The inaugural Baseball United season begins Friday, with the Karachi Monarchs and Mumbai Cobras opening a three-game series in the first professional baseball league in the Middle East. The league will have four teams, and all games will be played at Baseball United Ballpark in Dubai.
All games are available for free on BaseballUnited.com as well as on Baseball United’s YouTube channel.
Karachi Monarchs
Manager – Jay Bell
Notable players – P Enrique Burgos, OF Max Jung-Goldberg, IF Juremi Profar
Outlook – The roster features several arms without experience in the U.S. minors and will rely heavily on its only former big leaguer, Enrique Burgos, to anchor the bullpen. Juremi Profar has extensive international experience with the Kingdom of the Netherlands and was on its 2023 WBC roster. He’ll be one of the team’s offensive leaders.
Mumbai Cobras
Manager – Mariano Duncan
Notable players – P Dylan Spain, P Akeel Morris, IF Gedionne Marlin, IF Brantley Bell
Outlook – The Cobras’ roster includes former MLB pitcher Akeel Morris, high-minors right-hander Dylan Spain and former minor leaguers Marlin and Bell, who have been among the best hitters in Italy and independent ball, respectively, over the past couple of seasons. They will also feature the top Filipino prospect, Lord Aragorn De Vera, who was named best shortstop and best hitter at the Asian Baseball Championship with a 1.562 OPS.
Arabia Wolves
Manager – John McLaren
Notable players – P Reese Miller, P Kristian Scott, IF Taylor Darden, IF Elliot Good
Outlook – With several pitchers who have thrown sparingly in recent years, the Wolves will lean on Reese Miller to play a major role in the bullpen. One of the best relievers in independent ball in 2025, Miller struck out 83 in 54 1/3 innings for Grand Junction and is the most electric arm on the staff. Taylor Darden, one of the Pioneer League’s top hitters with a 1.209 OPS and 18 home runs, is expected to provide much of the offensive power.
MidEast Falcons
Manager – Dennis Cook
Notable players – P Shuto Sakurai, IF Manato Tanai, OF Jake Hjelle
Outlook – The Falcons’ roster includes 11 players from Japan, several with NPB experience, including former MLB player Munenori Kawasaki. One of the most notable players to watch is Yokohama BayStars 18-year-old infield prospect Manato Tanai. Considered one of the organization’s better prospects, he played 80 games in the NPB minors in his first pro season and made a two-game appearance with the BayStars’ top club, posting a .638 OPS in the minors. LHP Shuto Sakurai is another key player; after four seasons in NPB, he pitched in the CPBL in 2025 and posted a 2.45 ERA with the TSG Hawks.
All teams will play nine regular-season games, with the regular season concluding Dec. 7. The top two teams will meet in a best-of-three United Series beginning Dec. 12 to crown the first Baseball United champion.
