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.”
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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.
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“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.
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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.”
NAQUIN BACK: Reds starting center fielder Tyler Naquin missed three games with a sore wrist, but he returned to the field in Thursday’s 5-4 win over the San Diego Padres.
With the Padres starting a left-handed pitcher, the left-handed Naquin came off the bench. Naquin took two at-bats and played center field off the bench.
When Naquin wasn’t available, Shogo Akiyama started consecutive games in center field for the first time this season. Naquin has staked his claim this season as the Reds starting center fielder with a .250 batting average and 46 RBI.
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LORENZEN REHAB: Reds relief pitcher Michael Lorenzen began his rehab assignment on Thursday, and he pitched a scoreless inning with the Reds rookie-ball team.
In the Arizona Complex League, Lorenzen threw seven pitches and had two strikeouts. Lorenzen is expected to make his season debut with the Reds around the All-Star break.
“He’s feeling physically 100%,” Reds manager David Bell said on Wednesday. “At this point now, it’s more just getting a feel for all his pitches. I think, at this point, (that) is just as important because if that’s not ready, then maybe you compensate. Making sure both of those areas are ready to go is really important.”
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