Every day, Metropolitan Community College (MCC) freshman right-handed pitcher Avinoam Sachs, a native of Israel, has a chance to make a positive impact by sharing his story of Jewish faith and identity with those around him.
“For most of my teammates, I’m the first Jewish person they’ve met,” Sachs said. “I get my fair share of questions about the war whenever I get back from Israel. It’s hard to comprehend if you haven’t lived it or seen it. There’s the things you see on the news, and there’s the pictures I bring back when I come from trips in Israel.”
Sachs, 23, hopes to make his pitching debut for the Wolves, who play their home games at MCC’s Maple Woods campus north of the Missouri River. It’s his third year with the program. He redshirted as a freshman and then tore the ulnar collateral ligament in his elbow before last season.
Sachs, who’s been a dual citizen of the United States and Israel since birth, said his teammates and coaches have been “very supportive” throughout his time with the program.
He arrived in the summer of 2024 when there were still Israeli hostages in Gaza.
“Our entire team wore the yellow hostage ribbon in the fall and had it on their hats, and the majority wore it into the spring season,” Sachs said. “I wear my ‘chai’ necklace, and I don’t hide my Judaism at all. I wear my Team Israel gear with pride whenever we don’t have to be in MCC team gear. I’m blessed to travel the world and represent Israel.”
Sachs grew up in the Orthodox tradition but said he’s now somewhere between his parents’ traditions and his grandparents’ secular Judaism.
“I play on Shabbat and travel with the team,” Sachs said. “On Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur and Pesach, my coaches know I’ll be in temple, and they’re supportive of that.”
Sachs developed a love for baseball at a young age. Born in Jerusalem, his family moved to Kansas City when he was 5 years old. His grandparents, Dr. Bob and SueAnn Strom, live in Johnson County.
As a child, Sachs began playing baseball and became a huge fan of the Kansas City Royals and Kansas City Chiefs, even attending a Royals playoff game in 2014.
During his time in the area, Sachs and his family lived in Overland Park. He attended Hyman Brand Hebrew Academy and worshiped at Congregation Beth Israel Abraham and Voliner (BIAV). Sachs still attends services at BIAV, especially on the High Holy Days.
His family eventually moved to Cleveland, Ohio, and then back to Israel, where he graduated from high school and joined the Israel Defense Forces, where he served on the foreign relations desk.
When in Israel, he joined the Israeli national team, for which he both played and coached.
“It’s a good group of guys with a tight-knit core,” he said. “...I’ve enjoyed unique experiences I’ve had playing and coaching as part of the Israeli national team. I don’t think I’d be where I am today without them.”
After concluding his IDF service in 2024, Sachs was visiting Kansas City and began training for baseball at Premiere Baseball KC in Overland Park. It’s the same facility where Royals pitcher Noah Cameron trains.
The coaches at Premiere connected Sachs with MCC. He decided to play baseball there, while living with his grandfather in Leawood, Kansas.
MCC’s baseball program is best known for producing 11-time Major League All-Star Albert Pujols, who grew up in Independence, Missouri.
“The talent level around you is so high at the junior college level,” Sachs said.
As a college athlete, Sachs is a member of Tribe NIL, a name, image and likeness collective for Jewish athletes co-founded by Jeremy Moses and Eitan Levine. As part of this program, Sachs staffed a Birthright Trip to Israel composed of fellow Tribe NIL athletes.
“Meeting 11 other Jewish college athletes playing college sports was a wonderful experience,” Sachs said.
In early August, Sachs was the assistant coach for the Gezer 17U Baseball Team in the JCC Maccabi Games in Kansas City. Gezer and Kansas City have a longtime partnership. The team was composed of all Gezer players with the exception of 16-year-old Sam Cohen of Kansas City (Kansas City didn’t field a 17U Baseball Team in the Games).
The team finished fourth, after losing a competitive game in the semifinals. Sachs was honored to be part of the program.
Avinoam Sachs coaching.
“The [Maccabi Games] Opening Ceremonies were very special and well-done,” Sachs said. “The Gezer Delegation was the last team to walk out of the tunnel, and we received a huge applause.”
On the Maccabi Games host night, Sachs and his players attended a Royals’ 2-1 victory over the Minnesota Twins. The starting pitcher for the Twins that night was fellow Israeli Dean Kremer.
“Each year I’ve been in Kansas City, I’ve been more involved with the Jewish community and hope to continue that trend this year,” Sachs said.
Sachs will earn an associate’s degree this fall, with plans to play baseball at a four-year college in 2027-28.
“I’m thinking about going into psychology or coaching,” Sachs said. “I’ve had a lot of really, really special coaches throughout my life. Connecting with young athletes where they’re at is important to me.”
Although he loves the U.S. and plans to play baseball as long as possible, Sachs hopes to move back to Israel after his playing days are over.
