UD AL-BAYDA, United Arab Emirates – Lean and tall at 6-foot-4 and 192 pounds, lithe with long arms and legs, Akshay More of the Mumbai Cobras looks like a pitcher.
Born in Maharashtra, the state in India which counts Mumbai as its capital, More was one of three pitchers on the Cobras born in India, and a fourth, Karan Patel, is Indian-American. And after a dazzling debut in Baseball United’s inaugural season, More is drawing attention from Major League Baseball teams.
One of Baseball United co-founder and CEO Kash Shaikh’s goals was to help India and Pakistan, as well as the United Arab Emirates, develop baseball players who could make it to the Major Leagues. And while it’ll be a long journey, More already has put in a lot of work towards the goal.
“We’ve been working with Akshay for three years. Carlos Mirabal, Vishnu Kalel, our baseball operations and baseball development team, have done a fantastic job with him,” Shaikh said on the field at Baseball United Ballpark before Game 1 of the United Series. “He always had the skills. He had the raw talent. But what they’ve been able to do is really cultivate his baseball acumen, his baseball technique, push up his velocity.”
That bump in velocity translated into success this season, where More unleashed a fastball that reaches the mid-90s against hitters in Baseball United. Over 14 2/3 innings in his first professional season, More won two games and led the league in that category, and also posted a 1.42 ERA, a 1.300 WHIP, and struck out 11 batters. He walked seven, so control is something he’ll have to improve upon, as it is with most young pitchers with live arms.
“He’s had so much composure on the mound. It’s been really incredible. Leading the league in wins, you know, striking out folks, surprising people with the fastball, mixing up his off-speed pitches,” Shaikh said. He’s “really just a gentleman as well. Young guy, you know, not even out of his university years yet.”
His teammate, Karan Patel, was the first Indian-American drafted by an MLB club when the Chicago White Sox took him in the seventh round of the 2019 MLB Draft. A native of Houston, Patel has relished the chance to represent the city of his father’s birth, Mumbai, as well as teach More, Saurabh Gaikwad, and Tushar Lalwani the finer points of pitching.
“I got to meet the three Indian boys that are here and got to experience this with them. So this will be something I’ll cherish for a lifetime,” Patel said before Game 1 of the United Series. “We’ve been just in catch play, just little things on how to attack guys. We’ve been talking and they’re all very talented. They don’t need much. They just need some fine tuning and they’re going to do really great in their career.”
More was reluctant to be interviewed, as his English is a work in progress. But in Game 2 of the United Series, his arm did the talking. Over 3 1/3 innings, More, who started the game for Mumbai, allowed four hits, struck out one, and walked none, allowing only one earned run on a solo homer to left field by Mid East Falcons third baseman Gregori Cano.
It was the kind of poised performance you’d expect from a pitcher on his way up the ladder.
“Yeah, he’s got a big shot now, a real shot to play in the big leagues or in a big league system,” Shaikh said. “We’ve talked to plenty of Major League Baseball teams. A couple of them called us yesterday about Akshay.”
Photo: Mumbai Cobras righty Akshay More dazzled hitters with his fastball during Baseball United’s inaugural season. (Photo courtesy of Baseball United)
