(Story Marco Stoovelaar)
  Czech catcher in Major League Spring Training
Nederlands
 GOODYEAR, Arizona (USA) -
Throughout this years Spring Training several professional players with Dutch passports have played in Spring Training-games with Major League-clubs.
Or have been with a big league-club during a game after being assigned as an additional minor league-player.
Today (Thursday, April 2), a Czech player was assigned to a Major League-team for a Spring Training-game.
Catcher Martin Červenka was with the Cleveland Indians in the afternoon for the game at the Cincinnati Reds, who won 4-3.
Červenka didn't play in the game.
Today, he was the lone minor league-player assigned to the game to be with the team as an extra player.
On Wednesday, three other minor league-players were assigned to the game of the Indians against the San Francisco Giants.
In that game, which the Indians lost 5-2, all three saw some action.
Lefthanded Puerto Rican pitcher Giovanni Soto threw the final inning, while American catcher Juan Gomes entered the game as pinch-runner and later struckout after having become the new designated hitter.
The third player, second baseman Drake Roberts, also entered as pinch-runner and played the final three innings at second base, going 0-for-1.
...Martin Červenka playing vs. Japan during the...
...2014 World Championship U21 in Taiwan...
(© Photo courtesy of Samurai Japan) |
The 22-year old Martin Červenka, who was born in Czech capital Prague, plays professionally since 2011.
He signed a contract on January 24, 2009 when he was 16 years old, becoming the first European player to sign with the Indians.
In 2008 and 2009, he played for Kotlarka Praha in the Czech Second Division.
In 2009, he also made his debut in the highest Czech competition, the Extra League, playing in a few games for Tegola Titans Praha.
After having played in the Australian Summer League in 2009 and 2010, he made his debut in the organization of the Cleveland Indians in 2011.
In that year, he appeared in 17 games of the Rookie League-team of the Indians in the Arizona League, hitting .164 with four runs scored and one RBI.
He again played in Rookie League in 2012, but then got promoted to Single-A in 2013.
In that season, he played for Mahoning Valley Scrappers (Single-A Short Season) and Lake County Captains (Single-A) and batted .185 combined for these two teams.
Last season, Červenka again played for Mahoning Valley.
In 25 games, he batted .181, scored seven runs and batted in eight.
In November last year, Červenka was a member of the Czech Team that participated in the first 21-Under World Championship in Taiwan.
Earlier in 2014, he played for the Czech National Team in the European Championship in front of a home crowd.
In the game against the Netherlands, he played at third base.
The Orange squad shutout the Czechs 7-0 and Červenka went 0-for-2 (strikeout / grounded into double play) against Diegomar Markwell.
Since the start of the Spring Training-season, 14 players with a Dutch passport have now played with a Major League-club.
Besides these 14, seven other Dutch players were or are with big league-teams during Spring Training, but didn't play.
(April 2)
|
