Prague Baseball Week Preview

Prague Baseball Week returns for its 45th edition, marking the latest installment of Europe’s premier annual international baseball tournament.

The tournament is divided into two four-team pools in Prague. Pool A, the top division, will be played at Eagles Park, while Pool B, the lower division, will be held at Tempo Praha Ballpark.

Pool A features host Czechia, Chinese Taipei, defending Prague Baseball Week champion Germany and, for the first time, the Netherlands. Just one day after hosting Honkbalweek Haarlem — a tournament in which the Netherlands has now won 23 medals — the Dutch will make their Prague Baseball Week debut.

Pool B features Belgium, Croatia, Slovakia and Switzerland. Switzerland is the defending Pool B champion after defeating Poland in last year’s final.

The Czechs will field a roster similar to the one they brought to Honkbalweek Haarlem, where they finished 2-4 and placed fifth. They have added a couple of key bats, highlighted by 23-year-old infielder Milan Prokop. Prokop ranks second in the Czech Extraliga in OPS (1.081) among players with at least 25 at-bats and is tied for third with five home runs. He gives the Czech lineup some much-needed power after the offense struggled at Honkbalweek.

Germany returns as the defending tournament champion with a roster built around young talent. One of the top pitchers to watch is left-hander Jona Widmann, who is reportedly set to sign with the Houston Astros. Widmann has posted a 3.32 ERA with 28 strikeouts in 19 innings for the Gauting Indians in the German Baseball League.

Offensively, William Germaine is Germany’s top hitter. He owns a 1.331 OPS and leads the German Baseball League with 10 home runs, making him the primary power threat in the lineup.

The Netherlands came up just short of winning Honkbalweek Haarlem after the game-tying run was thrown out at the plate in the championship game against Italy. Now, the Dutch will make their first appearance at Prague Baseball Week.

The offensive player to watch is former minor league infielder Shervyen Newton. The 27-year-old led Honkbalweek Haarlem with a 1.132 OPS while also pacing the tournament with seven walks and four home runs. On a roster with limited power, Newton is the lineup’s biggest difference-maker.

On the mound, keep an eye on Thijs Helms. He spent the 2026 season at Arizona Western, posting a 5.03 ERA with 67 strikeouts in 73 1/3 innings. Helms is committed to pitch for Tennessee Tech at the Division I level in 2027 and is one of the most talented pitchers on the Dutch roster.

Chinese Taipei is another team making the trip to Prague after competing at Honkbalweek Haarlem. It last appeared at Prague Baseball Week in 2024, finishing as runner-up.

First baseman Min-Sih Chen is the offensive player to watch. A former minor league and CPBL pitcher, Chen is the team’s primary power threat. At Honkbalweek, he hit the team’s only two home runs and led the club with an .857 OPS. If Chinese Taipei is going to produce offensively, Chen will likely be at the center of it.

Right-hander Yi-Wei Lin headlines the pitching staff. He threw seven innings against Czechia in his only Honkbalweek start, allowing one run while striking out six. Lin led Chinese Taipei in strikeouts during the tournament with 11 and enters Prague as the team’s top starter.

In Pool B, Switzerland’s Fabio Bundi is the player to watch. He is expected to become the first pitcher born and raised in Switzerland to compete at the Division I level when he joins UCLA in 2027. Bundi is also an MLB draft prospect and is the premier pitching talent in Pool B.

Photo: Belgium’s team before the matchup against Slovakia (Photo courtesy of Prague Baseball Week)