Major League Baseball Catches Outsourcing Fever

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Or maybe this is better described as insourcing…

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.

The article notes that when Singh and Patel (picture) first came to the United States and began playing catch, they “were mystified by the concept of gloves and had to be taught not to try to catch the ball with their bare hands.” But the article also notes that the pair has athletic experience throwing the javelin, so this will definitely end well.

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