You have to give the Braves credit for believing in the 1990s that they could develop almost anybody into a starting pitcher. After all, the team saw starters like Kevin Millwood, Steve Avery, and Denny Neagle help them win the division every year from 1991 to 2005—with the exception of the 1994 campaign, which was cut short by a strike—in addition to the Hall of Fame trio of Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, and John Smoltz.
Therefore, it makes perfect sense that the Braves switched to a gold medal-winning javelin thrower in the middle of their run, a prospect entirely different from the previous one.
Olympian Jan Železný, 30, traveled to Atlanta in 1996 to compete in the Summer Olympics. Železný, who is regarded as possibly the best javelin thrower in history, won his second gold medal that summer and continues to hold the record with a throw of 98.48 meters.
Former Braves international scout Bill Clark told MLB.com that “Železný had made a comment to [legendary Czech baseball figure and then-coach for the Prague Eagles Jan] Bagin that when they went to the Olympics, he’d stay around — he wanted to work out with the Braves.” “We sent him a dozen baseballs and a book on pitching from Atlanta. I doubt he ever picked up the book.”
It seems logical that the Braves would want to take a chance and see if he could switch sports with his level of arm strength. Though he took a break from the diamond in 1996, Deion Sanders was still competing in the Major Leagues and professional football, so who knew what other two-sport standouts were out there just waiting to be found? Thus, with pitching coach Leo Mazzone available to offer guidance and assistance from Clark, who had a key role in the signings of Andruw Jones, Rafael Furcal, and other players, Železný showed up at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium wearing a T-shirt and track trousers. He was as prepared as ever to deliver his very first pitch.
“I worked out twice in Prague at Krč [now known as Eagles Stadium]. I learned how to hold a baseball from them,” Železný wrote in an email. “I didn’t care much because I was preparing myself for the Olympic Games at that time.”
Although the two throws’ fundamental mechanics are similar (Clark compares the javelin toss to a pitcher’s three-quarters or over-the-top release), there is one extremely important difference: Železný observes that in his track and field sport, he throws the javelin up, whereas in baseball, you throw down from the mound. That could clarify why Železný’s outrageous offer was used by The New York Times to launch their story.
Mazzone said, “Hot cheese,” as the ball soared beyond the backstop.
“He was trying to back away when his left foot fell down, and the first pitch he threw flew between [Braves general manager John Schuerholz] and Greg Maddux. Over the phone, Clark laughed happily, “He scared them both to death.”
(Although Mazzone witnessed Železný try out for the Braves, the Braves were out of town during the Olympics, so he was unable to watch him.)
“We left for a road trip for three weeks, or I don’t know how long it was, but it was the longest road trip in the history of baseball,” Mazzone laughed. “We were going to dry cleaners on the road, because we could only pack so many sport coats and ties.” )
The track and field star’s control and pure velocity were not of much concern to the squad. They were aware of his raw arm strength from the Olympic Games. The Braves’ staff preferred to observe whether Železný could learn the organic flow of pitching movements.
“I was exhausted and I was unable to reach the strike zone,” Železný wrote. “They knew I could throw rapidly, so they didn’t want to see how quickly I could pick up the proper technique. I received a lot of advise, but I was [tired] the next few days. I was so exhausted that day that I flew to Prague and the following day to Monaco for my races, and the results were not good. It was a load on my arm rather than my back like it was with the javelin.”
Director of scouting and player development for the Braves Paul Snyder stated at the time, “The arm strength that we anticipated was there.” “The level of athleticism we expected was present.” And not in the slightest bit disappointed. To become a Major League pitcher, one must undergo an extensive and intense process of dedication, similar to what Jan has done with the javelin. However, I was taken aback by how rapidly he adjusted and learned from Leo.