Baseball United Conducts Historic Draft for New Dubai-Based Professional League

29 of the first 32 picks played in Major League Baseball, including former All-Stars Bartolo Colon, Robinson Cano, Pablo Sandoval, and Jair Jurrjens

DUBAI, UAE (October 24, 2023) – Dubai-based Baseball United announced today the official results of the league’s first-ever Player Draft. Eighty players were selected, with twenty 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 was dominated by former Major League Baseball (MLB) players, with 91% of the first four rounds and 45% of the overall Draft selections having played at the MLB level. 

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 total players drafted, 56 were originally drafted by MLB teams, with others playing in Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball League (NPB), the Mexican League (LMB), the Dominican Republic Professional Baseball League (LIDOM), and other high-level international leagues.

Houston, Texas (USA) native, Karan Patel, was drafted first overall by the Mumbai Cobras. Patel was originally drafted by the Chicago White Sox in the seventh round of the 2019 MLB Draft, making him the first player of Indian descent drafted to MLB. His father is from Mumbai.

“Each milestone is important when you’re building something from nothing,” said Kash Shaikh, Chairman, CEO, and Majority Owner, Baseball United. “But yesterday’s Draft is our biggest thus far. Putting players on teams makes everything much more real for everyone involved. We now have 80 high-caliber, professional baseball players to help build the foundation of this league. There’s a lot of diversity in this group, from age and experience to skillset and nationality.  We have All-Stars, former top draft picks, and a mix of veterans and younger guys to help carry the game across the world. I’m very happy for all our players, and very grateful to John Miedreich, Eddie Diaz, and our entire baseball operations team for bringing this group together.”

Baseball United’s drafted players come from 25 countries, including 36 from the United States, eight from the Dominican Republic, four from Curacao, and three each from Canada, Italy, and Venezuela. Forty-four of the drafted players team with six prospects from the Indian Subcontinent and GCC region to compete in Baseball United’s All-Star Showcase next month in Dubai. The Showcase will feature two teams playing a two-game series on November 24th and 25th at Dubai International Stadium. Tickets are on sale now via Baseball United’s website or through the league’s ticket partner, Platinumlist.

To purchase tickets, fans can visit baseballunited.com/tickets. Early bird tickets start at 49 AED ($13) for Outfield Boxes and 199 AED ($54) for luxury Diamond Club seats behind Homeplate.

To watch the full Draft video, visit Baseball United’s YouTube channel here.

To learn more about Baseball United, visit baseballunited.com. 

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About Baseball United 

Baseball United is the first-ever professional baseball league focused on the Middle East and the Indian Subcontinent, beginning play November 2023 in Dubai, UAE. Our mission is to inspire one billion new fans to fall in love with baseball. The ownership group includes award-winning business leaders and inspiring baseball legends, including Barry Larkin, Mariano Rivera, Adrián Beltré, Felix Hernandez, and Ryan Howard. In addition to our professional league, the Baseball United ecosystem spans youth development, federation partnerships, media and content production, merchandise, and non-profit outreach. With 25 nationalities represented on our team rosters and a new suite of entertainment-based game changes, Baseball United is working to create a new future for baseball in one of the fastest growing and most culturally rich regions in the world. Learn more at baseballunited.com.