Baseball United announces historic player draft for new Dubai-based professional league

24.10.2023 - 17:27 arabnews.com

DUBAI: Dubai-based Baseball United has announced its first player draft. Some 80 players were selected, with 20 picks for each of the league’s founding franchises — the Mumbai Cobras, the Karachi Monarchs, and the league’s two UAE-based franchises, the Wolves and Falcons.

The inaugural draft is dominated by former Major League Baseball players. Selections included former New York Yankees stars Robinson Cano and Didi Gregorius, both drafted by the Wolves, and three-time World Series champion Pablo Sandoval, drafted by the Falcons.

Four-time MLB All-Star Bartolo Colon, and four-time Gold Glove winner Andrelton Simmons, were also among the top picks. Of the 80 players drafted, 56 were originally drafted by MLB teams, with others playing in Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball League, the Mexican League, the Dominican Republic Professional Baseball League, and other high-level international leagues.

Kash Shaikh, chairman, CEO, and majority owner of Baseball United, said: “Each milestone is important when you’re building something from nothing. “But yesterday’s draft is our biggest thus far.

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