Willin Rosario, who played for the Hanwha Eagles in 2016 and 2017, is returning to play in the new Dubai League.도메인

Rosario played for the Colorado Rockies for five years starting in 2011.

He appeared in 447 major league games, recording a batting average of 0.273, 71 home runs, and 241 RBIs, and then played a major role in KBO Hanwha for two years with a batting average of 0.330, 70 home runs, and 231 RBIs.

He subsequently signed a two-year contract with the Japan Professional Baseball (NPB) Hanshin Tigers for a total of 800 million yen, but was released after one year due to poor performance with a batting average of 0.242, 8 home runs, and 40 RBI.

He later played in Taiwan, Venezuela Winter League, and Mexico Winter League.

Baseball United, which oversees the Dubai League, the first professional baseball league in the Middle East, conducted a draft that included MLB players on the 23rd (local time). The Dubai League consists of four teams.

According to overseas media, a large number of former All-Stars were selected in this draft, including Robinson Cano, Bartolo Colon, Didi Gregorius, and Pablo Sandoval.

In today’s draft, right-handed pitcher Karan Patel was selected No. 1 overall by the Mumbai Cobras.

Paten, a San Antonio native, has been in the Chicago White Sox’ farm system since 2017 but has never advanced beyond Double-A.

Former Arizona Diamondbacks, New York Yankees, and Philadelphia Phillies shortstop Didi Gregorius was selected by the Dubai Wolves with the third pick.

Gregorius, a 33-year-old Dutch native, had never made an All-Star appearance in 11 years in the big leagues, but had 999 hits, 134 home runs and 17.8 WAR before being released by the Seattle Mariners earlier this summer.

The Wolves drafted another former Yankees and Mariners infielder, Robinson Cano, with the No. 6 pick.

Cano is the highest-earning second baseman in MLB history, with accomplishments including eight All-Stars, five Silver Sluggers, two Gold Gloves, 2,639 hits, and 335 home runs. He had a WAR of 68.1 and a career batting average of .301.

However, he tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs twice, leading to an 80-game suspension from the Mariners in 2018 and an entire season suspension from the New York Mets in 2021.

Former San Francisco Giants and Boston Red Sox third baseman Pablo Sandoval was selected by the Abu Dhabi Falcons with the fourth overall pick.

Sandoval, 35, won three World Series championships with the Giants.

The Cobras selected former Braves and Los Angeles Angels shortstop Andrelton Simmons with the eighth overall pick. Simmons has won four Gold Glove Awards and earned MVP votes in three seasons, but has not appeared in the major leagues since July 2022.

The most famous player to join Baseball United is pitcher Bartolo Colon, who was drafted 16th overall by Karachi Morak.

In 21 MLB seasons, Colon made four All-Star appearances and recorded 247 wins and 2,535 strikeouts. He won the AL Cy Young Award with the Angels in 2005. Colon made his final major league appearance for the Texas Rangers in 2018 at the age of 45.

Colon, 50, officially retired as a member of the Mets last September.

Other notable players who had their names called in the Baseball United draft include Rangers and Red Sox reliever Robbie Ross and White Sox outfielder Alejandro De Aza. Additionally, Cuban outfielder Rusney Castillo, who signed a $73 million mega deal with Boston in 2014, was selected 37th overall.

The Dubai League begins play in the United Arab Emirates on November 24. After the league match, the top two teams will play a two-game series at the Dubai International Stadium to determine the winner.