SubscribeThe next Sandy Koufax?
A couple of generations ago, a promising young hitter might be dubbed “the next Babe Ruth” (more recently, “the next Mickey Mantle”). But the qualifications for “the next Sandy Koufax” are a little more stringent.
- He has to be Jewish
- He has to be a lefty pitcher
- He has to be good, although he can be mediocre at the start of his career
- He has to take the day off if his team plays a World Series game on Yom Kippur
Danny Rosenbaum, a 21-year-old junior at Xavier University in Cincinnati, was selected by the Washington Nationals (so much for the World Series issue) in the 22nd round of Major League Baseball’s first-year player draft, the 652nd pick overall.
His record this year wasn’t earth-shattering: on a team that finished 39-21, he was just 5-5 with a 5.28 earned run average. But he’s a workhorse, leading the team with 88 2/3 innings pitched, while allowing an uncomfortable 103 hits and 48 walks with 77 strikeouts.
Hey, stranger things have happened; Keith Hernandez was taken in the 42nd round (776th pick), while Mike Piazza was drafted in the 62nd round (1,390th pick!) and they turned out pretty well.
Also bear in mind that Koufax struggled at the outset: 36-40 with an ERA close to 4.00 from 1955-1960 before he turned things around and became the dominant pitcher in the Majors until injury forced his retirement.
Here’s a nice profile of Rosenbaum by Leah Zipperstein that appears in the current edition of David’s Voice (motto: “Let my people know”), a Jewish e-zine for Cincinnati’s Jewish community. Thanks to editor Jeff Elkus for the heads-up on Rosenbaum.
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Get a grip. I have just as good a chance to become the next Koufax as this fish.
Mike Ostlund