Jacob Kobrin's leap of faith to become the next Stockton great

From Yankees World Series winner Frankie Crosetti to All-Stars Von Hayes and Eddie Guardado, Stockton, California, has seen its fair share of baseball legends. Enter a 6-foot-3, 210-pounder, Jacob Kobrin, who's trying to emerge as Stockton's next baseball great. 

The current Walnut Creek Crawdads pitcher's journey to the Creek unfolded in a long, tangled web dating back to his final year of high school. His Jewish faith is a major focal point of his life. In fact, the hard-throwing right-hander whose topped 94 miles per hour on his fastball, first decided to take this journey because of his faith. 

For the Crawdads, he hasn't disappointed. The flamethrower accrued a 4.15  ERA and a 9.69 K/9 across 13 innings. Almost 11 strikeouts per nine innings is among the top for Crawdads pitchers. On the surface, those numbers look pretty good. However, the deeper you dive, the more impressive they become, as Kobrin is relatively new to pitching, switching over during his final year of high school. His journey to discovering pitching and joining Sacramento State also goes well beyond baseball. 

Kobrin pitched scarcely throughout high school for junior varsity to eat up innings due to his hard-throwing nature. Initially set to join Delta College, a junior college in his hometown of Stockton, as a catcher, Kobrin joined a summer ball team heading into his freshman season. There, the light switch flipped. Sacramento State saw the right-hander perform against the Humboldt Crabs, where he struck out eight in three innings, and offered him a spot. 

That first season was about development and honing his skills as a pitcher. Although behind the apparent eight-ball to some others on the staff, Kobrin's frame and easy-flowing velocity helped him stand out above others. The redshirt year, Kobrin said, helped him refine his techniques and get even stronger. 

This wasn't an easy decision to make by any stretch of the imagination. The biggest advocate for Kobrin switching positions? His parents. They initially sparked the idea for him to make one of the biggest decisions of his life: to take a leap of faith and pitch. For them, they would not disallow Kobrin the ability to play Division I baseball. 

"My family definitely played a big part in it," Kobrin said. "They knew my dream in life was to play Division I baseball, and they didn't let me pass up on that opportunity, which I'm forever grateful for." 

His coaching staff with the Hornets could not be any better for the right-hander. The hard-throwing Crawdad mentioned the impact they've had on him from the recruiting process to offering him a walk-on roster spot to redshirting and growing his game. 

"After that night, they offered me a preferred walk-on spot," Kobrin said. "Obviously, scholarship is what people are looking for, but I just wanted an opportunity. The coaching staff at Sac State really made me believe in myself. … They turned me into a completely different person. They made me realize I love baseball more than I already did, which, a year ago, I didn't think was possible. I'm really blessed for the opportunity."

Now with Walnut Creek, Kobrin relishes every opportunity to pitch. This season, he's already registered 11 appearances and always showcases a smile during warm-ups. For the Stockton-raised right-hander, it's another opportunity to make up for lost time and prepare for this upcoming fall season. 

"I'm getting a lot of reps, throwing a lot during the week," Kobrin said. "I am trying to make up for all the time I haven't been pitching. Getting all these high-leverage situations in the ninth, it's preparing me for my future, where I'd like to be a closer at Sacramento State. Walnut Creek's been amazing. I've been able to feel myself out, learn from my mistakes."

Jewish faith means a great deal, too. As in most religions, there are many ways to practice; for those of the Jewish faith, there are three main ways: Orthodox, Conservative, and Reform. 

Kobrin, who bar mitzvahed, practices slightly differently from others. When at home, he often attends services on high holy days with his family and sometimes observes Shabbat. For him, it is important not just to him but also to his family. 

"I've got a super Orthodox Jewish family," Kobrin said. "My grandparents, my immediate family, are more conservative. So we don't eat super kosher all the time, but it still means a lot. We go pretty much every holiday and we celebrate Shabbos when we're all together. It's really important because that's where I'm from and that is my roots. Every day I think about it." 

Back with the Hornets, it's slightly different than in the Creek. With the Crawdads, Kobrin taught some of his fellow pitching teammates about parts of his  Jewish identity, including showing them a video of his Bar Mitzvah. With the Hornets, he has two other Jewish teammates. 

He embraces all his teammates' questions and understands that everything said is all out of love. 

"You have to embrace it," Kobrin said. "You have to understand, sometimes they are joking and when they have genuine questions, you answer to the best of your ability and try to educate them as much as you can. It's definitely been a good experience. It's helped me make a lot of friendships. This year at Sac State, I had two Jewish teammates to begin the season with. One of them was my roommate, and the other one was Orthodox. I definitely had a bond and relationship with them as soon as I got on campus, just because we're both kind of from the same place, have the same ideas."

Kobrin, like many others, has been doubted in his career. When he joined the Hornets or decided to pitch and switch from his normal routine, some may have doubted him. Now with the Crawdads, he's excelled thus far as he looks for an even better second half for momentum during the postseason and the fall semester. 

"You just got to do what you love at the end of the day," Kobrin said with a smile. "If you love the sport, you can't let people deter you from that, no matter what they say; you just gotta be proud of who you are. At the end of the day, it doesn't really matter what other people's opinions are; you just have to know what you want, know what you believe, and stick to that, no matter where you are."