Pirates sign 2 Indian TV show contestants

[Clem Fandango]

Intriguing gamble, but it has officially opened the MLB market to India now, so despite it being a risk it is probably the first step in making big contributions to the baseball foreign market

 

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3724303

 

PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Pirates hope Rinku Singh and Dinesh Patel really do have million-dollar arms.

 

The two 20-year-old pitchers, neither of whom had picked up a baseball until earlier this year, signed free-agent contracts Monday with the Pirates. They are believed to be the first athletes from India to sign professional baseball contracts outside their country.

 

Singh and Patel came to the United States six months ago after being the top finishers in an Indian reality TV show called the "Million Dollar Arm" that drew about 30,000 contestants. The show sought to find athletes who could throw strikes at 85 miles per hour or faster.

 

While neither pitcher threw hard enough to earn the $1 million prize, Singh made $100,000 from the contest and Patel made $2,500, plus his trip to the United States.

 

"The Pirates are committed to creatively adding talent to our organization," Pirates general manager Neal Huntington said Monday. "By adding these two young men, the Pirates are pleased to not only add two prospects to our system but also hope to open a pathway to an untapped market. We are intrigued by Patel's arm strength and Singh's frame and potential."

 

The 5-foot-11, 185-pound Patel hit 90 mph on the radar gun during his tryout, and the 6-2, 195-pound Singh topped out at 84 mph. Each has thrown harder during workout sessions that weren't attended by scouts.

 

"Think of them as two Dominican kids," House told the scouts. "They're very raw. But I think this has a huge upside."

 

When they first came to the United States and began playing catch, the pitchers were mystified by the concept of gloves and had to be taught not to try to catch the ball with their bare hands.

[Sammy Sofa]

I've heard mention of baseball catching on (on a very slow and small level) in India...is that true? That would be one hell of a huge talent pool if it expands

[Ding Dong Johnson]

I've heard mention of baseball catching on (on a very slow and small level) in India...is that true? That would be one hell of a huge talent pool if it expands

I posed this question to my co-worker a couple of months ago, and he made it sound like it wasn't catching on very quickly at all. he had a league form and fold within a few weeks where he lived in Chennai because they all went back to playing cricket

[CubinNY]

They have some of the best cricket players in the world, it stands to reason that there would be some baseball talent around. I think they specialize in spin bowlers (pitchers) though. A spin bowler is sort of a breaking ball pitcher.

[Guest]

I've heard mention of baseball catching on (on a very slow and small level) in India...is that true? That would be one hell of a huge talent pool if it expands

 

Not really, the hope is that the TV show will spark more interest. Basketball is the American sport that is picking up more in India.

 

But Australia has provided quite a bit of baseball talent in a cricket-friendly nation with a much smaller population, this could be a good venture if it is done correctly.

[UK1679666180]

China will take off before India as far as untapped baseball markets.

 

This is an odd gimmick, there are college kids that throw harder, have a breaking ball, and an off-speed pitch that didn't get drafted.

 

The prize should've been a full-ride baseball scholarship to an American University compared to the prize money they rec'd as well as the contract with Pitt, I'm assuming they weren't at a University in India.

 

You can't think them as Dominican kids, since the amount of time Dominican kids are out on the diamond dwarfs even American players let alone someone who just picked up a baseball.

[Guest]

Actually, Ping, they both were student-athletes at Lucknow University in India.

[Sammy Sofa]

I'm assuming they weren't at a University in India.

 

Why?

[UK1679666180]

I'm assuming they weren't at a University in India.

 

Why?

 

neither the right-hander Patel nor the left-hander Singh had left his small village before coming to the United States.

[Sammy Sofa]

I'm assuming they weren't at a University in India.

 

Why?

 

neither the right-hander Patel nor the left-hander Singh had left his small village before coming to the United States.

 

I'll chalk it up to crappy ESPN research.

[bcl412]

Ain't nobody understand cricket.

[GhostRunner]

Ain't nobody understand cricket.

I dunno, seems pretty straight-forward to me ... :blink:

[Careless]

Ain't nobody understand cricket.

I dunno, seems pretty straight-forward to me ... :blink:

If batters hit just beyond second base, there was no foul ground, and only 2 bases in baseball, that wouldn't look too weird aside from the specific names

[Hairyducked Idiot]

Ain't nobody understand cricket.

I dunno, seems pretty straight-forward to me ... :blink:

If batters hit just beyond second base, there was no foul ground, and only 2 bases in baseball, that wouldn't look too weird aside from the specific names

 

Throw in the pitcher doesn't have to throw strikes (but it's hard to get the batter out if you don't), the batter doesn't have to swing (but it's hard to score runs if you don't), and you can choose not to run on ground balls, and that's about it.

 

Oh, and throw in the fact that, unlike baseball, strategy is actually important and the batsmen really do have a wide variety of swings they can employ (the bowling's a lot more varied to. I don't think baseball fans really think about how little the difference is between an 85 mph slider and a 92 mph fastball in terms of the actual path and velocity of the ball).

 

I prefer baseball because I grew up with it, but objectively, cricket > baseball.

[Warpticon]

I honestly was expecting How Can She Slap?!?! when I read the thread title.

[Guest]

Cricket is awesome, don't hate.

[forbez18]

I have a buddy that works at Stats Inc. and his job for two years was to track cricket, and once you sat down and watched some with him, he would explain the game very quickly. The game is very interesting to watch and learn.

[splintersag]

I'm Indian, and cricket is a pretty interesting sport, although I don't watch it nearly as much as baseball. It's sort of complicated at first, but once you begin to understand a little bit of it, it gets a lot simpler.

 

Also, I agree that basketball is growing a lot faster than baseball back in India. Baseball can catch on eventually though, IMO, since the basic concept of it is similar to cricket.

[ConstableRabbit]

I honestly was expecting How Can She Slap?!?! when I read the thread title.

:-)) =D>

[Clem Fandango]

Old topic, but it has been a year since they signed them and there was a nice little write up on the two players here:

 

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/pirates/s_672684.html

 

http://files.pittsburghlive.com/photos/2010-03-20/0321spindia-a.jpg

 

Singh, 21, and Patel, 20, are back this year on another one-year contract after playing last season with the Gulf Coast League's Bradenton Marauders.

 

Singh got his first win on July 13; Patel earned his one month later.

 

Patel, a right-hander, finished with a 1-0 record and a 1.42 ERA in six games, 6 1/3 innings pitched. He allowed five hits and two runs, one earned, with no walks and four strikeouts.

 

Singh, a lefty, was 1-3 with a 5.84 ERA in 12 1/3 innings. He gave up 14 hits, nine runs, eight earned, with four walks and eight strikeouts.

 

It's really interesting to know that these guys are showing some signs of success after only playing the game for one year. I hope they continue to be more succesful and MLB starts to scout India and try and introduce the game more over there. It never hurts to expand