Pirates break barrier by signing pair of Indian-born players
Sports Network | November 24, 2008
Pittsburgh, PA (Sports Network) - Pitchers Rinku Singh and Dinesh Kumar Patel became the first Indian-born players to sign a professional sports contract outside of the country when they inked deals with the Pittsburgh Pirates Monday.
Singh, a 20-year-old left-hander, who was born in Bhadoni, Uttar Pradesh, India, is the youngest of nine children in his family. Patel, a 19-year-old right-hander, comes from a family of five brothers and sisters.
"The Pirates are committed to creatively adding talent to our organization," said general manager Neal Huntington. "By adding these two young men, we 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. These young men have improved a tremendous amount in their six month exposure to baseball and we look forward to helping them continue to fulfill their potential."
The pair of players worked out for major league scouts on November 12 at the University of Southern California. They were part of the "Million Dollar Arm" contest in India, which had more than 30,000 entrants. The contest was based on which player could throw the most pitches at 85 mph or more for strikes.
