Danny Rosenbaum sits on the couch in his childhood Loveland, Ohio home. With his hands enmeshed together, Rosenbaum ponders questions about life and baseball. However, at this point, they are basically one in the same. Dressed in shorts and a t-shirt while also sporting some retro Nike kicks, Rosenbaum looks like any other college-aged kid. Turns out – he isn’t that ordinary. “I like having the game in my hands. I feel like I can feed on the pressure and turn it into something good,” says Rosenbaum, a 6’1” twenty-one year old left-handed pitcher for the Xavier University Musketeers. 
 
After completing his junior year at Xavier this past spring, Rosenbaum was drafted in the 22nd round of the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft by the Washington Nationals on June 11.  This marks the fourth time since 2005 a Xavier player has been drafted.  If Rosenbaum is signed by the Nationals, he will soon begin the journey that he hopes one day will land him in Major League Baseball. If not, he will head back to Xavier for his final season.

Yet, he isn’t one to brag about his abilities. Instead, he is extremely thankful for all that he’s been given. “Every night before I pitch I thank G-d for everything he has done for me, ask him to give me strength for the next day and allow me to have fun while playing the game that I love,” said Rosenbaum, with a subdued smile on his face.

Rosenbaum is a homegrown talent born and raised in Loveland, Ohio and family is an important part of his life. His parents, Lori and Tom, have always been supportive of his endeavors. Mrs. Rosenbaum is pouring with excitement about her son’s achievements and future potential. “I’m still in shock about it, but I’m also thrilled to death for him. I’m probably more nervous now because the pressure is a lot different – it’s a learning tool and a possible future,” she says.

Growing up, Rosenbaum played soccer and basketball, but decided to focus solely on baseball once he entered high school. Rosenbaum didn’t start his high school career blowing fastballs by opponents’ hitters. “I didn’t start pitching until my freshman year of high school. I was an outfielder primarily and played first base, but my dad said ‘you are a lefty’ so he figured it could benefit me to pitch and I started doing well so I stuck with it,” commented Rosenbaum. 

The move to pitcher turned out to be quite a smart move and Rosenbaum received an athletic scholarship to pitch at Indiana University (IU). Unfortunately, things  did not work out at IU, and towards the end of his freshman year Rosenbaum decided to transfer schools. Xavier was the lucky recipient.

From outward appearances the choice to transfer to Xavier, a Jesuit, Catholic school seems like a strange choice for this Jewish ballplayer, but after his second year dominating the Atlantic 10 Conference, the change of venue obviously bolstered his pitching career.  He led the team in strikeouts for two consecutive season and is in the top ten in Xavier history with 159 strikeouts.  This year, Xavier reached the NCAA tournament for the first time in school history thanks in part to Rosenbaum’s contributions on the mound. Initially Rosenbaum thought his minority status would be rough but as he explained, “I’m pretty open about it [my Judaism] and…I thought it was going to be really awkward to be the only Jewish kid on campus, but everyone is welcoming.”

Like any ballplayer, Jewish or not, Rosenbaum has a number of superstitions. “I’m one of the most superstitious players,” he says while preparing to read off a mental list. “When I run out on the field I don’t stop on the foul line, I wear the same underwear every time I pitch, and I always shave my face the night before I pitch. If things are going well, even with other players, I tell them to stick with what they are doing..” At first Rosenbaum was apprehensive to mention the underwear details, but his face signaled an assurance that it is somewhat of the norm for ballplayers. They do whatever it takes to keep the good luck coming.

Of course it takes more than good luck and a few superstitions to maintain one’s stay among the elite. Rosenbaum contributes much of his success to his father. When asked about his biggest role model in life, Rosenbaum immediately points to the man walking up the stairs and says, “That guy. He has pushed me to get where I am today.” Tom Rosenbaum probably would say the feeling is mutual. When asked about his relationship with Danny, Tom said, “I think we are best friends. I respect what he is trying to accomplish academically as well as athletically.”
 
If and when Rosenbaum breaks into the majors, he can count himself among two exclusive clubs – professional ballplayer and professional Jewish athlete. While both are great accomplishments, the latter is probably one of the most exclusive groups to be a member of, simply because there are so few Jewish athletes competing in the high profile sports. In recent years Kevin Youkilis of the Boston Red Sox, also a Cincinnati native, has carried the banner for the members of the tribe. It certainly would be nice for another Jew to join the club. “I do feel pretty good about it. My roommates and I joke about how there aren’t many Jewish baseball players and I think maybe that guy could be me one day,” he says with a smirk. Yes, hopefully one day that will be him.