Kieran Powell is an outfielder from St. Kitts and Nevis in the Caribbean. He is widely known for his cricket skills, and is so skilled, he was invited to work out for the New York Mets in Port St. Lucie, Florida just last weekend.
Powell, 25, has been playing cricket the past decade. He will attempt to be a pioneer and take his shot at professional baseball. Because while the skills in both sports are similar, there are still major differences that many before him have not been able to overcome.
Along with the Mets, the Milwaukee Brewers have given Powell a workout. Wednesday, he will hold a tryout session for scouts at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, where there will be pro scouts.
Kieran Powell, elite cricket player from West Indies, is trying to transition to baseball.Yankees will have rep at his workout in Fla on Wed
— JackCurryYES (@JackCurryYES) January 13, 2016
Last summer, Powell spent eight weeks with the Los Angeles Dodgers training in Southern California with a pair of former Dodgers. The purpose was to fine tune his skills from cricket to baseball.
After his time in Southern California, Powell has been at IMG, and has been working on his swing with John-Ford Griffin, who appeared in a handful of games for the Blue Jays between 2005 and 2007. He’s also worked on his defense with Tim Raines Jr., and has worked with Dee Gordon as well. Gordon also trains at IMG.
Training at #IMGAcademy with @FlashGJr #Speed1 #Speed2 pic.twitter.com/moQSJGH3ub
— Kieran Powell (@officialkpowell) January 12, 2016
Powell is not necessarily concerned about his defense. “You can’t question my defense,” Powell told the Wall Street Journal. “They give you a big glove and go tell you to go catch a ball with a big extra glove.”
Powell is older for a major league prospect at 25 years of age, but if he is able to translate his hitting skills quickly, there’s no reason he couldn’t contribute on a major league roster.
It might just take some time, and a whole lot of effort.
