Former MLB stars join Middle East and South Asia baseball league…including 50-year-old Colon

Kano, Sandoval, Gregorius…and Rosario, who played for the Hanwha Eagles, joins the team

Former major leaguer Bartolo Colon.

메이저놀이터SEOUL, South Korea – A new baseball league in the Middle East and South Asia will feature a number of retired big leaguers.

“Former stars of Major League Baseball (MLB) have joined a baseball league based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE),” the Associated Press reported on Thursday (Aug. 24).

“Former big leaguers Bartolo Colon, 50, Robinson Cano, 41, Pablo Sandoval, 37, and Didi Gregorius, 33, were named to teams in Baseball United, the first professional baseball league in the Middle East and South Asia,” the AP added.

Pablo Sandoval to join Middle East baseball league

Baseball United, a professional baseball league in the Middle East and South Asia, was founded last July.

It was founded by agent and entrepreneur Kathy Shaikh and MLB Hall of Famers Mariano Rivera and Barry Larkin.

They recognized the market potential in the well-funded Middle East and in India and Pakistan, which have large cricketing populations.

Baseball United has four teams – two in the UAE, one in India, and one in Pakistan – with plans to launch four more.

Each team assembled its roster through a draft on April 24, which featured a number of former big leaguers.

Robinson Cano to join Middle East Baseball League

With the No. 1 overall pick, the Mumbai Cobras selected Indian right-handed pitcher Karan Patel, who was drafted by the Chicago White Sox in 2017.

The 2005 Cy Young Award winner and four-time All-Star was selected 16th overall by the Karachi Monarchs.

Cano, an eight-time All-Star who played for the Atlanta Braves last season, was selected sixth overall by the Dubai Wolves.

Gregorius, a former starting shortstop for the New York Yankees, was selected by the Wolves with the third overall pick.

Sandoval, the Kung Fu Panda, was selected by the Abu Dhabi Falcons with the fourth overall pick.

There are some familiar faces from the KBO as well. Willin Rosario, 34, formerly of the Hanwha Eagles, was selected by the Wolves with the 24th overall pick.