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Jacob Steinmetz Becomes First Orthodox Jew Drafted Into MLB to Play for Arizona
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by JNS.org
Jacob Steinmetz. Photo: Twitter.
JNS.org – History was made in Major League Baseball on Monday as 17-year-old Jacob Steinmetz, an Orthodox Jewish boy from Woodmere, NY, in Nassau County on Long Island, was drafted by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the third round of the MLB draft.
Steinmetz was the 77th overall pick during the draft.
He got the call while surrounded by family and friends who were watching the draft live and erupted into cheers as the announcement was made. According to the MLB, Steinmetz’s best pitch is said to be his 90 to 94 miles-per-hour fastball.
The 6-foot-6, 222-pound, right-handed pitcher had attended the Hebrew Academy of the Five Towns & Rockaway, but switched to the Elev8 Baseball Academy in Florida to hone his sports skills.
Being Orthodox, Steinmetz keeps kosher and observes Shabbat, often staying in hotels near stadiums on game days so he can walk to the field.
Prior to his being selected, Steinmetz had been ranked No. 121 on the Top 250 draft prospects. He was accepted to Fordham University in New York, where he was expected to play college-level ball.
Steinmetz isn’t the only athlete in his family. His father, Elliot, is the coach of Yeshiva University’s basketball team, which has had record-winning seasons for the last two years but was unable to participate in a championship game due to COVID-19 closures.
