Michal Kovala

Michal Kovala

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 11", Weight 179 lb.
• School Georgia Tech
• High School Combine Academy

• Born December 28, 2003 in Ostrava Czech Republic

BR Register page

Biographical Information

Michal Kovala has played in the Extraliga and for the Czech national team.

He debuted with the Arrows Ostrava in 2019, going 5 for 30 with 11 walks, 7 runs and 4 RBI. He hit .330/.432/.372 in 2020 and had a save, allowing 9 runs (7 earned) in 5 2/3 IP. <ref. ibid. </ref> He moved to the mound full-time in 2021 and had three saves, not allowing a run in 8 1/3 IP while spending a fair bit of the year in the US for high school. He pitched four shutout innings for the Czechs in the 2021 U-23 European Championship. In the U-23 Baseball World Cup that year, he allowed no hits in nine at-bats but walked five, hit two and gave up 3 runs (2 earned) in 2 1/3 IP.

Kovala allowed one run in two innings for the 2022 Arrows. He committed to Georgia Tech for the 2022-2023 season, becoming the second Czech pitcher in NCAA Division I for that year alongside Daniel Padyšák. He debuted for the Czech senior team at the 2022 World Baseball Classic Qualifier, their youngest player, 10 months younger than the next, Milan Prokop. He closed out their 7-1 win over France in an elimination game. Relieving Martin Schneider in the 9th, he allowed a Daniel Rosell single but then struck out Daniel Patrice and retired Yeixon Ruiz and Paolo Brossier. His next assignment was more critical. He took over for Padyšák in the 5th with one out and the bases loaded, protecting a 7-4 lead against host Germany in another elimination game. Daniel Aldrich hit a run-scoring grounder then he struck out William Germaine to end the inning. From there, he dominated, allowing two hits and three walks with no runs over the final four innings against a team with two former major leaguers (Bruce Maxwell and Aaron Altherr). He wound up with a save, having pitched more innings than their starter! The Czechs wound up winning a spot in the 2023 World Baseball Classic, their first World Baseball Classic trip. He was third in the qualifiers in ERA; Osman Gutiérrez and Yeudy García were at 0.00 in more innings.

Further Reading

• Michael Clair: "The No. 1 European prospect is the Czech Republic's bullpen weapon", mlb.com, March 9, 2023. [1]