Bartolo Colon Selected in Inaugural Draft of Dubai-Based ‘Baseball United’ League

Bartolo Colon is preparing to hit the mound in the Middle East…

The 50-year-old Dominican-American former professional baseball pitcher, nicknamed “Big Sexy,” has been selected in the inaugural draft of a Dubai-based baseball league.

Bartolo ColonColon headlined picks by teams in Baseball United, the first pro baseball league in the Middle East and South Asia.

Colon joins a roster of notable, older former MLB player picks that includes Robinson Cano, Pablo Sandoval, Didi Gregorius, Andrelton Simmons and Steven Moya.

Colon, the 2005 Cy Young Award winner and a four-time MLB All-Star, went 16th overall to the Karachi Monarchs, one of four Baseball United teams slated to begin play next fall in the cricket-mad region. The Dubai Wolves, Mumbai Cobras and Abu Dhabi Falcons are the others.

The right-hander last pitched in 2018 with the Texas Rangers to end a 21-year major league career. He announced his retirement in September during a ceremony with the New York Mets.

The 40-year-old Canó, an eight-time MLB All-Star, went sixth overall to the Dubai Wolves. Canó, who played last season with the Atlanta Braves, batted .301 with 335 homers over a 17-year career that included a 2009 World Series title with the New York Yankees. He was one of several players to pose in his new uniform for posts on Baseball United’s social media Monday.

Sandoval, 37 and known as “Kung Fu Panda” during a 13-year career most memorable for helping the San Francisco Giants win World Series titles in 2010, 2012 and 2014, was the fourth overall pick by the Falcons. The Venezuelan last played 69 games with the Atlanta Braves two years ago.

Moya, 32, was the second selection by the Monarchs. He batted .250 with five homers and 11 RBI with the Detroit Tigers from 2014-16.

The picks will also compete in an All-Star showcase next month at Dubai International Stadium.

The league’s investors include Hall of Famers Mariano Rivera and Barry Larkin. Kash Shaikh, president and CEO of Baseball United, told The Associated Press in May that the league will own the initial four teams, with four additional teams to be unveiled next year. He hopes the teams can eventually reap lucrative returns at auction. He also promised yet-to-be announced rules that would differ from Major League Baseball, including “things that you’d never see in other professional baseball leagues” to further appeal to cricket audiences.

Moya Hits First Multi-Home Run Game Against the Seattle Mariners

It’s one milestone after another for Steven Moya

The 24-year-old Puerto Rican baseball player, an outfielder for the Detroit Tigers, reached one milestone this week — hitting his first home run in the club’s last road series against the Kansas City Royals.

Steven Moya

And it only took him three days before reaching another significant achievement — a multi-home run game.

With an extended stay in right field following the injury to regular outfielder J.D. Martinez, who is sidelined four to six weeks with a fractured elbow, Moya is making sure that the Tigers aren’t experiencing any drop-off at the plate.

The 6-foot-7, 260-pound prospect flashed his power at Comerica Park, going deep in both the fourth and fifth innings of the Tigers’ 5-1 win over the Seattle Mariners on Wednesday night.

Moya admitted he felt a little bit of pressure alleviated after recording his first home run at Kauffman Stadium, which bolstered his confidence in his ability to produce at the major league level.

“After the first one, it was like, ‘OK, I can hit home runs here,’” Moya said. “It feels good. I just try to repeat it over and over and try to get a good pitch to do it. That’s what I try to do.”

Following his solo shot in the fourth inning, Moya showed his range and versatility by going opposite field in the next frame, launching an 83 mph changeup to left field to give the Tigers a four-run lead.

“He’ll go to all fields. That’s not a rarity for him,” manager Brad Ausmus said.

Ausmus is even more impressed by the progress Moya has made on his discipline at the plate, which has previously been a concern for him while down in the minors.

“He’s worked very hard to be more selective in his swings, to lay off pitches outside of the zone, cut down his strikeouts. He’s done a nice job,” Ausmus said. “He had a good year two years ago, kind of a breakout year. Last year was a bit of a down year for him, and this year, he’s picked up right where he was in 2014.”

Moya’s production couldn’t come at a better time for the Tigers. They could have been left reeling in the wake of the injury to Martinez, who led the team last season with 38 home runs.

Regular reps, and the knowledge that he won’t be just shuttling back and forth from Toledo this time around, has been beneficial for Moya, but he insists he doesn’t view this as an audition to prove his value to the organization.

“I think that they already know what I can do,” Moya said. “I don’t have anything to prove. I just have to play and have fun and let God take care of the rest.”