Kligman, a star baseball player at Cimarron-Memorial High School in Las Vegas, was ranked by Prep Baseball Report as the No. 14 prospect in Nevada. His insistence to sit out every Friday night and Saturday afternoon game may pose a challenge even in the college game, where many programs play doubleheaders on those days. However, a handful of college coaches already know about his religious restrictions and are still hoping to lure Kligman to their teams, his family said.

Klingman’s current coach Mike Hubel, a former minor league player, acknowledged that the athlete’s Shabbat restrictions will complicate negotiations with future teams. He told The New York Times, “I think it’s going to be a challenge, but then again, if you find a good Division I program with a good coach that’s willing to allow it, then it won’t be a problem. He’s a phenomenal teammate. He doesn’t talk with his mouth, he talks with his glove and his bat, and he can back it up.”

The athlete is also focusing this year on catching because it could be the best way for him to have a professional career in baseball and still observe Shabbat. Because of the mental and physical strain of the position, catchers are given days off during the week, which in the MLB often fall during one of the weekend afternoon contests. Kligman hopes that if he makes it to the big leagues as a catcher, he could arrange for his rest days to be Friday night and Saturday afternoon.

His father, Marc Kligman — a former catcher and outfielder, and now a licensed baseball agent — commended Elie for staying true to his religious convictions.

“I was blown away,” Marc said. “Here’s a kid who won’t put God second. But he believes that the two can coexist. He’s got six days of the week to do everything he can to be a baseball player, and if colleges and Major League Baseball aren’t inclined to make any changes, then we’ll take what we can get.”