Kenyan baseball players to benefit from MLB academy

A two-day action packed Major League Baseball (MLB) tryouts ended on Sunday afternoon at the Lenana High school in Nairobi with a total of 38 players from all over the country and Uganda gracing the event with hopes of convincing selectors from MLB to award them with the chance to polish their talents at a two-week academy in South Africa.

Coach Francis Muchiri, who is also a beneficiary of the program, is optimistic that his 12 players made an impression on the delegation led by Mike Randall.

“I believe my players did their best. We played our role and I pray that this time round we shall have more Kenyans at the academy,” Muchiri told Citizen Digital.

The scouts landed in Kenya on Friday from Nigeria where they were also on a scouting mission.

“It will take about a month before we know whom they have picked. They have traveled back to South Africa where they will pick a venue to host the Academy. So we will continue with our normal routine as we keep our figures crossed,” Muchiri stated.

With baseball among the five sports that were included in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics Games, Muchiri is hopeful the venture will help them prepare better for the quadrennial showpiece.

“It’s a dream come true for our players. We already have a program that will ensure that we have selected the finest and we’ll polished players. We don’t intend to take the Olympics for granted,” Muchiri underlined.

Geoffrey Onyango who plays at the second base position for the Giants Club, Nairobi, became the first Kenyan to be selected for the academy after impressing scouts for the game yet to gain popularity in the country.

“Onyango has been very instrumental for his local club and for the national team. He learned a lot at the academy and is currently among our top second base players. He has been passing on the knowledge to the rest of the players so the training has definitely been invaluable.”