UPDATE 1/21/26: Since this article was first published, Elie Kligman has made history. This spring, the University of Michigan Baseball program welcomed Kligman as the first Orthodox Jew to play Division I baseball, where he joined the team as a catcher. Now 22, Kligman is a graduate student at the university and continues to balance […]
This year’s draft of two young Orthodox Jewish baseball players to the MLB has fans wondering how the young men will juggle religion with pro baseball. Selected by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the third round of the spring draft, right-handed pitcher Jacob Steinmetz of Long Island was number 77 in the overall draft. He made […]
Jacob Steinmetz, a 17-year-old from the Woodmere, New York made history today as the first Orthodox Jew ever drafted to Major League Baseball. The Arizona Diamondbacks selected Steinmetz with the 77th overall pick in the 2021 first-year player draft. At 6-foot-6 and 224 pounds, this Orthodox Jewish pitcher wraps tefillin with one arm and throws […]
Switch-hitter Elie Kligman from Las Vegas is a teen all-star, destined perhaps for college greatness before the major leagues. While his being strictly shomer Shabbat could possibly make those aspirations non-starters, his faith and commitment to his observance is an honorable inspiration. Even in the face of a possible multi-million dollar signing bonus, Kligman asserts […]
