It has been nearly 70 years since a player from the Czech Republic played in the majors. Baltimore Orioles catcher Martin Cervenka is looking to change that.
At first glance, Baltimore Orioles minor league catcher Martin Cervenka may not seem like that interesting of a player. An eight year veteran of the minors, Cervenka finally cracked the AA level for the first time at 25 years old last season. The Baltimore Orioles also appear to have their catcher of the future in Chance Sisco, leaving Cervenka as a backup option at best.
Yet, Cervenka is a far more intriguing player than one would think. He is one of the rare players from the Czech Republic, a country that has produced four major league players, and manager Hugo Bezdek, the only person to manage a major league team and be the head coach of an NFL franchise.
If Cervenka does end up reaching the majors, he would be the first player from the Czech Republic since Carl Linhart in 1952. Linhart’s time in the majors consisted of two plate appearances over three games, grounding into a double play and popping up to second. Linhart did have an extensive minor league career however, spending eight years in the Tigers system.
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After starting slowly in the Indians system, Cervenka came into his own last year. In his first year in the Orioles system, and his first season of AA action, he showed some potential with the bat. Cervenka produced a solid .258/.317/.457 batting line, hitting 15 homers and 22 doubles in 375 plate appearances.
That production is getting Cervenka a look at the major league portion of Spring Training, but it is not his main asset. He is known for his excellent defensive ability behind the plate, with an excellent glove and a strong arm. He threw out 40% of would be basestealers in 2017, and could give the Orioles a solid defensive option behind Sisco.
It would not take much for Cervenka to become the best MLB player to hail for the Czech Republic. Frank Rooney is the most accomplished player to hail from the country, with 37 plate appearances over 12 games with the Indianapolis Hoosiers of the Federal League in 1914. The only player from the nation to appear in more than one season in the majors was Dad Meek, who appeared in six games between 1889 and 1890.
Martin Cervenka is looking to put the Czech Republic back on the baseball map. With a strong showing in Spring Training, he could become the first player from his country in nearly 70 years.