David Newhan

(1973- )

Nicknamed "Son of Scribe," because his father, Ross Newhan, is a long-time baseball writer for the Los Angeles Times (Ross was inducted into the writer's wing of the Baseball Hall of Fame in August 2001), David Newhan is currently a member of the Baltimore Orioles, who are 39-50 and in fourth place in the AL East through July 18, 2004. Newhan has played in 27 games and is batting a staggering .420 (42-100) with four home runs, 19 RBI, and 21 runs scored. His emergence with Baltimore is so stunning that David's spectacular comeback was featured in The New York Times sports section on July 4, 2004.

Before his major league career, Newhan attended Cypress Junior College, Georgia Tech, and Pepperdine; he was All-West Coast Conference in 1995 after leading the league in slugging and home runs. Drafted in the 17th round of the 1995 draft by the Oakland A's, Newhan was traded to the San Diego Padres two years later. In 1999, he made his big league debut with the Padres, hitting only .140 in 32 games. He did have a great debut, though, going 3-for-4 against Oakland on June 8 while becoming the first San Diego player in 19 years to get hits in his first two at-bats.

David started the 2000 season as a second baseman for the San Diego Padres, for whom he hit .150. He was sent to AAA Las Vegas, then traded to the Phillies, for whom he played the final weeks of the 2000 season. David played in 10 games and hit .176 for the Phils. During the 2001 season, David appeared in 7 games for the Phillies, going 2-6 with 1 RBI and 2 runs scored before injuring his shoulder; he had season-ending shoulder surgery on May 25. Before going on the DL, Newhan also played in 13 games with AAA Scranton-Wilkes Barre, hitting .109 (6-55).

Source: Jews in Sports

Photo courtesy Colorado Springs Sky Sox