News DeskCincinnati, OH – In a groundbreaking development for baseball enthusiasts in the Middle East and the Indian Subcontinent, Baseball United, the pioneering professional baseball league, has unveiled the official order and structure for its inaugural Draft. Scheduled for Tuesday, September 19th, 2023, in Cincinnati, Ohio, this historic event will feature eight rounds, with each round seeing the selection of eight players. Remarkably, each of the founding four franchises of Baseball United will make two picks per round.
What sets this Draft apart is that all players selected are required to have professional baseball experience, including numerous athletes who have graced the Major League Baseball (MLB) stage. These 64 seasoned players will join forces with 16 promising prospects hailing from India, Pakistan, and the Middle East, who will be unveiled later this month. Together, they will compete at the highly anticipated Baseball United Dubai Showcase, set to unfold from November 10th to 12th later this year in Dubai. For the Showcase, each team will comprise 13 position players and seven pitchers.
Kash Shaikh, Chairman, CEO, and Majority Owner of Baseball United, expressed his enthusiasm, stating, “There are so many aspects of our league that we are excited about, but the expanded opportunities for players may be at the top of the list. Our draft represents the first step to providing a means for professional players to extend, expand, and evolve their careers. Many of the top professional baseball leagues have contracted over the years, limiting the chances for guys to compete at the highest levels of the sport. Baseball United is a new frontier within the Bat and Ball epicenter of the universe and headquartered in one of the most exciting cities on the planet. We can’t wait to bring our new players and coaches to Dubai.”
The Baseball United Draft will kick off at 11 a.m. EST / 7 p.m. GST, with the first two rounds to be livestreamed on baseballunited.com.
For this historic Draft, the Mumbai Cobras, India’s inaugural professional baseball franchise, will have the prestigious first pick and the honor of selecting the first-ever player in Baseball United’s history. Following them, the Karachi Monarchs, Pakistan’s first-ever professional baseball franchise, will make the second selection. The league’s two UAE-based franchises, the Dubai Wolves and the Abu Dhabi Falcons, will then follow suit. Notably, the Wolves and Falcons are the pioneering professional baseball franchises in the history of the Arabian Peninsula.
Baseball United chose to host its inaugural Draft in Cincinnati, Ohio, a city steeped in baseball history and home to its North American headquarters. Cincinnati is renowned as the birthplace of professional baseball, with the Cincinnati Red Stockings, founded in 1869, marking the first professional baseball franchise in history.
Barry Larkin, Executive Vice President of Growth Strategy and Co-Owner of Baseball United, who spent his entire illustrious 19-year playing career with the Cincinnati Reds, commented on the significance of this choice, saying, “I was born and raised in Cincinnati and spent my entire 19-year playing career with the Cincinnati Reds. I have a deep love for this city, and I’m very excited that Cincinnati now has an opportunity to transport our history, heritage, and passion for baseball to the other side of the world. The city that was home to the first Major League Baseball team more than 150 years ago will now play a key role in architecting the first professional teams in India, Pakistan, and the Middle East. That’s pretty cool.”
Kash Shaikh will take the stage to announce the first 16 draft picks, with luminaries such as Barry Larkin, John Miedreich, Executive VP of Baseball Operations at Baseball United, and former New York Yankees All-Star and Baseball United Co-Owner, Nick Swisher, among the presenters.
This historic event promises to be a pivotal moment in the world of baseball, uniting players from diverse backgrounds and showcasing the global appeal of America’s favorite pastime. Baseball enthusiasts around the world are eagerly awaiting the Baseball United Draft and the subsequent Dubai Showcase, which are poised to leave an indelible mark on the sport’s history.
