Czech Republic

The Czech Republic, also called Czechia, is a country in central Europe. Its capital is Prague. It was formerly part of Czechoslovakia until the country was split between the Czech Republic and Slovakia in 1992.

The Czech national team debuted in the Baseball World Cup in 2005, finishing last in their group. They also have played in the European Championship regularly since 1997, and took part in the World Baseball Classic qualifiers before being successful in qualifying for the 2023 World Baseball Classic.

Czech teams have won two bronze medals in the European Cup through 2012.

Pavel Budský was the first Czech-raised player to appear in Organized Baseball.

Major leaguers born here

• Josef Koukalik, pitcher (1904)
• Frank Meek (born Mik), catcher (1889-90)
• Frank Rooney (born Rovný), first baseman (1914)
• John Stedronsky, third baseman (1879)

Minor leaguers born and/or raised here

• Pavel Budský, pitcher
• Petr Čech, catcher
• Martin Červenka, catcher
• Jakub Hajtmar, infielder
• Štěpán Havlíček, pitcher
• Matěj Hejma, outfielder
• Vojtěch Menšík, infielder
• Marek Minarik, pitcher
• Jan Novák, pitcher
• Jan Řeháček, pitcher
• Jakub Toufar, pitcher
• Jakub Sládek, infielder
• Daniel Vavruša, catcher

Further Reading

• Gary Belleville: "May 30, 1914: Frank Rooney becomes first Czech player to homer in the major leagues," SABR Baseball Games Project.