At 19 years old, Michal Sindelka is the third-youngest player on the Mahoning Valley Scrappers roster. He’s also further from home (4,370 miles) than any of his teammates.

Such a combination of youth and distance from family would typically cause a bit of anxiety for most teenagers.

Yet Sindelka feels right at home while at Eastwood Field.

“I’m just thrilled to be playing baseball, that’s what I love to do,” Sindelka said. “It’s tough at times, I always miss my family. But my goal has always been to play professional baseball. That’s why I’m here. That’s what keeps me focused while so far from home.”

Sindelka hails from the Czech Republic. For the past three years, he attended the PDG Academy in Fredericksburg (VA) while taking online courses to complete his high school education.

Born in a country where baseball is almost an afterthought, Sindelka became interested in the sport while watching his father play softball. Sindelka began playing baseball at the age of six, and it immediately evolved into an obsession.

“I wanted to learn everything there was to know about the sport,” Sindelka said. “While other kids my age were playing ice hockey, I was doing everything I could to get a baseball game together.”

Sindelka arrived in America three years ago unable to speak the English language. He says he “just picked it up along the way,” and now speaks fluent English.

“I spent a lot of time with some really great host families,” Sindelka said. “The fact that my classes were online made the transition a bit easier.”

Sindelka says there is “no comparison” between the brand of baseball played in the Czech Republic and the United States. He noted that sports are not offered in high school or college. Instead, athletes play club sports outside of school.

“Here, sports are treated more like a professional level even at the high school and college level compared to back home,” Sindelka said. “As far as baseball, in particular, the hitting back home is not that bad, but the pitching is not that good. Because we don’t have a lot of pitchers, the velocity is not there.

“Back home, we sort of baby the pitchers so they don’t get injured, just because there aren’t many pitchers to go around.”

Sindelka, who also plays for the Czech Republic National Team, had the opportunity to play back home in front of his family for 10 days last month. In the fall, he’ll enroll at Chipola Community College in Florida.

In the meantime, he’s grateful for the opportunity to showcase his talents in the MLB Draft League for several reasons.

“First of all, I’m excited that my family will get to watch my games online, it’s something they haven’t been able to do to this point,” Sindelka said. “And I’m very excited to have the opportunity to showcase my talents to Major League teams.

“My goal has always been to play professionally in America. I know I still have a long way to go, but I’ve already made huge strides and I hope to continue toward my goal.”