As we count the Omer, we also look at the daily box score to see if Aaron Judge hit a homer.
Judge is becoming a better all-around player than we thought. Last season the six-foot-seven, right-handed batting Yankees outfielder batted .322, blasted 58 home runs and collected 144 runs batted in. This year he moved to right field from center field and looks more comfortable in that position. Amazingly, Judge could best all of his 2024 numbers this season.
Judge and Babe Ruth share this amazing fact. In their first 1,000 major league games with the Yankees, Ruth and Judge each hit 321 home runs. Judge recently gave the 2026 World Baseball Classic much more credibility and viewership when he announced he will play for Team USA.
As Jewish fans may know, Israel will field a team also. The WBC takes place every three years, and Israel did fairly well, but the roster was filled with Jewish minor leaguers, a couple of recently retired players, and the biggest Jewish stars stayed with their major league teams during spring training instead of representing Israel. However, with Judge in the WBC fold, Yankees Jewish pitching ace Max Fried may opt to join Team Israel. Alex Bregman, the Jewish star of the Boston Red Sox who recently hit his 200th career home run, may also be moved to join. Bregman is one of the best fielding third baseman in the major leagues but would do well at any position.
Any player with a Jewish grandparent or Jewish spouse is eligible to play for Team Israel. Each team in the World Baseball Classic is allowed to have 30 players on its roster. The 2026 version of Team Israel will be managed by former major leaguer Ian Kinsler, who also managed the team in 2023. The 42-year-old Kinsler was born to a Catholic mother and a Jewish father.
Kinsler had a 14-year major league career and a lifetime batting average of .269 and was one hit shy of 2,000. He was a four-time All-Star and twice won a Gold Glove for being an outstanding fielding second baseman and was a home run and stolen base threat. Twice, he hit 30 home runs and racked up 30 stolen bases in the same year.
Kinsler works in the Texas Rangers front office as an assistant to the general manager, but baseball people expect him to be a big-league manager in the not-too-distant future. Kinsler managed Team Israel to a 1-3 record in 2023 against tough teams from Puerto Rico, Venezuela, Nicaragua, and the Dominican Republic, all featuring many major league all-stars before it was eliminated.
Many of the 2026 WBC games will take place next March in Miami at the big-league baseball home of the Marlins. Hope to see you there wearing blue and white.
