EXL: Tehchnika signed Brandon Smith. Daniel Mráz returns
Technika Brno revealed its roster a day before the beginning of Extraliga season. There we could notice a few new names, such as Brandon Smith and Daniel Mráz.
Twenty-three year old South African Brandom Smith should be brother of Tyler Smith, who plays for Hroši. In the past few years Brandon played in USA, where he represented Grand View University. Smith played as a pitcher, but he was also seen in the field. Pitching-wise he threw 91.1 innings in 4 seasons, with ERA 7.09. His batting numbers are much better, with BA .302 and OBP .432.
Brandom Smith also has plenty of experience from South Africa national team. He played, along with Tyler, against Czech Republic at U23 World Cup, where Brandon helped his team to a 9-2 win with 3H and 4RBI. He was also a part of South African roster for 2020 World Baseball Classic qualification, which was later cancelled.
Technika announced the return of Daniel Mráz couple of weeks ago. He should join the team as a coach, or if needed, we could also see him on the mound. Mráz last pitched in Extraliga in 2017, throwing 701.1 innings, with ERA 3.85 in his career. He also had solid batting numbers where he holds BA .320.
American Parker Thode also remains in the team. In the previous season he threw 42 innings, with ERA 5.36. In Promotion League he pushed his ERA to 1.68 with 59 IP. The highlight of his season was certainly a no-hitter against Hluboká, where he striked out 17 batters.
