42nd Round

Why not ... it is past 11:15 pm EDT so it is a) my 15 minute slot; b) highly unusual that I am awake to make this pick; and c) the 42nd round ... so let's have some fun with pick.  At pick 42-27 the Texas Rangers select C Mark Kolozsvary [ML] and hope he goes onto the MVP of the US Olympic Baseball Team ...

Mark Kolozsvary, C, Reds—A seventh-round pick out of Florida in 2017, Kolozsvary is a superb defender who has been named the best defensive catcher in the Reds system three years in a row. While defense is his calling card, he’s been off to a hot start offensively this season and is batting .349/.417/.674 with eight doubles, two home runs and 10 RBIs in 12 games for Double-A Chattanooga.

Reds notes: Catching prospect Mark Kolozsvary to play for Team USA in Tokyo
Charlie Goldsmith
Cincinnati Enquirer

Cincinnati Reds catching prospect Mark Kolozsvary followed swimmer Michael Phelps in the Olympics every four years as Phelps won 23 gold medals for the United States.

Now, Kolozsvary is setting out for his first gold medal as a catcher on Team USA’s 2021 Olympic baseball team. On Friday, Kolozsvary was named to the Olympic Baseball roster.

“It's a great feeling, obviously,” Kolozsvary said. “Just getting out there to compete with those guys in the qualifier and kind of getting to know the team and knowing that I can actually do this at a high level and finally getting to here.”

Kolozsvary, the starting catcher for the Reds' Double-A team, is hitting .269 with an .848 OPS (on-base plus slugging) on the Chattanooga Lookouts this season. The No. 30 prospect in the organization, Kolozsvary has caught top pitching prospects Hunter Greene and Nick Lodolo while leading the Lookouts to a 28-22 record this season.

Kolozsvary had a standout spring training with the Reds, which included a home run off 2020 American League Cy Young Award winner Shane Bieber in a B game. Kolozsvary built on that success and has had one of the best stretches in the 25-year-old’s Minor League career.

“His all-around game has improved tremendously,” Lookouts manager Ricky Gutierrez said. “He has worked hard and we’ve been together now since 2019 and I’ve seen the progress. I’m so proud of him, his work ethic is unbelievable … I’m just happy for him to have this big moment and play in an Olympics.”

The Team USA Olympic baseball team features a combination of prospects like Kolozsvary and veterans who are not currently on an MLB team, including former Reds third baseman Todd Frazier.

Kolozsvary will report to Cary, North Carolina, on July 16 for training and three exhibition games before traveling to Tokyo.

In Japan, Team USA will play its first game against Israel on July 30.

“It's definitely something I've always wanted to do,” Kolozsvary said. “I’m finally blessed and fortunate to get the opportunity, so I'm very excited about it.”