The International Baseball community is mourning the passing of Czech National Team coach David Winkler. He would have celebrated his 44th birthday on 27 March.
"He helped various generations of players develop and contributed to the game's growth in Czechia," stated the Czech Baseball Association on X.
The post also highlights the request to respect Winkler family's privacy.
Winkler's playing career in the Czech ExtraLiga began in 1998 and ran through 2020. His son Jakub debuted the following year. He was still an active player when he started coaching. While coaching Draci Brno, he was named the 2013 Czech Coach of the Year.
David represented Czechia at the European Championship and the 2005 Baseball World Cup. His first experience as a National Team coach came with the 2010 Intercontinental Cup. He served as the third-base coach at the 2023 World Baseball Classic.
He also managed the U-18 National Team at the WBSC U-18 Baseball World Cup 2012 and 2015 and the European Championship 2021.
