Bálint Piros

Bálint Piros

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 8", Weight 154 lb.

• Born May 12, 2006

Biographical Information

Bálint Piros has played for the Hungarian national team. His brother Ádám Piros has also played for Hungary while his father Szabolcs Piros managed them.

He was playing for Hungary's senior national team by the time he was 15 years old and doing well, going 4-for-10 with a steal, two runs and a RBI in the 2021 European Championship Qualifier, fielding .929 at short. He hit .375/.423/.500 with four steals in four tries and six runs in the 2022 European Championship Qualifier, scoring three times in the title game against Slovakia to beat former Reds farmhand Jakub Ižold. He tied Mathis Meurant, Sean Fekete and Zsolt Győri for 5th in the qualifiers in hits (9), tied for 6th in doubles (3) and tied for 3rd in steals, one behind Pierre-Emmanuel Planes and Ryan Byrne. Hungary won a spot in the 2023 European Championship, their first European Championship.

While he was Hungary's youngest position player (and second-youngest player, with Martin Morua being younger) and the manager's son, it was nepotism that him as the country's first shortstop and cleanup hitter in a European Championship contest, as he had shown his worth in 2021-2022. The 17-year-old was retired by Italy's Matteo Bocchi his first time up. His first hit was a double off Britain's Matteo Sollecito to score Graeham Luttor. After going hitless against Italy, he had hits in their other five games (and had a four-RBI game versus Greece) to finish at .286/.375/.524 with 3 doubles and 9 RBI, though he fielded .864. He tied for 9th in the Euros in doubles (3, tied Luttor for the team lead) and minor league vets Gabriel Lino and Juremi Profar for 10th in RBI (leading Hungary) to show he belonged. On the downside, he tied Eric Brenk and Michael Dudunakis for 3rd in errors (3, one behind Mo Hackl and Thomas Paulich).