Brian Horwitz - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

This article is about the baseball player, for the hockey player, see Brian Horwitz (ice hockey)

Brian Jeffery Horwitz, nicknamed "The Rabbi

Rabbi

In Judaism, a rabbi is a teacher of Torah. This title derives from the Hebrew word רבי , meaning "My Master" , which is the way a student would address a master of Torah...

," (born November 7, 1982, in Santa Monica, California

Santa Monica, California

Santa Monica is a beachfront city in western Los Angeles County, California, US. Situated on Santa Monica Bay, it is surrounded on three sides by the city of Los Angeles — Pacific Palisades on the northwest, Brentwood on the north, West Los Angeles on the northeast, Mar Vista on the east, and...

) is an American baseball

Baseball

Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...

outfielder

Outfielder

Outfielder is a generic term applied to each of the people playing in the three defensive positions in baseball farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder...

who is currently a free agent. He has won two minor league batting titles, and made his major league debut in 2008.

Jewish heritage

According to Baseball Almanac, Horwitz was the 159th Jewish player to make the majors. Horwitz became the first Jewish player on the Giants since the – tenure of pitcher

Pitcher

In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...

Jose Bautista

José Bautista (pitcher)

José Joaquín Bautista Arias is a former right-handed pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from to . Bautista is observantly Jewish, born to a Dominican father and an Israeli mother.-Baseball career:...

, and the eighth since they moved to San Francisco. In , the New York Giants tried to trump up publicity by advertising Mose Solomon as "The Rabbi of Swat," playing across town from Babe Ruth

Babe Ruth

George Herman Ruth, Jr. , best known as "Babe" Ruth and nicknamed "the Bambino" and "the Sultan of Swat", was an American Major League baseball player from 1914–1935...

, "The Sultan of Swat." Horwitz joined, among other Jewish major leaguers, Brad Ausmus

Brad Ausmus

Bradley David "Brad" Ausmus is a former All Star catcher in Major League Baseball, and currently a special assistant for the San Diego Padres....

, Kevin Youkilis

Kevin Youkilis

Kevin Edmund Youkilis , also known as "Youk" , is an American professional baseball player with the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball...

, Ian Kinsler

Ian Kinsler

Ian Michael Kinsler is a Major League Baseball All-Star second baseman for the Texas Rangers.Despite having been drafted in only the 17th round out of college, Kinsler has risen to become a two-time All Star, and a member of the Sporting News 2009 list of the 50 greatest current players in baseball...

, Ryan Braun

Ryan Braun

Ryan Joseph Braun is an American right-handed Major League Baseball left fielder for the Milwaukee Brewers. A perennial standout, he was ranked No...

, Gabe Kapler

Gabe Kapler

Gabriel "Gabe" Stefan Kapler is an American Major League Baseball outfielder.He has played portions of 13 seasons with the Detroit Tigers, Texas Rangers, Colorado Rockies, Boston Red Sox, Milwaukee Brewers, and the Tampa Bay Rays...

, Jason Marquis

Jason Marquis

Jason Scott Marquis is an American professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He previously pitched for the Atlanta Braves, St. Louis Cardinals, Chicago Cubs, Colorado Rockies, Washington Nationals and Arizona Diamondbacks....

, Jason Hirsh

Jason Hirsh

Jason Michael Hirsh is a starting pitcher in Major League Baseball who is a free agent.Hirsh was a dominant minor league pitcher in 2005–06, winning the Double-A Texas League Pitcher of the Year Award and the Triple-A Pacific Coast League Pitcher of the Year Award in successive seasons, as he went...

, John Grabow

John Grabow

John William Grabow, nicknamed "Grabes" , is a Major League Baseball left-handed reliever....

, Craig Breslow

Craig Breslow

Craig Andrew Breslow is a Major League Baseball relief pitcher for the Oakland Athletics. He throws left-handed, and is considered a lefty specialist....

, and Scott Schoeneweis

Scott Schoeneweis

Scott David Schoeneweis is an American Major League Baseball left-handed relief pitcher who is currently a free agent.In the five seasons from 2003–07, Schoeneweis allowed only one home run to left-handed batters...

. Horwitz credited one set of grandparents for “instilling a lot of Jewish traits in our family.” “I still love my religion,” said Horwitz. He played in the JCC

Jewish Community Center

A Jewish Community Center or Jewish Community Centre is a general recreational, social and fraternal organization serving the Jewish community in a number of cities...

Maccabi

Maccabi (sports)

Maccabi may refer to:* The Maccabi World Union, Maccabiah Games or any one of the following sport organizations around the world:...

Games when he was 15 and 16, leading his LA-area team to national titles in 1996 and 1997.

In 2009, he was one of the ballplayers honored in the fifth edition of Jewish Major Leaguers baseball cards.

High school

At Crespi Carmelite High School

Crespi Carmelite High School

Crespi Carmelite High School, called Crespi, is a private, Roman Catholic, four-year college preparatory all-male high school located in Encino, California in the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles. It is part of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles...

in Encino, California, Horwitz was Mission League MVP, All-Valley, and first team All-CIF

California Interscholastic Federation

The California Interscholastic Federation is the governing body for high school sports in the state of California. It mirrors similar governing bodies in other states; however, it differs from some of the others in that it covers most high schools in the state of California, both public and...

Division I as a senior, batting

Batting average

Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...

.415. He helped lead his team to three straight league titles.

Summer leagues

In the summer of 2001, he played for the Peninsula Oilers in the Alaska Baseball League

Alaska Baseball League

The Alaska Baseball League is an amateur collegiate summer baseball league, with six teams located in four Alaskan cities. Players in the league must have attended one year of college and must have one year of NCAA eligibility remaining....

, and in the summer of 2002 he played for the Hyannis

Hyannis, Massachusetts

Hyannis is the largest of seven villages in Barnstable, Massachusetts. Also it is the commercial and transportation hub of Cape Cod and was designated an urban area as a result of the 1990 census. Because of this, many refer to Hyannis as the "Capital of the Cape"...

Mets in the Cape Cod League.

College (2001–04)

As a freshman right fielder

Right fielder

A right fielder, abbreviated RF, is the outfielder in baseball or softball who plays defense in right field. Right field is the area of the outfield to the right of a person standing at home plate and facing towards the pitcher's mound...

for the University of California at Berkeley Bears, where he majored in American History, in he batted .310, and had a team-best 11 stolen base

Stolen base

In baseball, a stolen base occurs when a baserunner successfully advances to the next base while the pitcher is delivering the ball to home plate...

s. He had a school record 23-game hitting streak. He had 6 outfield assists

Assist (baseball)

In baseball, an assist is a defensive statistic, baseball being one of the few sports in which the defensive team controls the ball. An assist is awarded to every defensive player who fields or touches the ball prior to the recording of a putout, even if the contact was unintentional...

on the season. He was an honorable mention Freshman All-American in Collegiate Baseball. As a sophomore in , he hit .266. In as a junior, he hit .347 with a team-leading 47 RBIs

Run batted in

Runs batted in or RBIs is a statistic used in baseball and softball to credit a batter when the outcome of his at-bat results in a run being scored, except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play. The first team to track RBI was the Buffalo Bisons.Common nicknames for an RBI...

(including a school record 8 on February 14, 2003) and a .405 OBP and a .535 slugging percentage. He batted .400 with runners in scoring position, and was Pac-10 honorable mention and honorable mention Pac-10 All-Academic.

He was drafted in the 26th round by the Oakland Athletics

Oakland Athletics

The Oakland Athletics are a Major League Baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the Athletics have played in the O.co Coliseum....

in the June draft, but did not sign.

As a senior he dropped down to .288 and though he kept his OBP at .400, he wasn't drafted. "The two days of the draft were probably the worst two days of my life," he said. "I've kind of been doubted my whole career, and that's fine with me. It fuels the fire."

He had all the forms ready for chiropractic school, but he wanted the experience of playing pro ball for a half-summer, so he took the San Francisco Giants' offer of a uniform and $1,000 and signed as a non-drafted free agent

Free agent

In professional sports, a free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another club or franchise....

in June of . "I used it to pay my phone bill," he said.

Minor leagues (2004–10)

Horwitz won two titles in two years in the minor leagues.

In 2004, Horwitz won the Northwest League

Northwest League

The Northwest League of Professional Baseball is a Class A-Short Season minor baseball league. The league is the descendant of the Western International League which ran as a class B league from 1937-1951 and class A from 1952-1954...

batting title with a .347 average, the second-best in team history, playing for the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes

Salem-Keizer Volcanoes

The Salem-Keizer Volcanoes are a minor league baseball team in Keizer, Oregon, United States. They are a Short-Season Class A team in the Northwest League, and have been an affiliate of the San Francisco Giants since the Volcanoes' inception in 1997...

in the Northwest League

Northwest League

, and had a .407 OBP. He also earned a spot on the league All-Star team, led the league in hits

Hit (baseball)

In baseball statistics, a hit , also called a base hit, is credited to a batter when the batter safely reaches first base after hitting the ball into fair territory, without the benefit of an error or a fielder's choice....

(93), and set a franchise mark with 24 doubles

Double (baseball)

In baseball, a double is the act of a batter striking the pitched ball and safely reaching second base without being called out by the umpire, without the benefit of a fielder's misplay or another runner being put out on a fielder's choice....

.

In , he hit .349 (the 2nd-highest batting average of all minor leaguers with 400 or more at bats) for the Augusta GreenJackets

Augusta GreenJackets

The Augusta GreenJackets are a minor league baseball team that plays in Augusta, Georgia, as a Class A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants. Lake Olmstead Stadium has been the home of the GreenJackets since the 1995 season, although Augusta has fielded a team in the South Atlantic League since 1988...

in the South Atlantic League

South Atlantic League

The South Atlantic League is a minor league baseball league based chiefly in the Southeastern United States, with the exception of three teams in the Mid-Atlantic States...

, and won his second consecutive batting title, while sporting a .415 OBP. He had 50 walks

Base on balls

A base on balls is credited to a batter and against a pitcher in baseball statistics when a batter receives four pitches that the umpire calls balls. It is better known as a walk. The base on balls is defined in Section 2.00 of baseball's Official Rules, and further detail is given in 6.08...

, while striking out

Strikeout

In baseball or softball, a strikeout or strike-out occurs when a batter receives three strikes during his time at bat. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters....

only 39 times in 470 at-bats, and also led the league with 38 doubles. In addition, he had 8 outfield assists. He was also MVP of the 2005 California League

California League

The California League is a Class A Advanced minor league baseball league which operates throughout the state of California. Before 2002, it was classified as a "High-A" league, indicating its status as a Class A league with the highest level of competition within that classification, and the fifth...

Championship Series. Baseball America

Baseball America

Baseball America is a magazine which covers baseball at every level, with a particular focus on up-and-coming players in high school, college, Japan, and the minor leagues. It is currently published in the form of a bi-weekly newspaper, five annual reference book titles, a weekly podcast, and a...

dubbed him the player with the best strike-zone discipline in the Giants' organization.

In , he spent nearly half the season at San Jose

San Jose Giants

The San Jose Giants are a minor league baseball team in San Jose, California, USA. They are a Class A - Advanced team in the Northern Division of the California League, and have been a farm team of the San Francisco Giants since 1988. Home games are played at San Jose Municipal Stadium...

of the California League

California League

, where he hit .324 with a .414 OBP. He spent most of the rest of the season with the Double-A Connecticut Defenders

Connecticut Defenders

The Connecticut Defenders were a minor league baseball team based in Norwich, Connecticut. The team, which played in the Eastern League, was the Double-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants major-league club from 2003 until following the 2009 season, when the Defenders relocated to Richmond,...

, where he hit .286 with a .365 OBP, and ended the season with a handful of at-bats with the Triple-A Fresno Grizzlies

Fresno Grizzlies

The Fresno Grizzlies are a minor league baseball team based in Fresno, California. The team, which plays in the Pacific Coast League , is the Triple-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants major league club. The Grizzlies play in Chukchansi Park , located in downtown Fresno and built in 2002...

.

In , he was a non-roster invitee to the Giants' spring training

Spring training

In Major League Baseball, spring training is a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for roster and position spots, and gives existing team players practice time prior to competitive play...

, but the Giants ultimately assigned him to the Connecticut Defenders. In 35 games for the team, he hit .309 with a .371 on base percentage. In late May, he was promoted to the Triple-A Fresno Grizzlies. He hit .326 for the Grizzlies with a .383 on base percentage in 84 games.

The 2008 Baseball Prospect Handbook said:

"all he does is spray hits wherever he plays. He won batting titles in his first two seasons, and didn't slow down once he hit Triple-A Fresno last year, hitting .326 after a mid-season promotion. Every manager for whom he has played has become his biggest fan. Horwitz has a great two-strike approach, loves the opposite field, and doesn't strike out, despite a swing that can get a bit long and choppy. He ... is better suited defensively for left field... it's hard to find a more dedicated worker..."

Horwitz started with Fresno, and was hitting .294 with a .351 OBP in 44 games when he was called up to the major leagues. In 2009 with Fresno he batted .290 with 10 doubles, 4 home runs, and 26 RBIs in 76 games before his season was cut short with a left rib cage muscle strain.

In his minor league career through 2009, Horwitz had a .316 batting average, .387 OBP, and in 2,104 at bats had 130 doubles, 279 RBIs, 223 walks, and 243 strikeouts.

In the December 2009 Triple-A phase of the Rule 5 draft

Rule 5 draft

The Rule 5 draft is a Major League Baseball player draft that occurs each year in December, at the annual Winter Meeting of general managers. The Rule 5 draft aims to prevent teams from stockpiling too many young players on their minor league affiliate teams when other teams would be willing to...

, the Giants lost Horwitz, who was claimed by the Cleveland Indians with the fourth pick of the draft. "This is good for him. I'm happy for him," Giants vice president of player personnel Dick Tidrow

Dick Tidrow

Richard William Tidrow was a Major League Baseball player for the Cleveland Indians, New York Yankees, Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, and New York Mets from 1972 to 1984. He was primarily known as a setup man, or pitcher before the closer; however, on occasion he would also start games...

said. "He's a good kid. He's a good hitter and needs a change of scenery. He did good things for us and himself. Now he's reborn. He can go over there, show his stuff and maybe get back to the big leagues." "He's a right-handed-hitting corner outfielder, something we have a need for, obviously," John Mirabelli, the Indians' assistant general manager in charge of scouting said. "He can handle the bat. He did pretty well in a small sample in the big leagues. He'll go to Columbus and give us some depth where we need it."

In 2010, Horwitz played in spring training with the Indians, and then in six games for Cleveland's AAA team before he was released on April 20.http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/h/horwibr01.shtml http://www.thespec.com/News/BreakingNews/article/453257

Major leagues (2008)

Horwitz was a non-roster invitee to 2008 Giants spring training. In March, the Giants re-assigned him to their minor league camp.

On May 30, , the Giants purchased his contract from Triple-A when Dan Ortmeier

Dan Ortmeier

Daniel David Ortmeier is a Major League Baseball outfielder and first baseman who is currently a Free Agent. He made his major league debut on September 5, , with the San Francisco Giants.-High school:...

went on the DL

Disabled list

In Major League Baseball, the disabled list is a method for teams to remove their injured players from the roster in order to summon healthy players.-General guidelines:...

with a broken finger.

Horwitz hit his first major league home run

Home run

In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...

on June 2, 2008, off New York Mets

New York Mets

The New York Mets are a professional baseball team based in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York. They belong to Major League Baseball's National League East Division. One of baseball's first expansion teams, the Mets were founded in 1962 to replace New York's departed National League...

starting pitcher

Starting pitcher

In baseball or softball, a starting pitcher is the pitcher who delivers the first pitch to the first batter of a game. A pitcher who enters the game after the first pitch of the game is a relief pitcher....

Óliver Pérez

Oliver Pérez

Óliver Pérez Martínez is a left-handed pitcher currently in the Washington Nationals organization.-San Diego Padres:...

. He was mobbed in the dugout afterward. "There was a lot of love in that dugout," Horwitz said. "It adds to the experience. That's a great group of guys here and I just love being a part of this team." "Unbelievable," Horwitz said of his Major League experience. "It’s extraordinary, surreal. It’s an out-of-body experience. I’m really enjoying being here. How could you complain?"

After hitting .304 in his first 21 at-bats, Horwitz went 1-for-15 and was sent down to Fresno for more playing time on July 6, 2008.

Tools

Horwitz is a pure hitter with excellent hand eye coordination, the ability to hit well for average, and doubles power. In 2007, Baseball America voted him as having the best strike zone

Strike zone

In baseball, the strike zone is a conceptual right pentagonal prism over home plate which defines the boundaries through which a pitch must pass in order to count as a strike when the batter does not swing.-Definition:...

discipline in the Giants minor league organization. He has solid defensive tools, good instincts, a quick first step, and a strong and accurate arm.

Awards

2004 – Northwest League Post-Season All-Star OF
2005 – South Atlantic League Player of the Week (4/17)
2005 – SAL All-Star OF
2005 – SAL Player of the Week (8/7)
2005 – Topps
Topps
The Topps Company, Inc., manufactures chewing gum, candy and collectibles. Based in New York, New York, Topps is best known as a leading producer of baseball cards, football cards, basketball cards, hockey cards and other sports and non-sports themed trading cards.-Company history:Topps itself was...

SAL Player of the Month (8/31)
2005 – SAL Post-Season All-Star OF

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.