The Czech Baseball Association has announced that Pavel Chadim will replace Mike Griffin as its National Team manager. Griffin's tenure lasted nine years.
"I feel very responsible," commented the 50-year old coach. "I am obligated towards baseball overall, the sports environment, and all the Czech coaches who, just like all the players, want to achieve the best results possible."
Chadim has a priority: "After three decades of fruitless fights for a medal in the European Championship, there is no other goal than that."
The coaching staff will include pitching coach John Hussey, third base coach David Winkler, hitting instructor Drew Saylor (Kansas City Royals) and Alexander Derhak.
The new manager also announced that the first training camp is scheduled for January.
A star outfielder and a relief pitcher, Chadim made his debut as a player in the Czech ExtraLiga for Technika Brno. He moved to the Draci Brno in 1995 and helped them win ten league titles in a row. He was a regular on the Czech National Team and briefly took over as the manager at the end of his playing career during the 2010 Intercontinental Cup. The experience made him the fourth Czech to manage the National Team. Andy Berglund (USA) and Mike Griffin would succeed him.
Chadim played his last game in 2011 and managed the U-21 National Team at the European Championship 2012. He managed the Czech National Team to fifth place in the WBSC U-21 (now U-23) Baseball World Cup 2014.
