Czechia’s roster for the World Baseball Classic was made official Thursday, and as perhaps the tournament’s biggest underdogs, the team will look to pull off a shock and stay in the field for the next edition.
Czechia qualified thanks to a heroic ninth-inning, three-run home run by Martin Mužík that turned a 5-4 deficit into a 7-5 lead against China. It remains the biggest hit in Czech baseball history and is the only go-ahead, come-from-behind home run in the ninth inning in World Baseball Classic history. Czechia won only that game, but it was enough to keep the team in the tournament for this edition.
Czechia trails only the United States in the number of players on its roster who played domestically in their home country. The roster includes just one player who appeared in MLB in 2025: Terrin Vavra, who played in one game. Expectations will be modest, but Czechia will look to embrace the role of giant killers.
Players to Watch
Former minor league catcher Martin Červenka is Czechia’s best overall hitter. At the 2025 European Championship, he hit .542/.571/1.125 with four home runs and 16 RBIs, helping lead Czechia to its first medal in the tournament.
Červenka now plays domestically after spending 2011–21 in the minor leagues. Known as the “Czech Barry Bonds,” he posted another dominant season in the Extraliga, hitting .429/.578/1.017 with 21 home runs and 47 RBIs in 35 games. In 119 at-bats, he struck out just five times and walked 39 times. The Czech offense will once again go as Červenka goes.
Marek Chlup returns to the national team after missing the European Championship while playing in the Yomiuri Giants organization in Japan’s minor leagues. He hit .273/.330/.406 with four home runs, 31 RBIs and eight stolen bases. Chlup was briefly called up in July, becoming the first Czech player in NPB history, but suffered a fractured hamate bone in his left hand after two games and was not recalled following his recovery.
Chlup is set to join Caliente de Durango in spring training following the WBC, which would make him the first Czech-born and raised player in Liga Mexicana de Beisbol history. He is expected to start in the outfield and provide lineup protection for Červenka as Czechia’s most dynamic athlete.
Vavra is the lone Czech player who appeared in the MLB system in 2025. He played one game for the Baltimore Orioles and spent most of the season at Triple-A Norfolk, hitting .257/.348/.340 with two home runs and 25 RBIs in 86 games. He is slated to start at second base.
On the mound, Daniel Padyšák is expected to be Czechia’s No. 1 starter. He started the team’s historic win over China at the 2023 WBC and appeared in two games with a 4.50 ERA in four innings. Padyšák pitched for Oisix Niigata Albirex BC in Japan’s minor leagues and threw five scoreless innings before an injury ended his 2025 season. As heavy underdogs in their pool, Czechia will need a strong showing from Padyšák to spring an upset.
Czechia WBC schedule
March 5 vs. South Korea
March 6 vs. Australia
March 7 vs. Chinese Taipei
March 8 vs. Japan
Czechia 2026 World Baseball Classic Roster
Pitchers
LHP Jeff Barto (Třebíč Nuclears)
RHP Filip Capka (Draci Brno)
LHP Lukáš Ercoli (Kotlářka Praha)
LHP Tomáš Duffek (Eagles Praha)
RHP Lukáš Hlouch (Třebíč Nuclears)
RHP Filip Kollmann (Arizona Western College)
RHP Michal Kovala (Chipola College)
RHP Marek Minařík (Sokol Hluboká)
LHP Jan Novák (Kotlářka Praha)
RHP Tomáš Ondra (Draci Brno)
RHP Daniel Padyšák (Oisix Niigata Albirex BC)
RHP Ondřej Satoria (Arrows Ostrava)
RHP Martin Schneider (Skokani Olomouc)
RHP Ondřej Vank (Northeastern Junior College)
RHP Boris Večerka (Hroši Brno)
Catchers
Matouš Bubeník (UNC Wilmington)
Martin Červenka (Kotlářka Praha)
Martin Zelenka (Tempo Praha)
Infielders
Martin Červinka (Draci Brno)
Vojtěch Menšík (Hroši Brno)
Martin Mužík (Sokol Hluboká)
Jan Popíšil (North Greenville University)
Milan Prokop (Draci Brno)
Terrin Vavra (Free Agent)
Ryan Johnson (Hroši Brno)
William Escala (Hroši Brno)
Outfielders
Marek Krejčiřík (Třebíč Nuclears)
Marek Chlup (Caliente de Durango)
Max Prejda (Kotlářka Praha)
Michal Šindelka (Chipola College)
Photo: Czechia celebrating first ever medal at 2025 European Championship. Courtesy of Czech Baseball
