Japanese players headline Mid East Falcons roster for Baseball United’s first season

DUBAI: Baseball United has announced that 13 of the 23 roster spots for its Mid East Falcons franchise will feature Japanese players.

The Falcons will compete in the league’s inaugural season this November and December in Dubai.

The group represents nearly 60 percent of the team’s roster and includes nine players who have competed in the Nippon Professional Baseball League, the highest level of the game in Japan.

Japan is currently ranked No. 1 in the world by the World Baseball Softball Confederation, a position it has earned through decades of international dominance.

The country boasts a deep heritage dating back to the 19th century, with the NPB widely regarded as the No. 2 professional league in the world, behind Major League Baseball.

Japan has won multiple World Baseball Classic championships and consistently produces elite talent on both the domestic and MLB stage, including the reigning MVP from the Los Angeles Dodgers, Shohei Ohtani.

Japan boasts the highest per capita baseball viewership in the world. The nation’s games in the 2023 World Baseball Classic posted massive viewership, with all seven drawing 30 million or more viewers.

More recently, the 2024 MLB World Series averaged 12.9 million viewers in Japan, making it the most-watched Fall Classic in the country’s history.

Baseball United has been making inroads in the country over the past year, including through a partnership with the Tokyo Broadcasting System that includes a reality TV series to discover the nation’s next stars.

 The competition’s top players will also join the Falcons roster. The winners will be announced before the start of the season.

“Japan is one of the greatest baseball nations in the world,” said Kash Shaikh, chairman,