because my father was Jewish, my mother is Jewish, I speak Yiddish and once studied to be a rabbi and a cantor. Well, that's how rumors get started." - Schacht, Al. Baseball Clown Prince. My Own Particular Screwball: An Informal Autobiography. Schacht, Al. Author. Doubleday Publishers. 1 January 1955.

Jewish MLB Players

In Alphabetical Order

Cal Abrams 04-20-1949 OF
Lloyd Allen 09-01-1969 P Converted to Judaism
Ruben Amaro 06-08-1991 OF Jewish Mother
Morrie Arnovich 09-14-1936 OF
Brad Ausmus 07-28-1993 C Jewish Mother
Harrison Bader 07-25-2017 OF Jewish Father
Jesse Baker 09-14-1919 SS
Brian Bark 07-06-1995 P
Ross Baumgarten 08-16-1978 P
Jose Bautista 04-09-1988 P Jewish Mother
Joe Bennett 07-05-1923 3B
Moe Berg 06-27-1923 C
Bob Berman 06-04-1918 C
Jake Bird 06-16-2022 P
Jeremy Bleich 07-13-2018 P
Richard Bleier 05-30-2016 P
Cy Block 09-07-1942 3B
Ron Blomberg 09-10-1969 DH
Sam Bohne 09-09-1916 2B
Henry Bostick 05-18-1915 3B
Lou Boudreau 09-09-1938 SS Jewish Mother
Ralph Branca 06-12-1944 P Jewish Mother
Ryan Braun 05-25-2007 3B Jewish Father
Alex Bregman 07-25-2016 3B
Craig Breslow 07-23-2005 P
Louis Brower 06-13-1931 SS
Conrad Cardinal 04-11-1963 P
Harry Chozen 09-21-1937 C
Tony Cogan 04-02-2001 P
Alta Cohen 04-15-1931 OF
Andy Cohen 06-06-1926 2B
Hy Cohen 04-17-1955 P
Syd Cohen 09-20-1934 P
Dick Conger 04-22-1940 P
Phil Cooney 09-27-1905 3B
Ed Corey 07-02-1918 P
Bill Cristall 09-03-1901 P
Harry Danning 07-30-1933 C
Ike Danning 09-21-1928 C
Bob Davis 07-26-1958 P
Ike Davis 04-19-2010 1B Jewish Mother
Cody Decker 09-14-2015 1B
Scott Effross 08-29-2021 P
Harry Eisenstat 05-19-1935 P
Mike Epstein 09-16-1966 1B
Reuben Ewing 06-21-1921 SS
Al Federoff 09-27-1951 2B
Eddie Feinberg 09-11-1938 SS
Harry Feldman 09-10-1941 P
Scott Feldman 08-31-2005 P
Leo Fishel 05-03-1899 P
Jake Fishman 07-31-2022 P
Matt Ford 04-02-2003 P
Happy Foreman 09-03-1924 P
Micah Franklin 05-13-1997 OF Jewish Mother
Moe Franklin 08-12-1941 SS
Nate Freiman 04-03-2013 1B
Max Fried 08-08-2017 P
Sam Fuld 09-05-2007 OF
Milt Galatzer 06-25-1933 OF
Zack Gelof 07-14-2023 2B
Mark Gilbert 07-21-1985 OF
Joe Ginsberg 09-15-1948 C
Keith Glauber 09-08-1998 P
Brad Goldberg 06-03-2017 P
Jonah Goldman 09-22-1928 SS
Izzy Goldstein 04-24-1932 P
Jake Goodman 05-02-1878 1B
Greg Goossen 09-03-1965 1B Jewish Father
Sid Gordon 09-11-1941 OF
Herb Gorman 04-19-1952 OF
John Grabow 09-14-2003 P
Shawn Green 09-28-1993 OF
Adam Greenberg 07-07-2005 OF
Hank Greenberg 09-14-1930 1B
Dalton Guthrie 09-06-2022 OF
Eric Helfand 09-04-1993 C
Steve Hertz 04-21-1964 3B
Jason Hirsh 08-12-2006 P
Ken Holtzman 09-04-1965 P
Joe Horlen 09-04-1961 P Converted to Judaism
Spencer Horwitz 06-18-2023 1B
Skip Jutze 09-01-1972 C Converted to marry
Ryan Kalish 07-31-2010 OF
Rob Kaminsky 08-16-2020 P
Harry Kane 08-08-1902 P
Gabe Kapler 09-20-1998 OF
Herb Karpel 04-19-1946 P
Ty Kelly 05-24-2016 IF
Ian Kinsler 04-03-2006 2B
Johnny Klippstein 05-03-1950 P
Alan Koch 07-26-1963 P
Sandy Koufax 06-24-1955 P
Brian Kowitz 06-04-1995 OF
Dean Kremer 09-06-2020 P
Barry Latman 09-10-1957 P
Ryan Lavarnway 08-18-2011 C Jewish Mother
Jim Levey 09-17-1930 SS
Alan Levine 06-22-1996 P
Jesse Levis 04-24-1992 C
Mike Lieberthal 06-30-1994 C Jewish Father
Lou Limmer 04-22-1951 1B
Andrew Lorraine 07-17-1994 P
Elliott Maddox 04-07-1970 OF Converted to Judaism
Cy Malis 08-17-1934 P
Moxie Manuel 09-25-1905 P
Duke Markell 09-06-1951 P
Jason Marquis 06-06-2000 P
Ed Mayer 09-15-1957 P
Erskine Mayer 09-04-1912 P Jewish Father
Sam Mayer 09-14-1915 OF
Denny McLain 09-21-1963 P Jewish Mother
Bob Melvin 05-25-1985 C/MGR Jewish Mother
Ed Mensor 07-05-1905 P
Matt Mervis 05-05-2023 1B
Mike Milchin 05-14-1996 P Jewish Father
Norm Miller 09-11-1965 OF
Eli Morgan 05-28-2021 P
Jon Moscot 06-05-2015 P
Buddy Myer 09-26-1925 2B
Sam Nahem 10-02-1938 P
David Newhan 06-04-1999 2B
Jeff Newman 06-30-1976 C Converted to Judaism
Joc Pederson 09-01-2014 OF Jewish Mother
Barney Pelty 08-20-1903 P
Jay Pike 08-27-1877 OF
Lip Pike 05-09-1876 OF
Kevin Pillar 08-14-2013 OF Jewish Mother
Jake Pitler 05-30-1917 2B
Aaron Poreda 06-12-2009 P Jewish Mother
Scott Radinsky 04-09-1990 P Jewish Mother
Steve Ratzer 10-05-1980 P
Jimmy Reese 04-19-1930 2B
Al Richter 09-23-1951 SS
Dave Roberts 07-06-1969 P Jewish Father
Saul Rogovin 04-28-1949 P
Al Rosen 09-10-1947 3B
Goody Rosen 09-14-1937 OF
Harry Rosenberg 07-15-1930 OF
Kenny Rosenberg 04-18-2022 P
Lou Rosenberg 05-22-1923 2B
Steve Rosenberg 06-04-1988 P
Max Rosenfeld 04-21-1931 OF
Si Rosenthal 09-08-1925 OF
Wayne Rosenthal 06-26-1991 P
Bubby Rossman 07-13-2022 P
Marv Rotblatt 07-04-1948 P
Larry Rothschild 09-11-1981 P
Mickey Rutner 09-11-1947 3B
Mike Saipe 06-25-1998 P
Ike Samuels 08-03-1895 3B
Josh Satin 09-04-2011 3B
Moe Savransky 04-23-1954 P
Al Schacht 09-18-1919 P
Sid Schacht 04-23-1950 P
Hal Schacker 05-09-1945 P
Heinie Scheer 04-20-1922 2B
Richie Scheinblum 09-01-1965 OF
Mike Schemer 08-08-1945 1B
Scott Schoeneweis 04-07-1999 P Jewish Mother
Art Shamsky 04-17-1965 OF
Dick Sharon 05-13-1973 OF Jewish Father
Ryan Sherriff 08-25-2017 P
Larry Sherry 04-17-1958 P
Norm Sherry 04-12-1959 C
Harry Shuman 09-14-1942 P
Jared Shuster 04-02-2023 P
Al Silvera 06-12-1955 OF
Fred Sington 09-23-1934 OF
Moe Solomon 09-30-1923 OF
Bill Starr 08-23-1935 C
Jeff Stember 08-05-1980 P
Adam Stern 07-07-2005 OF
Robert Stock 06-24-2018 P
Steve Stone 04-08-1971 P
Garrett Stubbs 05-28-2019 C
Bud Swartz 07-12-1947 P
Don Taussig 04-23-1958 OF
Rowdy Tellez 09-05-2018 1B Jewish Mother
Bob Tufts 08-10-1981 P Converted to Judaism
Danny Valencia 06-03-2010 3B
Steve Wapnick 04-14-1990 P
Justin Wayne 09-03-2002 P
Phil Weintraub 09-05-1933 1B
Zack Weiss 04-12-2018 P
Ed Wineapple 09-15-1929 P
Steve Yeager 08-02-1972 C Converted to Judaism
Larry Yellen 09-26-1963 P
Kevin Youkilis 05-15-2004 3B
Josh Zeid 07-30-2013 P
Guy Zinn 09-11-1911 OF
Eddie Zosky 09-02-1991 SS Jewish Mother
Jewish Baseball Players | Research by Baseball Almanac
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baseball almanac fast facts

Two Jewish baseball players are in the National Baseball Hall of Fame: Hank Greenberg & Sandy Koufax. Greenberg once commented about his faith, "It was a constant thing. I think it was a spur for me to do better. Not only where you a bum; you were a Jewish bum." Koufax had one of the best one-liners in baseball history when Yom Kippur was during a scheduled start in the 1965 World Series — a start he was not going to make. Don Drysdale started Game 1 for Koufax who simply commented to the press when asked why he thought it happened that way, "God knows." During that game Drysdale struggled and when Walter Alston came out to the mound to remove him, Drysdale quipped, "I bet you wish I was Jewish, too!"

Did you know that Rod Carew was married to a Jewish woman, raised his children in that faith, but never converted to Judaism himself? Too easy? Did you know that Lou Boudreau had a Jewish mother, but was raised by his adopted parents as a Christian? Still too easy? Did you know that in 1995 B&J Collectibles of New Jersey sold yarmulkes signed by Sandy Koufax for $75 each? Still way too easy? Did you know that both owners of both World Series teams (1989) belonged to the same synagogue: Bob Lurie (Giants) and Walter A. Haas, Jr. (A's); Temple Emannuel in San Francisco, California?

Many baseball notables outside the playing field were also Jewish including: Bud Selig, Major League Baseball Players Union Leader Marvin Miller, Team owners Andrew Freedman (Giants), Barney Dreyfuss (Pirates), Emil Fuchs (Braves) Charles Bronfman (Expos), Fred Wilpon (Mets) & Jerry Reinsdorf (White Sox).