The article that follows is a preview of our scouting report for the Under-23 European Championships, available soon.
Unlike in the United States, major league scouts do not regularly show up to watch youth baseball teams play in Europe and, aside from a burgeoning league in the UK, baseball at universities is only slowly growing. For most young European baseballers, a national team selection for a continental or world championship is the most likely way of being discovered. In addition, a very select number of Europeans have the opportunity to attend MLB’s European Elite Camp, which offers high-level competition and coaching from experienced American coaches.
These MLB Elite players join the other top players in their age brackets at various European Championships, including the Under-15, Under-18, and Under-23 (U23) tournaments. It is there that many have their first interaction with scouts, and a breakout performance, particularly when much younger than most competitors, can be enough to attract the interest of a MLB team.
While the tournament is limited to players who turned 23 this year and most of the top nations aimed for an experienced squad, 34 players were 17 or younger. Only three played for a team that finished in the top four out of 16 squads, with Belarus featuring 4-of-5 players born in 2002. Slovakia also had a very young squad, with three born in 2001 and four in 2000, while Georgia showcased the other 15-year old along with a player born in 2001 and two in 2002. Only Spain (2001), Belgium (2000), and Czech Republic (2000) had players 17 or younger and played in a medal game.
| Nation | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 |
| Belarus | 2 | 4 | |
| Georgia | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Slovakia | 4 | 3 | |
| Spain | 1 | ||
| Ukraine | 3 | 1 | |
| Austria | 4 | ||
| Belgium | 1 | ||
| Czech Republic | 1 | ||
| Lithuania | 5 | ||
| Poland | 1 |
At the most recent U23 Euros, 21 players stood out as prospects, with many featuring from the list of youngest players. The youngest player, Ilya Sladzinski, only turned 15 a few days before the tournament started. The list also includes three players aged 22, all of whom play for an American university, while a number have been tabbed to the MLB Elite or World Select team. The Czech Republic has four players listed and the Dutch three, while 11-of-16 teams have at least one player, though we will review them position-by-position. Players are listed below with their age as of the approximate start of the 2018 minor league season (April 1), along with their usual clubs and any additional notes.
Name |
‘18 Age |
Position |
Team |
Notes |
Jerremyh Angela |
23 |
RP |
Netherlands |
LSU-Shreveport |
Marius Balandis |
19 |
SP |
Lithuania |
MLB Elite; Perfect Game |
Nolan Bond |
21 |
SP |
Great Britain |
University of Houston |
Mikołaj Dąbrowski |
18 |
RP |
Poland |
Carnegie Schools |
Ondřej Furko |
19 |
SP |
Czech Republic |
MLB World Select |
Daniel Harrington |
19 |
RP |
Germany |
Columbia University |
Frank Hernández |
17 |
RP |
Spain |
|
Christoph Vanas |
18 |
SP |
Austria |
U23 World Cup |
Hayden Platt |
23 |
C |
Great Britain |
Elon University |
Martin Muzik |
22 |
C/1B |
Czech Republic |
Wake Tech Community College |
Dominic Golubiewski |
23 |
1B/P |
Poland |
Madison College |
Daniel Patrice |
22 |
SS |
France |
Thiel College |
Filip Smola |
21 |
SS |
Czech Republic |
|
Max Draijer |
20 |
SS |
Netherlands |
MLB Elite |
Ilya Sladzinski |
15 |
Utility/P |
Belarus |
|
Richard Brereton |
19 |
IF/P |
Great Britain |
Emory University; Emory Athletics ROY |
Pascal Amon |
20 |
OF/1B |
Germany |
Los Angeles Dodgers; MLB Elite |
Nolan Soliveres |
20 |
LF |
France |
Hillsborough Community College |
Vladyslav Kosenko |
19 |
LF |
Ukraine |
U15 World Cup |
Marek Chlup |
19 |
CF |
Czech Republic |
|
Heorhii Hvrytishvili |
19 |
RF/P |
Ukraine |
U15 World Cup |
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