Australia are hoping to announce themselves as a baseball nation by taking on Major League powerhouses the LA Dodgers and Arizona Diamondbacks with close to a full-strength side at the SCG in March.
Australia are sensing an opportunity to put themselves on the baseball map and provide an opportunity for young players to be picked up by international clubs, as Sydney prepares to host the season-opening MLB series on March 22-23.
The Dodgers and Diamondbacks will each play Australia on March 19 and 20 in warm-up matches, but for the green and gold, they’re bigger than any international fixture.
Australian officials plan to begin negotiations with MLB clubs in the US in a bid to get some of the country’s best overseas products back to face the American heavyweights.
Coach Jon Deeble’s first task will be to beat the World side in Australian Baseball’s All Star match at Melbourne Ballpark on Wednesday night.
But Deeble already has one eye on March, when baseball will get its best chance to make a big break in Australia.
“They’re so important these games for us in March. It’s really important to us that we can beat these teams,” Deeble said.
“Same with this one against the World All Stars, we are going out to win every game.
“It’s going to be hard to beat the Dodgers and Diamondbacks but we’ve got some really talented baseball players and we’re hoping to get all our players back from Spring Training to play in this game.”
Australia will go into Wednesday’s All Star clash undermanned with Toronto Blue Jays hitter Luke Hughes (groin) and Cleveland minor league outfielder Andrew Campbell nursing a broken hand.
Major League players Brad Harman (Philadelphia) and Justin Huber (Minnesota) will be on deck to lead the way, but the other big-name omissions will give a chance for young talents like shortstop Logan Wade and Ryan Dale to show their wares.
Against the Dodgers and Diamondbacks, the young Australian players not signed by US and Asian clubs will get a major opportunity to earn contracts.
Deeble said plans he’s seen suggest the SCG will be a first-class baseball venue, with big crowds and a carnival atmosphere expected.
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