His dream is to one day play in the major leagues. Dennis Kasumba, a catcher from Uganda, is joining the Asahikawa Be:Stars, a Japanese independent baseball team. He also still lives in the country and posts several videos on his social media accounts of himself training.
The 20-year-old most recently played with the Frederick Keys part of the MLB Draft League for the past two seasons. Unfortunately, he has yet to record a hit, but he did record one RBI in 2023. As for the 2024 season, he went 0-14, striking out seven times and walking twice.
Aside from playing in the MLB Draft League, Kasumba was invited to participate in Baseball United’s All-Star Showcase last year. He caught bullpens for several pitchers while he was there and played in the All-Star Showcase. After his season was complete, he would head back to Uganda and continue to train to become an MLB hopeful.
He was recently invited to watch the 2024 MLB All-Star Game in Texas. While watching the Home Run Derby, he would get the chance to meet his hero. Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez invited Kasumba to the clubhouse, where he gifted him brand-new catcher equipment. Kasumba reiterated his gratitude for getting these opportunities and continuing to play the game he loves.
Now, Kasumba will become the third Ugandan to join the team in Asahikawa. The team also announced today that they’ll bring in Ugandan pitcher Kato Edlin. Edlin, 17, most recently participated in Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks’ farm camp. It will be great to see Dennis Kasumba continuing to pursue his dreams and getting more opportunities to showcase his skills.
Photo Credit: Ugandan baseball player Dennis Kasumba, 18, who dreams of becoming Uganda’s first US Major League Baseball (MLB) player trains with his teammates at Gayaza baseball and softball sports club ground in Gayaza, Uganda on May 22, 2023. (Photo by Badru Katumba / AFP) (Photo by BADRU KATUMBA/AFP via Getty Images)
