Faeder Signs Professional Contract
SWARTHMORE, Pa. - Swarthmore senior Sammy Faeder (New York, N.Y. / Stuyvesant) has signed a one-year contract to play in the Israel Baseball League during the inaugural 2007 season. Faeder, a catcher, will play for the Netanya Tigers in Tel Aviv, Israel at Sportek Baseball Field.
"It is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and I'm going to enjoy every second of it," said Faeder. "I want to go over there and play hard every chance I get to step on the field. This is a dream I've had since I was a kid, and I am excited to not only be playing baseball, but also get the chance to travel around one of the most historically-rich nations in the world."
The Israel Baseball League is the professional baseball league of Israel. In the IBL's inaugural season, there will be six teams -- the Bet Shemesh Blue Sox, Modi'in Miracle, Netanya Tigers, Petach Tikva Pioneers, Ra'anana Express, and Tel Aviv Lightning. Among the managers of the IBL's teams are former Major League stars Art Shamsky, Ken Holtzman, and Ron Blomberg. Three of Faeder's Centennial Conference rivals will also be participating—Haverford's Nat Ballenberg, Ben Field and Travis Zier are on the Lightning roster.
Faeder and the Tigers open the season at the Shemesh Blue Sox on June 25. Fans can follow the Tigers' (and Faeder's) progress at the IBL's official web site (www.israelbaseballleague.com) will reading up on the league's history, player profiles and the other teams in the league.
"I hope that this opportunity can open doors for other Swarthmore athletes," said Faeder. "So many [Garnet athletes] are talented and driven to pursue their goals in sports beyond college athletics."
Batting leadoff for the first time in 2006, Faeder led the Garnet with career-highs in batting average (.349), hits (38), runs batted in (22), total bases (49), on-base percentage (.429), and slugging percentage (.450). He left Swarthmore as a four-year starter and team captain, ranking among the all-time leaders in games played while seeing action at all the infield positions except second base (he made one pitching appearance in 2004).
"Sammy was the ultimate teammate in 2007," said Swarthmore head coach Stan Exeter. "He expertly handled everything we threw at him, including learning the most difficult position [catcher] on the field."