Cricket star Kieran Powell attempting to transition to baseball

(AP) Despite the many obvious similarities between baseball and cricket, it’s extremely rare to learn of a star in one sport attempting to make a serious transition to the other in the prime of his career.

That’s precisely what well-respected cricket Kieran Powell is looking to do now. After a falling out with his West Indies cricket squad in July, Powell has decided to pursue a full transition to baseball in MLB.

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That attempt began when Powell’s representatives sent footage to major-league teams, originally catching the attention of the Los Angeles Dodgers. It has now progress to Powell holding private and group workouts with several MLB teams. In fact, according to the New York Post, Powell had a private workout with New York Mets over the weekend and another private workout with the Milwaukee Brewers, It’s also reported the New York Yankees were one of 11 teams to attend his group workout on Wednesday.

That indicates there’s that real intrigue around the league surrounding Powell’s skill set and what he could potentially bring to the table.

Here’s more the New York Post report:

Powell also had a private workout for the Brewers. Eleven teams — including the Yankees — were expected to watch the progress of his transition at IMG’s facility in Bradenton, Fla., on Wednesday.

The main question: Whether he can adjust the uppercut swing needed in cricket to a level baseball swing.

“My goal is to get signed,” Powell told USA Today. “Any team that gives me an opportunity will be rewarded 100 times over. Once I get the opportunity, I’ll show that I can learn quickly and improve my game. I want to be in the majors in two or three years.”

Powell, 25, was the world’s 76th-ranked batsman according to the International Cricket Council’s website. He can obviously swing the lumber, but there’s a major difference between the sports in terms of the approach and technique required to succeed. To combat that challenge and change his habits, Powell traveled to the United States late last summer and spent eight weeks training with two former Dodgers players. He then continued his training at IMG Academy during the fall and winter.

Powell has reportedly made some strides since the summer, which this video seems to support.

Perhaps more importantly to interested teams is that Powell solidified his commitment to the transition by going through that training process. Now that they know he’s completely serious and has skills they can work with, these teams don’t want to risk missing out on a unique talent that could provide a boost to their organization on the field and even in terms of promotional opportunities.

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“I wouldn’t say that anything has been particularly difficult,” Powell told MLB.com. “The hardest thing has been the swing, but I think that I’m adjusting well. If you see the first video of me taking swings to where I’m at today, or if you see me a week ago to where I’m at today, it’s always constant improvement, learning and adapting quickly. It’s just been going really well, and I’ve been enjoying it.”

At least one scout has said Powell looked like a line-drive type hitter with excellent speed. That same scout believed Powell would be capable of playing center field, which would no doubt enhance his value.

Now that a variety of teams have seen him work, it will be interesting to see who agrees with that assessment and what types of opportunities he’ll receive. It seems like a pretty safe bet that Kieran Powell will sign somewhere. And once he does, he’ll immediately become one of those most interesting stories to follow in baseball this year.

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