TEL AVIV – Team Israel General Manager Peter Kurz has submitted an expanded roster of 44 players to the World Baseball Softball Confederation from which the 24-man traveling roster for the Olympic Games will be selected. The WBSC is baseball's global governing body and the organizer of the baseball competition at the Olympic Games.
Israel's roster includes all 24 players from the team that clinched Israel’s Olympic berth by winning the WBSC Baseball Europe/Africa Olympic Qualifier in September 2019 in Italy. There are 12 players who return from Israel's entry at the 2017 World Baseball Classic, which reached the quarterfinals. The next generation of Israeli baseball players is also represented with six players who helped Israel finish in first place at the European Championship U18 Qualifier in 2019 in Sweden.
Alongside nine players who have played in the Major Leagues are four players who are currently serving in the Israel Defense Forces under the distinguished athlete designation and three more who will be drafted in the same class in the coming year.
Team Israel will have its first training camp in May in Arizona and will then meet again in early July in New York, where it will play a series of exhibition games before flying to Tokyo for the Olympics.
Team Israel's expanded roster for the 2021 Olympic Games:
Pitchers (21): Jeremy Bleich (Major League Analyst, Pittsburgh Pirates) , Eric Brodkowitz (Idaho Falls Chukars), Gabe Cramer (free agent), Jonathan deMarte (free agent), Jake Fishman (Miami Marlins), Alex Katz (free agent), Dean Kremer (Baltimore Orioles), Jared Lakind (Lancaster Barnstormers), Alon Leichman (coach, Seattle Mariners), Shlomo Lipetz (free agent), Shlomo Lipman (Jerusalem Lions), Ivri Margolin (Team Misgav), Jon Moscot (free agent), Ido Peled (Ra'anana Raiders), Dean Pelman (free agent), David Sharabi (Sioux Falls Canaries), Matt Soren (free agent), Joey Wagman (Temp Praha), Ben Wanger (University of Miami), Zack Weiss (Kansas City Monarchs), Josh Zeid (coach, Chicago Cubs).
Catchers (3): Tal Erel (Lynn University), Ryan Lavarnway (Cleveland Indians), Nick Rickles (free agent).
Infielders (12): Shaked Baruch (Ra'anana Raiders), Scott Burcham (Colorado Rockies), Mitch Glasser (free agent), Itai Goldner (Tel Aviv Comrades), Kai Friesem (Ra'anana Raiders), Ty Kelly (Long Island Ducks), Ian Kinsler (free agent), Assaf Lowengart (Mansfield University), Zev Moore (Jerusalem Lions), Zach Penprase (New York Boulders), Simon Rosenbaum (coach, Tampa Bay Rays), Danny Valencia (free agent).
Outfielders (8): Natan Bash (Ra'anana Raiders), Noam Calisar (Ryukyu Blue Ocean), Blake Gailen (Lancaster Barnstormers), David Ibn Ezra (Bay College), Robb Paller (Lake Erie Crushers), Jake Rosenberg (Narbeth), Uri Shani (Tel Aviv Comrades), Jeremy Wolf (Lake Erie Crushers).