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TWO
Filipinos are now in the Czech Republic strutting their
stuff in baseball.
Pitcher
Jon Jon Robles of the
University of
Santo Tomas
and the Makati Mariners, and Edgar de los Reyes, the
national team manager, have been recruited to play for
the Arrows Ostrava in the Extraliga, a Czech commercial
league which is one of the more popular leagues in
Europe.
“Ostrava
hired manager Edgar de los Reyes from the Philippine
national team, and he brought fireballer Jon Robles
along to anchor the Arrows pitching corps,” an April 9
article on The Prague Post reported.
Robles,
a left-handed pitcher known for his impressive fastballs
and curveballs, had an impressive debut on April 21 as
he led his team past MZLU Brno, 9-1.
The
21-year-old Robles, also a national team player, was the
Most Valuable Player of the University Athletic
Association of the Philippines Season 69 when he helped
UST to the title.
He was
also named the Best Pitcher in Seasons 69 and 70 in his
final two years as a collegiate player. He was also
instrumental in the Mariners’ title run in the initial
staging of the Baseball Philippines.
Reyes,
on the other hand, guided the Nationals to the gold
medal in the 2005 Southeast Asian Games.
Arrows
Ostrava is currently second in the Czech league, with a
6-2 win-loss card behind defending champion Draci Brno’s
4-1 mark. It incurred the two losses when Robles and
Reyes were not yet on the roster.
UST and
Makati Mariners assistant manager Sherwin Canlas said
that both Robles and Reyes have been earning the respect
of players in the Czech Republic.
“From
what I know, the team was losing. But now, they have the
two of them and the team has improved,” said Canlas.
Baseball
Philippines operations manager Leslie Suntay said Robles
and Reyes were discovered during last year’s Asia
Olympic qualifying event in Chinese Taipei by Arrows
Ostrava officials who were there to scout.
“The
league is still young but this early, we were able to
send a baseball player to play overseas,” said Suntay.
Philippine Amateur Baseball Association president Hector
Navasero said the Filipinos’ presence in Europre will
further boost baseball in the country.
“They
will be exposed to world-class competition,” said
Navasero. |
