Israel Baseball is welcoming high school baseball players to meet professional coaching staff and decision-makers at a prospect showcase on Sunday, Oct. 18, in Dunwoody.
Players in 15U and 18U age groups will demonstrate their talent and receive high-level instruction. Players can expect the opportunity to show off their talent and build their own profile while learning what it’s like to be on the Israel baseball team, which has participated in three World Baseball Classics.
The event will feature Nate Mulberg, an Israel Baseball coach for the 2020 Olympics and current head coach at Johns Hopkins University; Chase Engelhard and Ari Fabain, two Atlanta natives who played for Israel’s national team; Danny Pralgo, founder of 643 DP Athletics; and David Frankel, the head coach of the Maccabi baseball program in Atlanta.
“It’s a great opportunity for every player, regardless of their baseball playing capabilities,” Brad Eisen, director of Israel Baseball Academy, said.
In its 40th year, the Israel Baseball League was the first professional league in the Middle East. Team Israel has played in three World Baseball Classic competitions. The team finished fifth at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, won a silver medal at the 2021 European Championships and created a nonprofit arm called Israel Baseball Americas in 2024.
As the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games approach, the Atlanta showcase is part of a broader scouting effort to identify the next generation of Team Israel players.
According to Eisen, the academy was built to draw prospects for the national team. Without a formal strategy, he proposed that attracting high school players would allow Israel Baseball to start identifying, evaluating, and building relationships with Jewish baseball players earlier – as opposed to later.
“It puts us in a position to build a pipeline of Jewish talent that we can cultivate and grow alongside. Ultimately, players will funnel into a national team so we can continue our success at the international level while we build the game of baseball in Israel,” Eisen said.
Israel Baseball uses the heritage rule, or law of Jewish return, meaning that any Jewish player can become a dual citizen of Israel to qualify for the team. Take Engelhard for example. A 24-year-old from Sandy Springs who represented Israel in the 2025 European Baseball Championship, Engelhard became a dual citizen on his 23rd birthday to play for Team Israel.
After hosting prospecting programs held in Los Angeles, Houston, New York, Chicago, Miami, and Toronto, Atlanta was a natural fit, Eisen said.
“There’s a large Jewish community, a very strong baseball playing community, and the location helps us to cultivate other states in the Southeast,” Eisen said. “There’s a depth of talent in Atlanta.”
Drawing players from programs across the metro, Eisen said the goal is to serve the Jewish baseball community. “The more investment that we can make in the next generation of Jewish baseball, the better it is for us,” he said.
“Atlanta has one of the most engaged Jewish communities in the country and a deep baseball culture,” CEO of Israel Baseball America Nate Fish said. “Launching the Atlanta local council and hosting our first showcase in Georgia represents a long-term commitment to bringing Israel Baseball programming to the area both on and off the field.”
In 2023, Atlanta served as the debut location for “Israel Swings for Gold,” the documentary chronicling Team Israel’s historic run at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, where they became one of only six nations to qualify for baseball at the games. The film went on to screen at Jewish film festivals and community events across North America.
