There is yet another baseball league coming in 2024, but what makes this one stand out is that it is going to be played in the Middle East and South Asia.
Baseball United is going to be the first baseball league to play in this region. There are only four teams in the league so far: the Abu Dhabi Falcons, Dubai Wolves, Karachi Monarchs, and the Mumbai Cobras.
The draft for the league was on earlier this week, and it consisted of a lot of former major league players, including Pablo Sandoval, Robinson Cano, and 50-year-old Bartolo Colon.
Along with the former stars who are playing in the league, there are many minor league players who never made it to the majors as well as players who had a little stint in the majors who will be getting another shot to revive their careers. There are also a lot of international players who will have a chance to play professional baseball and maybe go further in baseball one day.
The first overall pick, by the Mumbai Cobras, was pitcher Karan Patel. He had been drafted by the Chicago White Sox in 2017 but never made it to the major leagues. He is important, though, because he was the first player of Indian descent to get drafted by a major league team. He is only 26 years old and with this opportunity, he might make it back with a major league organization in years to come.
Hall of Famers that include Barry Larkin and Mariano Rivera as well as likely future Hall of Famers like Felix Hernandez and Adrian Beltre are co-owners of the league. Larkin, Beltre, and Hernandez are also honorary general managers for the teams, along with former major leaguer Nick Swisher.
The coaches for the teams also include former MLB players like Chris Sabo, Miguel Tejada, and Dennis Cook, plus former MLB manager John McLaren.
Even if this league is not too popular in the United States, it will bring a lot of fans from the Middle East and South Asia to the baseball community, and baseball might see more Middle Eastern baseball players in future years.
