ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The Tampa Bay Rays have agreed to a minor league contract with a 16-year-old member of the Czech Republic junior national team.
The Rays announced Wednesday that left-handed pitcher Stepan Havlicek (STEF-en HAVE-li-check) agreed to a deal last week in Blansko, Czech Republic. The club says he is Tampa Bay’s first player from the Czech Republic.
The 6-foot-1, 160-pound Havlicek is a longtime member of the Czech Cadets and junior national teams. In August, he struck out 13 over 11 1-3 scoreless innings during the European Juniors Championships in Bonn, Germany.
Tampa Bay says Havlicek likely will attend a portion of extended spring training and play at Major League Baseball’s Australia Academy this summer.
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