Zachary Borenstein (born July 23, 1990) is an American professional left-handed-hitting

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...

outfielder An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to cat ...

who is currently a free agent. Borenstein attended

Buffalo Grove High School Buffalo Grove High School (BGHS) is a public high school located in Buffalo Grove, Illinois, a northwest suburb of Chicago. It is one of six four-year comprehensive high schools in Township High School District 214, serving portions of the village ...

in Illinois, where he was a ''Chicago Tribune'' and ''Chicago Sun-Times'' All-State honoree. He then attended

Eastern Illinois University Eastern Illinois University is a public university in Charleston, Illinois. Established in 1895 as the Eastern Illinois State Normal School, a teacher's college offering a two-year degree, Eastern Illinois University gradually expanded into a co ...

, where as a freshman in 2009 he had a .503 on base percentage, the best in the

Ohio Valley Conference The Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference which operates in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern and Southeastern United States, Southeastern United States. It participates in NCAA Divisi ...

(OVC), and in 2011 he was an OVC First Team Selection. Borenstein was drafted by the

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. Since 1966, the team ha ...

in the 23rd round of the

2011 Major League Baseball Draft The 2011 Major League Baseball draft was held from June 6 through June 8, 2011, from Studio 42 of the MLB Network in Secaucus, New Jersey. The Pittsburgh Pirates selected Gerrit Cole out of the University of California, Los Angeles, with the first ...

Early life

He was born in

Arlington Heights, Illinois Arlington Heights is a municipality in Cook County with a small portion in Lake County in the U.S. state of Illinois. A suburb of Chicago, it lies about northwest of the city's downtown. Per the 2020 Census, the population was 77,676. Per the ...

, the son of David and Nancy Borenstein."Zach Borenstein,"
Eastern Illinois University PanthersMark Whicker (November 27, 2013

''Orange County Register''. His grandparents are June and Joseph Borenstein, and William and Ruth Rosenberg. He is Jewish, and attended

Hebrew school Hebrew school is Jewish education focusing on topics of Jewish history, learning the Hebrew language, and finally learning their Torah Portion, in preparation for the ceremony in Judaism of entering adulthood, known as a Bar or Bat Mitzvah. Hebr ...

and had a bar mitzvah at Congregation Beth-Am in

Buffalo Grove Buffalo Grove, officially the Village of Buffalo Grove, is a village in Lake and Cook County, Illinois. A suburb of Chicago, it lies about northwest of Downtown Chicago. As of the 2020 Census, Buffalo Grove has a population of 43,212. It tota ...

, Illinois.Jon Greenberg (March 15, 2017)
"Mensch at the plate: Borenstein part of exciting Team Israel run in WBC,"
''The Athletic''. Borenstein's younger sister, Katie, died at age 20 from a

blood clot A thrombus (plural thrombi), colloquially called a blood clot, is the final product of the blood coagulation step in hemostasis. There are two components to a thrombus: aggregated platelets and red blood cells that form a plug, and a mesh of c ...

in her

pulmonary artery A pulmonary artery is an artery in the pulmonary circulation that carries deoxygenated blood from the right side of the heart to the lungs. The largest pulmonary artery is the ''main pulmonary artery'' or ''pulmonary trunk'' from the heart, and t ...

on January 25, 2014. Borenstein has a tattoo on his arm of a song lyric about her.

High school

Borenstein attended

in Illinois, where he played shortstop and set new career school records with a .498 batting average and .970 slugging percentage, and ranked in the top three in school history in home runs, doubles, hits, runs, RBIs and stolen bases. His .524 batting average as a senior was the best in the

Mid-Suburban League The Mid-Suburban League (MSL) is an Illinois High School Association recognized high school extra-curricular league which includes 12 schools located in the northwest suburbs of Chicago, Illinois. The conference is split up into two divisions for ...

."Zach Borenstein,"
Eastern Illinois University Panthers. He was a ''Chicago Tribune'' and ''Chicago Sun-Times'' All-State honoree as a senior."Zach Borenstein Register Statistics & History,"
Baseball-Reference.com. He was also a two-time all-area and all-conference player of the year.

College

For college, Borenstein attended

, where he majored in Kinesiology and Sports Studies. As a freshman playing for the

Eastern Illinois Panthers The Eastern Illinois Panthers are the intercollegiate athletic programs of Eastern Illinois University (EIU) located in Charleston, Illinois, United States. The Panthers athletic program is a member of the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) and compet ...

in 2009 he had a .503 on base percentage, the best in the

(OVC) and the 20th-best OBP in the nation, while batting .394. He was a 2009 OVC All-Freshman Team Selection and a 2009 Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American. In 2010 as a sophomore he batted .353, playing third base primarily.Marty Maciaszek (June 9, 2011)
"Borenstein's waiting game ends with Angels,"
''The Daily Herald''. In 2011, he was an OVC First Team Selection after batting .349, playing in the outfield primarily. His career .450 OBP was 5th-best in school history, and his .362 batting average was 6th-best.

Minor leagues

Los Angeles Angels

Borenstein was drafted by the

in the 23rd round of the

out of

after his junior year. He made his professional debut at the age of 20 with the

AZL Angels The Arizona Complex League Angels are a professional baseball team competing as a Rookie-level affiliate of the Los Angeles Angels in the Arizona Complex League of Minor League Baseball. The team plays its home games at Tempe Diablo Stadium in Te ...

of the Rookie

Arizona League The Arizona Complex League (ACL) is a rookie-level Minor League Baseball league that operates in and around Phoenix, Arizona, since 1988. Prior to 2021, it was known as the Arizona League (AZL). Along with the Florida Complex League (FCL), it f ...

, hitting .274/.397/.451 with two

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...

s in 113

at bats In baseball, an at bat (AB) or time at bat is a batter's turn batting against a pitcher. An at bat is different from a plate appearance. A batter is credited with a plate appearance regardless of what happens during their turn at bat, but a batt ...

over 31 games, with 12 steals in 13 attempts. In 2012, he played for the

Cedar Rapids Kernels The Cedar Rapids Kernels are Minor League Baseball team of the Midwest League and the High-A affiliate of the Minnesota Twins. They are located in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and play their home games at Veterans Memorial Stadium. The Kernels are owned ...

of the Class A

Midwest League The Midwest League is a Minor League Baseball league established in 1947 and based in the Midwestern United States. A Class A league for most of its history, the league was promoted to High-A as part of Major League Baseball's 2021 reorganizat ...

. He hit .266/.339/.485 with 11 home runs in 293 at bats in 79 games. In 2013, he played for the

Inland Empire 66ers The Inland Empire 66ers of San Bernardino are a Minor League Baseball team of the California League and the Single-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Angels. The 66ers are based in San Bernardino, California, and play at San Manuel Stadium. Franchise ...

of the Class A+

California League The California League is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in California. Having been classified at various levels throughout its existence, it operated at Class A-Advanced from 1990 until its demotion to Single-A following Major Leag ...

, hitting .337/.403/.631 with 28 home runs and 95 RBIs over 407 at bats in 112 games. Borenstein led the league in batting average (5th among all minor leaguers), home runs, and slugging percentage (2nd among all minor leaguers), was 2nd among all minor leaguers in OPS (1.034), and was second in the league in runs batted in. He was named the California League MVP. He was also named the Angels' 2013 Minor League Player of the Year, was a CAL mid-season All Star, was a post-season All Star, was a Topps Class A All Star, was an MILB.com Angels Organization All Star, was Topps Cal Player of the Year, and was CAL Player of the Week on July 29, 2013. In 2014, Borenstein was invited to

spring training Spring training is the preseason in Major League Baseball (MLB), a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for Schedule (workplace), roster and position spo ...

by the Angels.

Arizona Diamondbacks

On July 5, 2014, Borenstein was traded with fellow prospect

Joey Krehbiel Joseph Roland Krehbiel ( ; born December 20, 1992) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Baltimore Orioles of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played in MLB for the Arizona Diamondbacks and Tampa Bay Rays. Career Los Ange ...

to the

Arizona Diamondbacks The Arizona Diamondbacks (colloquially known as the D-backs) are an American professional baseball team based in Phoenix. The Diamondbacks compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The f ...

in exchange for

Joe Thatcher Joseph Andrew Thatcher (born October 4, 1981) is an American college baseball coach and former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Diego Padres, Arizona Diamondbacks, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim an ...

and

Tony Campana Anthony Edward Campana (born May 30, 1986) is an American former professional baseball center fielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Chicago Cubs, Arizona Diamondbacks and Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Career Chicago Cubs C ...

. For the season, he played for the

Arkansas Travelers The Arkansas Travelers, also known informally as The Travs, are a Minor League Baseball team based in North Little Rock, Arkansas. The Travelers are affiliated with the Seattle Mariners as members of the Texas League. History The team succeeded ...

of the AA

Texas League The Texas League is a Minor League Baseball league which has operated in the South Central United States since 1902. It is classified as a Double-A league. Despite the league's name, only its five South Division teams are actually based in the ...

, the

Mobile BayBears The Mobile BayBears were a Minor League Baseball team based in Mobile, Alabama, United States. The team, which played in the Southern League, served as the Double-A affiliate of the San Diego Padres (1997–2006), Arizona Diamondbacks (2007–2 ...

of the AA Southern League, and the

Salt Lake City Bees The Salt Lake City Bees was a primary moniker of the minor league baseball teams, based in Salt Lake City, Utah between 1911 and 1970 under various names. After minor league baseball first began in Salt Lake City in 1900, the Bees were long-time ...

and

Reno Aces The Reno Aces are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks. They are located in Reno, Nevada, and play their home games at Greater Nevada Field, which opened in 2009. ...

of the AAA

Pacific Coast League The Pacific Coast League (PCL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Western United States. Along with the International League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A level, which is one grade bel ...

. He batted a combined .258/.320/.432 in 461 at bats. He played most of 2015 for the Mobile BayBears of the AA Southern League, batting .314/.394/.511 with 10 home runs and 57 RBIs in 280 at bats. Borenstein was MILB.com Southern League Player of the Month in July 2015, and was a Southern League mid-season All Star, and was an MILB.com Southern League Player of the Month for July 2015."Zach Borenstein Stats, Highlights, Bio",
milb.com He also played 18 games for the Reno Aces of the AAA Pacific Coast League, batting .154 in 52 at bats. In 2016, Borenstein batted .272/.337/.440 in 357 at bats for Reno of the AAA Pacific Coast League, with 15 steals in 16 attempts. Playing again for the Reno Aces in 2017, he was named the PCL Player of the Week for August 7–13. For the season, Borenstein batted .279/.351/.573 (8th in the PCL) with 27 doubles, 7 triples, 24 home runs, and 91 RBIs (5th in the league) in 384 at bats, and was an MILB.com Arizona Diamondbacks Organization All Star. He elected free agency on November 6.

New York Mets

In late November, Borenstein signed a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training with the

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major league ...

. He played the 2018 season for the Mets' Class AAA Las Vegas 51s, batting .248/.357/.477. He led the

with 82 walks, while scoring 92 runs (2nd in the league), and hitting 25 home runs (tied for 3rd), 32 doubles (tied for 5th), and 90 RBIs (7th). Borenstein was the only member of the 51s to be named to the

Triple-A All-Star Game The Triple-A All-Star Game was an annual baseball game held from 1988 to 2019 between professional players from the affiliated Triple-A leagues of Minor League Baseball. These leagues were the International League (IL) and Pacific Coast League ( ...

."51s OF Zach Borenstein picked for Triple-A All-Star Game" , ''Las Vegas Review-Journal''
/ref> He led all Mets minor leaguers in runs, walks, and doubles. Both MiLB.com and MLB Pipeline named him a Mets Organizational All Star. He was the only position player on the 51s to be with the team from the beginning of the season, and not be either called up or placed on the disabled list. He became a free agent after the 2018 season.

Chicago Cubs

On January 10, 2019, Borenstein signed a minor league deal with the

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is located ...

. He played for the Class AAA

Iowa Cubs The Iowa Cubs are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs. They are located in Des Moines, Iowa, and are named for their Major League Baseball (MLB) affiliate. The ...

of the Pacific Coast League, batting .244/.279/.317 with one home run and six RBIs, in 41 at bats. He was released on April 24, 2019.

Sugar Land Skeeters

On May 19, 2019, Borenstein signed with the

Sugar Land Skeeters The Sugar Land Space Cowboys are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Houston Astros Major League Baseball club. They are located in Sugar Land, Texas, part of the Greater Houston metr ...

of the independent

Atlantic League of Professional Baseball The Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB) is a professional independent baseball league based in the United States. It is an official MLB Partner League based in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern United States. The Atlantic League's ...

. In 2019 for the team in 356 at bats he batted .270/.349/.452 with 16 home runs and 67 RBIs. He became a free agent following the season.

Colorado Rockies

On January 3, 2020, Borenstein signed a minor-league deal with the

Colorado Rockies The Colorado Rockies are an American professional baseball team based in Denver. The Rockies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The team plays its home baseball games at Coors Fie ...

. Borenstein was released by the Rockies organization on April 7, 2020.

Sugar Land Skeeters (second stint)

In July 2020, Borenstein signed on to play for the

of the

Constellation Energy League The Constellation Energy League was an independent baseball league that operated in Texas during 2020 because of COVID-19 restrictions limiting travel, and as a way to create opportunities for minor league players. History The league consisted of ...

(a makeshift 4-team independent league created as a result of the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

) for the 2020 season.

Lightening Sloths

He then played for the Lightening Sloths, and batted .353/.522/.353.

Team Israel; World Baseball Classic

Borenstein played for

Israel at the 2017 World Baseball Classic Team Israel has competed in the World Baseball Classic since the 2013 World Baseball Classic qualifier round. In 2017 Israel competed at a World Baseball Classic qualifier for the second time, and for the first time qualified for the main tourname ...

qualifier. During the opening game of the qualifier, he played right field and led off for Israel, going 2-for-5 while scoring a run and picking up an RBI. During the second game of the qualifier Borenstein was hitless in 4 at bats, and struck out twice. During the third and final game, Borenstein went 2-for-4 including a triple, with 1 walk, while scoring 2 runs and picking up a RBI, in addition to committing Israel's only error of the qualifier. He was the starting right fielder for Team Israel at the 2017 World Baseball Classic main tournament, in March 2017.Max Wildstein (February 1, 2017)
">"Zach Borenstein Among Players Coming Back to Play for Israel in WBC,"
Medium. Borenstein went 5-for-25, with 3 doubles and 2 RBIs in six games, as Israel went 4-2.

References

External links

Eastern Illinois Panthers bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Borenstein, Zach 1990 births Living people Arkansas Travelers players Arizona League Angels players Baseball outfielders Baseball players from Illinois Cedar Rapids Kernels players Eastern Illinois Panthers baseball players Inland Empire 66ers of San Bernardino players Jewish American baseball players Las Vegas 51s players Mesa Solar Sox players Mobile BayBears players People from Buffalo Grove, Illinois Reno Aces players Salt Lake Bees players Sugar Land Skeeters players 2017 World Baseball Classic players 21st-century American Jews