Dinesh Patel

From BR Bullpen

Dinesh Kumar Patel

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 11", Weight 185 lb.

• Born May 6, 1989 in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh India

BR Minors page

Dinesh Patel is a rarity, a baseball player from India, a country that does not even field a team in the Asian Championship on a regular basis. He competed in the Indian reality show "Million Dollar Arm" in 2008, having never picked up a baseball before. He reached 90 mph during a tryout, intriguing the Pittsburgh Pirates, who signed him along with Rinku Singh. They were believed to be the first players from India to sign deals in Organized Baseball. Both of the former cricket players made their professional debuts with the GCL Pirates on July 4, 2009. Patel had the better debut, tossing a shutout inning and fanning one against the GCL Yankees.

Patel allowed 2 runs (1 earned) in 6 1/3 IP for the 2009 GCL Pirates, going 1-0.

[edit] External Links

State Dept. story about the pair of players from India.