GLASSER Mitch

General
REPRESENTING ISRAEL
Born in the United States of America, he was offered the opportunity to represent Israel at the World Baseball Classic [WBC] Qualifier in New York, NY, United States of America in 2016. "The manager of the WBC Qualifier, Jerry Weinstein, called me during my season in Joplin [Blasters]. They were looking for Jewish players because for the World Baseball Classic you only need to be eligible to be a citizen of that country to qualify to play for them." He spent three months in Israel to become a citizen in 2019 in order to qualify for the Olympic team. "I went to a Jewish day school in Chicago for 11 years, where I learned Hebrew and Jewish tradition. In college I took a few classes about Jewish identity with an amazing rabbi professor. [Playing for Israel] it feels like there's something there that's a little more important than just yourself. There's a feeling that you get inside and some energy exists there that I felt I had. Even to my family, my grandparents would be so proud knowing that I'm playing for Israel. It's something that makes me smile that I can make my family proud." (The Chicago Dogs, 08 May 2020; eu.argusleader.com, 06 Jul 2019; haaretz.com, 07 Apr 2019)

CLUB CAREER
He was drafted by the Chicago White Sox, his favourite childhood team, in the 39th round of the 2012 MLB draft. He was sent to play for the Bristol White Sox of the rookie level Appalachian League in 2013 and was released by the White Sox the same year. In 2014 he played for the Melbourne Aces in the Australian Baseball League before spending the 2015 and 2016 seasons with the Joplin Blasters in the independent American Association of Professional Baseball [AAPB]. He remained in AAPB through the 2020 season, including two years with the Sioux Falls Canaries. He moved to the Chicago Dogs in June 2020. (thechicagodogs.com, 01 Jun 2020; sfcanaries.com, 22 Jun 2018; milb.com, 03 Jul 2013)

UTILITY PLAYER
He has predominantly played second base and third base during his professional career, but has also played outfield. In the final game of the 2015 season he played all nine positions for the Joplin Blasters. "My whole career is just competing and finding a way to help the team win, figure out my role and do it to the best of my ability. Whether it's getting on base and scoring runs, driving in runs, playing multiple positions, playing one position, whatever I have to do, I figure it out and I'm prepared every day to do my job. That's what I've learned in my years of pro ball." (chicagotribune.com, 12 May 2018)

COACHING
He has served as an assistant baseball coach at Chicago State University since 2017. Prior to that he was an assistant coach at Green Valley High School in Las Vegas, NV, United States of America. He also served as a hitting coach for the Sioux Falls Canaries while playing for the club in the independent American Association league in 2019. "My plan after baseball is to get into coaching. After my first year in Sioux Falls the hitting job came up. It ended up being this amazing relationship where I could be in the coach's office and playing. It was a great experience for me to put it on my resume, and also to learn a lot under Mike [Meyer, head coach] and see the grind of not just the playing side, but the coaching side, being the first one in the cage every day until the last guy is gone." (Linkedin profile, 01 Jun 2020; The Chicago Dogs, 08 May 2020)

SWEET HOME CHICAGO
He was born and raised in Chicago, IL, United States of America, and was named after a baseball pitcher. Growing up, he was torn between Chicago's two MLB teams, the White Sox and the Cubs. "I was born in Chicago and named after Cubs relief pitcher Mitch 'Wild Thing' Williams. My mum is a Sox fan, my dad is a Cubs fan. I grew up a Sox fan my whole life. When my dad brought me to the bleachers at Wrigley [Field], I always wore my Sox stuff." (tcjewfolk.com, 05 Aug 2012; jewishjournal.com, 05 Aug 20