Martin Červenka (born 3 August 1992) is a Czech professional baseball catcher who plays for Tempo Praha of the Extraliga. He has played in Minor League Baseball for ten seasons and for the Czech Republic national baseball team in international competitions, such as the 2019 European Baseball Championship and 2023 World Baseball Classic.
| Martin Červenka | |
|---|---|
| Tempo Praha – No. 55 | |
| Catcher | |
| Born: 3 August 1992 Prague, Czechoslovakia | |
Bats: Right Throws: Right |
Career edit
Cleveland Indians edit
Červenka played in Extraliga when he was 15 years old.[1] He trained at the European Baseball Academy at age 16. He signed with the Cleveland Indians in January 2009,[2][3] and participated in extended spring training in 2009 and 2010, while finishing high school.[2] He made his professional debut in 2011 in for the Arizona Indians of the Rookie-level Arizona League, batting .164/.233/.218 in 55 at bats.[4]
The next season for the Arizona League team, Červenka batted .240/.352/.280 in 75 at bats.[5] In 2013, playing for the Low–A Mahoning Valley Scrappers and Single–A Lake County Captains, he batted .185/.271/.221 in 195 at bats.[5] In 2014, playing with Mahoning Valley he batted .181/.250/217 in 83 at–bats.[5] In 2015, playing in Lake County he batted .184/.233/.247 in 174 at–bats.[5] In 2016, playing for two minor league teams he batted .272/.332/.383 in 342 at bats.[5] In 2017, playing for the High–A Lynchburg Hillcats, he batted .278/.343/.418 in 400 at–bats.[5] He elected free agency following the season on November 6, 2017.[6]
Baltimore Orioles edit
On 20 November 2017, Červenka signed a minor league contract with the San Francisco Giants organization.[2] On 14 December, he was selected by the Baltimore Orioles in the minor league phase of the Rule 5 draft.[7][8] In 2018, he played in 97 games for the Double–A Bowie Baysox, he batted .258/.317/.457 in 337 at bats, hitting a career-high 15 home runs (tied for 8th in the Eastern League) and 60 run batted in (RBIs).[5]
In 2019, he batted .233/.304/.324 in aggregate for the High–A Aberdeen IronBirds, Double–A Bowie, and the Triple–A Norfolk Tides. His stint with Norfolk marked the first time he reached Triple–A.[5] Červenka did not play in a game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season because of the COVID-19 pandemic.[9] He became a free agent following the season on 2 November 2020.
New York Mets edit
On 22 March 2021, Červenka signed a minor league contract with the New York Mets organization.[10] He played in 72 games for the Triple–A Syracuse Mets, batting .183/.280/.344 with 7 home runs and 19 RBI. On 7 November 2021, Červenka became a free agent.[11]
Eagles Praha edit
On 9 February 2022, Červenka signed with the Eagles Praha of the Czech Baseball Extraliga.[12]
International career edit
Červenka has played for the Czech Republic national baseball team at the 2012 European Baseball Championship,[13] 2013 World Baseball Classic Qualification, 2014 European Baseball Championship,[14] 2015 USA Tour,[15] 2017 World Baseball Classic Qualification,[16] and 2016 European Baseball Championship.[17] He played for the team at the Africa/Europe 2020 Olympic Qualification tournament, in Italy in September 2019.
In 2022, Červenka was selected to play the 2023 World Baseball Classic qualification.[18] He played for the national team in the 2023 World Baseball Classic.[19]
Personal life edit
Červenka's father, Filip, and older brother, Marek, also play baseball. Červenka completed an undergraduate degree and expected to complete his Master of Business Administration in 2018.[4]
See also edit
References edit
- ^ "Cervenka hoping to rep Czech Republic in MLB". MLB.com.
- ^ a b c "Bowie's Martin Cervenka, from the Czech Republic, starting to catch on | Sports". richmond.com. 22 June 2018. Retrieved 9 September 2018.
- ^ "Martin Cervenka signs with Cleveland Indians - Europeans in the USA, News - Czech Baseball Leagues - Mister Baseball". Mister-baseball.com. 28 January 2009. Retrieved 9 September 2018.
- ^ a b "Hillcats' Cervenka looks to be first Czech MLB player in more than 70 years | Hillcats". newsadvance.com. 14 May 2017. Retrieved 9 September 2018.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Martin Cervenka Minor & Fall Leagues Statistics & History". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved 21 September 2019.
- ^ "Minor League Free Agents 2017". baseballamerica.com. Retrieved 3 June 2023.
- ^ Brisbee, Grant (14 December 2017). "Giants take Julian Fernandez in Rule 5 Draft, lose Albert Suarez". McCovey Chronicles. Retrieved 9 September 2018.
- ^ "Orioles select three pitchers, two from Yankees, in Rule 5 draft". capitalgazette.com. Capital Gazette. Archived from the original on 9 September 2018. Retrieved 9 September 2018.
- ^ "2020 Minor League Baseball season cancelled". mlb.com. Retrieved 9 June 2023.
- ^ "Transactions". MLB.com.
- ^ "25 Mets minor leaguers become free agents". elitesportsny.com. 9 November 2021. Retrieved 25 December 2022.
- ^ "EXL: Martin Červenka leaves Eagles Praha | Milujeme Baseball". Milujeme-baseball.cz. 5 January 2023. Retrieved 12 March 2023.
- ^ Evženie Votinská (7 September 2012). "ME mužů začíná". Baseball Czech (in Czech). Retrieved 5 April 2019.
- ^ "Czech Republic releases Roster for European Championship". Baseball Europe. 3 September 2014. Retrieved 5 April 2019.
- ^ Michal Müller (25 August 2015). "Soustředění mužské reprezentace – Severní Karolína, USA". Baseball Czech (in Czech). Retrieved 5 April 2019.
- ^ Jiří Uhlíř (9 March 2016). "Soupiska českého týmu oficiálně zveřejněna!". Baseball Czech (in Czech). Retrieved 5 April 2019.
- ^ "Evropská mise začíná! Jaká je širší soupiska českého týmu na ME?". Baseball Czech. 2 September 2016. Retrieved 5 April 2019.
- ^ Votinská, Evženie (13 September 2022). "Nominace na WBCq". baseball.cz (in Czech). Retrieved 20 September 2022.
- ^ "How the Czech Republic Qualified for the World Baseball Classic - The New York Times". The New York Times. 28 January 2023. Retrieved 12 March 2023.
External links edit
- Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Fangraphs, or Baseball Reference (Minors)