It is no surprise that we at The Great Rabbino are excited for Team Israel Baseball’s Olympic run. We have been invested since the very beginning. Today we look at best case scenarios to keep the positivity in the air. What happens if the Team wins Gold!

1. Ian Kinsler’s Legacy – People have known Ian Kinsler was Jewish for forever. Unlike Kevin Youkilis and Shawn Green, Kinsler’s Judaism never played a large role publicly, but we knew. His appearance with this Olympic team and a Gold medal would like place him as the third greatest Jewish player of all-time. He would jump the Greens, Ryan Braun, and Al Rosen who all battled or won MVPs. His presence means so much and we would have to place him #3.
2. Zeid Is The Pitcher We Never Knew We Needed – In many ways Josh Zeid is the heartbeat of this team. It is not just his experience in the past and his performance on the field but the atmosphere he creates. The guys look to him as they should. If Israel wins the Gold (or Silver) and Zeid is a big part of it all, it is reasonable to say he is the 4th greatest Jewish pitcher of all-time behind Sandy Koufax, Ken Holtzman and Steve Stone. While his Major League numbers are quite Jason Marquis and Max Fried, what he is doing means so much to Jewish baseball.
3. Ryan Lavarnway Becomes the Man – I believe much of this Olympic run will be determined by Ryan Lavarnway’s bat. Undoubtedly, Kinsler and Danny Valencia are the best pro players on the team but Lavarnway is currently playing at the highest level and we all know he can hit. A strong run by Lavarnway and we will be talking about him for years and years to come.
4. The New Pros – There are a few guys yet to make the BIGs who could be seen on this stage and pushed up. Most notably, Scottie Burcham, Alex Katz, and Jake Fishman. A Gold could equal the BIGs.
5. Paving the Way – A medal in this year’s Olympics means a solid chance for this whole Peter Kurz dream to not only continue but grow. A medal means we could see the likes of Alex Bregman, Max Fried, Rowdy Tellez, and up and comers like Jared Schuster and Josh Wolf follow in the footsteps of these players. Team Israel Baseball wouldn’t be a maybe it could mean an always.