NRI Pulse Staff Report
Atlanta, GA, June 24, 2019: Karan Patel, son of a former US international cricketer, has become the first Indian-American player to be drafted into the US Major League Baseball. Chicago White Sox recently picked the 22-year-old standout pitcher from the University of Texas-San Antonio.
Patel has earlier represented USA in the Under-19 cricket team.
According to the UTSA website, Patel became the first pitcher in the 28-year history of the program to record 100 strikeouts in a season.
Patel told MLB.com that playing cricket has actually assisted his baseball development, despite the fact that when throwing the ball in cricket, you have to keep a round arm and can’t bend your elbow.
Love the Karan Patel pick, because what it means for baseball. He was a member of the US National Team for cricket. We have not seen a ton of players with a clearly Indian background in baseball. Senior sign for the CWS but seeing him drafted might encourage others
— jeff ellis (@jeffMLBdraft) June 4, 2019
“It helps my arm slot and my ability to spin the ball,” Patel said. “And I mean, I got into better shape over the last two years. I just slowly figured out who I am and what kind of pitcher I was. Not doing stuff outside of what I can do.”
Patel started off playing cricket as a bowler. He became more of a batsman as time went on, and worked his way into being an allrounder.
Patel’s father Kuldeep has also played for the US national cricket team.
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