By: Elie Gelman

The Israel National Team jumps back into action as they compete in the 2023 World Baseball Classic, with pool play starting on March 12th and ending on the 15th in Miami, Florida. The national team is ranked as the 20th best team in the world and looks to build off a strong performance in the 2017 World Baseball Classic when they finished sixth with a record of 4-2. Israel is in Pool D alongside the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Puerto Rico, and Nicaragua.

This year’s roster is loaded with talent, including two-time MLB ALL-Star and World Series Champion Joc Pederson—as well as Dean Kremer, Jake Bird, and Garrett Stubbs.

Josh Wolf is a pitcher in the Cleveland Guardians organization and in 2022, split time between the ACL Guardians and the Lynchburg Hillcats of the Carolina League. Josh who will represent Israel in this year’s tournament spoke with Elie Gelman ahead of the games.

“It’s amazing; I have always dreamt about being a part of this team,” Wolf began. “In 2017, I watched the games, and my grandfather went to the games in Korea. Ever since that, it’s been a big goal of mine to be on the team and represent the Jewish people and Team Israel. Judaism is a big thing for my family and me. A Lot of them are from Israel and currently still live in Israel, so all that was huge to know that I could represent them in a global international tournament.”

With Wolf being one of the younger players on the roster, he has the opportunity to learn and grow from some of the best talents in the MLB and play side-by-side with one of his childhood idols.

“I’m 22, and just being able to play alongside these guys and pick their brains and see how they carry themselves will be huge for my career. It’s also exciting for me being a fan of baseball. Joc Pederson, for example, I had his jersey when I was in middle school, so it’s pretty cool for me to be playing alongside him.”

Wolf will also have the opportunity to be mentored by a fantastic coaching staff led by Ian Kinsler. Kinsler is a 13-year MLB veteran who is a World Series Champ, 4x All-Star, and a Two Time Golden Glove winner. Kinsler was also a member of the Israeli National Team when he played second base for them in the 2020 Olympics.

“Kinsler is a legend in the game, in my opinion. His being the head of our team and leading us into these games is big because it’s not going to be an easy task. But if anyone is going to beat these teams and lead us to winning, it’s a perfect fit. Alongside him, there is Kevin Youkilis and Brad Ausmus. Those are two other guys I grew up watching, so that’s awesome to be able to be coached by them. The pitching coach is Josh Zeid, who in 2017 I got to watch him pitch and I’ve met him now, and he’s an amazing person, so I’m glad to be able to be coached by him as well.”

Wolf watches and studies some of the best pitchers in the MLB today but even more so looks up to Jewish pitcher Sandy Koufax who famously did not pitch in game 1 of the 1965 World Series so he could celebrate Yom Kippur.

“I love watching Justin Verlander and Walker Buehler. I think those are a couple of guys that I take some mechanics and try to implement into mine. Two major players I like to watch and study and try to emulate. From the Jewish side, Sandy Koufax. I’m obviously not able to watch him pitch in person or on TV, but there are youtube clips. I watched the movie Fastball, and they did a little segment on him, and it made me realize just how amazing of a pitcher he was. So he means a lot to me; I’m a pitcher, he’s a pitcher, and we’re both Jewish. Eventually, I want to get to his status; that’s a major goal of my career.”

Wolf played baseball at St. Thomas High School in Houston, Texas. He gained All-State honors twice and, in his senior season, was named Outstanding Male High School Athlete of the Year by the Jewish Sports Heritage Association. He was the 29th-ranked player in the country and 5th in the state of Texas. Straight out of high school, Wolf was drafted 53rd overall in the 2019 MLB draft by the New York Mets.

“At first, it definitely was a shock. I go from within months of studying and having to go to school to my whole life being baseball. Now I practice starting at eight and ending at 1, and that’s it. I’m done. I don’t have to worry about math homework. Kind of crazy to know that’s my life now. It definitely was a jump competition-wise, which is something I’m still working on, how to be a pro and pitch and stuff like that. It’s been a big jump, but I feel like I’m handling it well, and I’m going to keep being able to handle it and just get better as my career progresses.”

After one year with the Mets, Wolf was traded to the Cleveland Guardians in 2021. In 2022 he pitched for their Single-A affiliate, the Lynchburg Hillcats, while also pitching for their Rookie-level affiliate, the ACL Guardians. After spending the last three years in the minor leagues, Wolf and many other members of the Israel team are coming into this year’s tournament looking to show off their talents on an international stage.

“My last couple seasons, I haven’t been the greatest, in my opinion. This year I’m much stronger, and this will be the perfect opportunity to show that. These will be the best hitters that I have faced, so I’m going into it with a chip on my shoulder. I think a lot of guys on this team are too. I think that makes the team dangerous. For me, at least, I can say that I’m in the best place possible, so I’m excited about that and being able to face the best hitters that I have faced.”

It’s a struggle for many Jewish professional athletes to be able to observe Jewish customs while playing their sports. Wolf will be looking to use this opportunity of paying for Israel to strengthen his connections with Judaism.

“I think that being in pro ball definitely has not let me be as in touch with my Judaism as I would like to be. For all the major holidays, it’s hard to find a synagogue near you, especially in these little towns. I think being able to be with a bunch of guys that share similar values as me and the same religion; we are all going to be able to bond. It’s going to be important, and I’m excited about that. So celebrating Shabbat together, and we are also going to be celebrating Purim as a team. If I were with my team here in Cleveland, I wouldn’t be able to experience this with them. I don’t think there are many guys who are going to want to dress up for Purim here, so being around guys who all share the same values is important, and I’m excited about that.”

In 2017 Israel finished 6th in the competition after being ranked 41st in WBSC World Rankings and last in the pre-tournament rankings. Wolf and the rest of the team are looking to replicate that success in the 2023 tournament.

“Everyone expects to win. You don’t go into any tournament or game thinking we’re going to lose. Everyone wants to win. Joc Pederson, in our group chat, made it clear already that he’s playing to win. I think that’s the common thing is that everyone wants to surprise people, and we believe we can. The last team wasn’t supposed to win games, but they did, so I think I expect a couple of upsets from team Israel.”