Weekly Kibbitz
Ian Kinsler Switches from Team Israel Star
Player to Coach for 2023 World Baseball Classic
in stolen bases (243), hits (1,999), home runs (257)
and runs batted in (909). He played the fi rst eight
years of his career with the Texas Rangers, but also
spent time on the Detroit Tigers, Los Angeles Angels,
Boston Red Sox and San Diego Padres. He won the
2018 World Series with the Red Sox, and was also a
member of Team USA’s championship team in the
2017 World Baseball Classic.

While Team Israel came up empty in the 2020
Olympics, the team rose to prominence during a
surprising run at the 2017 WBC, beating several
highly-ranked teams and entertaining fans with its
beloved mascot, the Mensch on the Bench. Coach
Eric Holtz stepped down after the team’s unsuccess-
ful Olympic run last summer.

The 2023 World Baseball Classic was origi-
nally scheduled for 2021 but was postponed due
to the pandemic. Qualifi ers are set to begin this
September, and the tournament will expand from
16 to 20 teams. Israel has automatically qualifi ed for
the tournament.

Peter Kurz, president of the Israel Association of
Baseball and the team’s general manager, told JTA
that Kinsler’s leadership will also help with recruit-
Ian Kinsler played for Team Israel at the Olympics
in Tokyo after 14 MLB seasons.

ment. Any ballplayer with Jewish heritage is eligible
to play for Team Israel.

“Ian has been recruiting major league Jewish
players who are eligible to play for Team Israel in the
WBC, and our goal is to surpass what we achieved
in 2017 and reach the fi nal four,” Kurz said. “We have
had multiple inquiries from potential players, coaches
and trainers who all want to be a part of this and the
choices will be tough this time around.”
According to the Jewish National Fund-USA, which
provides funding for Israel’s baseball program, Kinsler
will visit Israel this summer, where he will be a torch-
bearer at the opening ceremonies of the Maccabiah
Games. “I can’t wait to visit Israel this summer and see the
young talent that will be on display at the Maccabiah
Games,” he said. “We are already hard at work putting
together a winner roster for Israel at the WBC, and I
look forward to making all of our fans proud.”
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Ian Kinsler is trading in his bat for a lineup card.

The former All-Star second baseman will manage
Team Israel in the upcoming 2023 World Baseball
Classic. He has no plans to play for the team as well.

The Jewish 14-year MLB veteran played for Team
Israel in the 2020 Olympics that were held last year,
telling the Jewish Telegraphic Agency at the time that
his goal was to raise the sport’s profi le in Israel.

“Medaling for Team Israel would create that
buzz,” he said, and “obviously bring more atten-
tion to the sport. So it’s exciting to think about
all that.”
The World Baseball Classic, founded in 2006 and
normally held every four years, is the only international
baseball tournament outside of Olympic competition.

“I was very excited when I was asked to manage
Team Israel at the WBC, and it didn’t take long for me
to accept the position,” Kinsler said in a statement. “I
enjoyed my time playing in the tournament and now
that I know Israel Baseball well from my time in the
Olympics, I am convinced that we will have a very
competitive squad that will go far.”
Kinsler won two Gold Gloves during his career, and
is among the all-time MLB Jewish baseball leaders