News

Ten young Australian teenage baseball players have an opportunity of a lifetime this month when they get to showcase their talents vs professional players at a prestigious and exclusive Major League Baseball (MLB) event at the end of September.

All ten of these athletes, with wide representation across Australia, have been named to the ‘MLB World Select’ team for the upcoming Arizona Fall Classic in Phoenix, Arizona from September 26 – October 6, 2023.

The players on the MLB World Select Team, made up of the best players from outside the USA, will play in games against minor leaguers and college players in the United States, including a game vs KC Royals professional.

In 2022, the World Selects played on Major League Spring Training Fields vs college clubs, recruits and MLB Academy players.

They receive instruction from international coaches and try to get noticed by college recruiters and MLB scouts.  Players also visit schools.

“This trip is the pinnacle event of the year for junior baseball players outside of the U18 World Cup,” says Baseball Australia Player Development Manager Andrew Riddell. “The players are selected by national coaches with input from scouts from MLB clubs that get an opportunity to live life as a pro or a college athlete for two weeks.”

Riddell says the opportunity for these players to showcase their abilities in front of a different audience is invaluable.

The exposure to universities and professional teams is second to none and really shows our players what the next level of baseball looks like in the U.S.

The players selected for the event are:

• INF Josh Nati (NSW)
• INF Jayden Kim (VIC)
• INF Max Durrington (QLD)
• INF Zach Altamura (SA)
• OF/INF Nic Paparella (SA)
• RHP Alistair Tanner (SA)
• RHP Jai Hewitt (WA)
• RHP Ben Karakasis (NSW)
• LHP Lachlan Rosser (CNSW)
• LHP Jacob Palmer (NSW)
• Coaches: Shayne Watson (QLD) and Andrew Riddell (NSW)

This event has a track record of success.

Australian senior men’s national team members Jarryd Dale, Rixon Wingrove and Kyle Glogoski as well as U18 national team alumni and current professionals Solomon Maguire, Clayton Campbell and Kai-Nao Wynyard are among notable players who used this event to sign an MLB affiliated contract.

Other Australian players, like potential Top 10 MLB Draft pick Travis Bazzana and 2022 commits like Nick Bertucci or Max Stagg, used this opportunity to commit to prestigious US colleges.

“For these players to come over to the USA and experience and play against the best players in the world is something they can’t replicate anywhere else,” says Baseball Australia CEO Glenn Williams, a former instructor at this event, told ESPN in 2017. “Hopefully, they will leave with the context of what they actually have to do to reach the next level.”

The World Select team is made up of eleven countries including Australia, Italy, Germany, Netherlands, Czech Republic, France and Brazil.

The team will be playing multiple games in Arizona in the leadup to the Arizona Fall Classic.

 

They begin on September 26 with a practice in Surprise, Arizona. They play games vs IMG Academy, MLB Urban Academy and GBG Vegas from September 27-29.

On October 2 they have a “pro day” in front of MLB and college scouts.

On October 4 they play a game vs the KC Royals minor leaguers and October 6 they play a strong college outfit in Grand Canyon University.

Make sure you keep up with the progress of the Australians in the MLB World Select Team via the Team Australia Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.