Bader, Kremer, and Stubbs headline Team Israel in World Baseball Classic
A pitcher for the Minnesota Twins whose father-in-law is an Israeli-American pharmaceutical executive and political activist is one of the new additions to Team Israel. The sixth edition of the World Baseball Classic is just a month away.
Players on Team Israel Israel include a number of MLB players as well as some younger newcomers — though perhaps the biggest Jewish star in baseball, Chicago Cubs third baseman Alex Bregman, is playing for the U.S. team.
Players suited up in blue and white include San Francisco Giants outfielder Harrison Bader, the highest-profile addition to the roster, as well as Tommy Kahnle and Matt Bowman, MLB veterans who previously had no reported ties to the team.
For the WBC, players who are eligible for citizenship of a country are eligible to represent it in the tournament, regardless of their actual citizenship status. In Israel’s case, that typically includes mostly American Jews — and occasionally those married to American Jews — who are eligible for Israeli citizenship under the country’s Law of Return.
Bowman’s wife, Eve Levin, is an attorney whose father, Jeremy Levin, is a prominent businessman who lived in Israel as a young adult and once ran Teva Pharmaceuticals, the country’s largest company. Jeremy Levin is also a political activist who has lobbied for Democratic candidates and progressive policies in the United States as well as in support of democracy in Israel, running on a slate in last year’s World Zionist Congress elections. (Eve Levin’s maternal grandfather was also a businessman; he transformed his Jewish family’s hosiery business into the company that operates T.J. Maxx.)
Bowman and Eve Levin — who was on the legal team that exacted a historic judgment against Fox News last year — met at Princeton University, where he played baseball. He recently signed a minor league contract with the Twins, marking his third stint with the club in a career that has included affiliations with nine different teams. Most of his play has come in the minor leagues, but he has pitched in at least 16 MLB games.
Brad Ausmus, the New York Yankees bench coach who held that same role for Israel last time, will manage Team Israel next month. He managed Israel in the 2013 WBC qualifiers, in which Israel narrowly missed out on the tournament. Longtime big leaguers Kevin Youkilis (bench coach), Mark Loretta (third base coach) and Jason Marquis (bullpen coach) will join Ausmus’ staff.
Simon Rosenbaum, who previously played for Team Israel and now is its general manager, said building the team is “always a rollercoaster ride.”
“We’re excited about the team we’ve been able to put together, especially because of how much more interest we’ve gotten from players talking to each other about their past experience playing with us,” Rosenbaum, the director of baseball development for the Tampa Bay Rays. “We look forward to competing in a challenging pool and hope that we’re a team our fans can be proud of.”
Here is the full roster (asterisk denotes returning Team Israel member):
Pitchers: Charlie Beilenson, Josh Blum, Matt Bowman, Harrison Cohen, Daniel Federman*, Jordan Geber, Tommy Kahnle, Rob Kaminsky*, Dean Kremer*, Max Lazar, Carlos Lequerica, Josh Mallitz, Eli Morgan, Ryan Prager, Ben Simon, Robert Stock*, Zack Weiss*
Infielders: Cole Carigg, Jake Gelof, Spencer Horwitz*, Assaf Lowengart*, Noah Mendlinger*, Matt Mervis*, Benjamin Rosengard, C.J. Stubbs*, Garrett Stubbs*
Outfielders: Harrison Bader, Troy Johnston, Zach Levenson, RJ Schreck
Jewish Telegraphic Agency