Baseball United, the first professional baseball league focused on the Middle East and Indian subcontinent, announced that four-time Major League Baseball All-Star and Most Valuable Player, Ronald Acuña Jr., has joined its investment and ownership group.
Acuña, ranked as the top player in all of baseball by MLB Network, becomes the youngest and highest-profile active MLB player to join the new league’s ownership group.
Acuña, an All-MLB First Team selection, took home all of baseball’s top awards last season, including the National League MVP (unanimous), the Hank Aaron Award, and The Sporting News Player of the Year.
The Atlanta Braves superstar, who is just 26 years old, hit 41 home runs and stole 73 bases last year to become the first player in MLB history with a 40-70 season.
He also hit .337 while leading the league in ten key statistical categories, including hits (217), runs (149), total bases (383) and on-base percentage (.416)
“It’s such an honor to welcome Ronald into the Baseball United family,” said Kash Shaikh, Chairman, CEO, and Co-Founder of Baseball United.
“Ronald is not only a generational athlete and the game’s best player, but he’s a cultural icon who inspires fans all over the world. He truly believes that baseball can be global, and he plays the game with the type of passion, charisma, and style that can help millions of new fans fall in love with the game.
“Last year, while our team was making history bringing professional baseball to the Middle East for the first time, Ronald was making history of his own on the game’s biggest stage. Now, we get to go make history together.”
Acuña joins 19 other MLB legends within Baseball United’s ownership group, including Hall of Famer’s Barry Larkin, Mariano Rivera, and Adrián Beltré, and icons like Albert Pujols, Robinson Cano, and Bartolo Colón.
The league began play in Dubai last November with an inaugural All-Star Showcase event, the first professional baseball games in the history of the region. The event was broadcast in 127 countries, reaching 200 million households.
Acuña is the fourth Venezuelan-born MLB star to invest in Baseball United, joining Felix Hernandez, Elvis Andrus, and Robinson Chirinos.