Bartolo Colon of the Dominican Republic is one of the better-known international players who will be playing at Baseball United’s Dubai Showcase this weekend. (Photo: Leif Skodnick/World Baseball Network)
Baseball United, a new league bringing baseball to the Middle East and Indian subcontinent, will host the Dubai Showcase, featuring a pair of All-Star Games on November 24-25 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
The rosters of the All-Star teams will feature players who were recently selected in the draft as well as prospects from around the world.
The Dubai Wolves, Abu Dhabi Falcons, Karachi Monarchs, and Mumbai Cobras are the first four organizations in Baseball United, an upcoming professional baseball league in the Middle East and South Asia. The league’s first draft was held on October 23 via a live stream on Baseball United’s website.
Baseball United will not have a regular season this year, but the Dubai Showcase will preview what fans can expect come next season.
The Dubai Showcase will be streamed live on BaseballUnited.com free of charge in collaboration with StreamAMG, and will also be broadcast or streamed in 127 countries around the worldm with both showcase games beginning at 10 a.m. EST.
Of all the drafted players in the Baseball United draft, 69 percent have played in Major League Baseball, Nippon Professional Baseball, or at the Triple-A level in minor league baseball. Besides the United States, players in Baseball United will represent 28 additional countries between the Dubai Showcase and the league’s first season.
There are 36 players on Baseball United rosters whose hometown resides in the United States. Notable players from the United States include Shed Long and Brandon Laird of the Mumbai Cobras and David Huff of the Karachi Monarchs. All three players have playing experience in Major League Baseball.
Right-handed starting pitcher Karan Patel was the first overall pick in this year’s draft and was born in Houston, Texas. Patel reached as high as Double-A Birmingham in the Chicago White Sox organization in 2022 and was the first Indian-American selected in the MLB Draft. Patel will play for the West All-Stars in the Dubai Showcase and was selected by the Mumbai Cobras.
Infielder Christiaan Beyers of the Dubai Wolves has had an exciting journey to Baseball United. He has played for Saudi Arabia in the 2008 Little League World Series, the Paderborn Untouchables in Germany’s Baseball-Bundesliga, South Africa in the 2022 World Baseball Classic Qualifiers, and most recently in a Dubai men’s league. Although Beyers has never played in Major League Baseball, his journey to Baseball United is unique. The Wolves drafted him in the eighth round.