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The Pittsburgh Pirates signed Armstrong Muhoozi from Uganda in January 2025, a deal that included a $45,000 signing bonus.

May 05, 2025

DEEP DIVE OF THE WEEK

INSIDE THE GROWING MILLION-DOLLAR BASEBALL TALENT INDUSTRY IN AFRICA.

Recently, two announcements signaled a growing investment in African baseball talent. The most recent was the Los Angeles Dodgers' signing of Joseph Deng, their first-ever player from South Sudan. Just before that, the Pittsburgh Pirates signed Armstrong Muhoozi from Uganda in January 2025, a deal that included a $45,000 signing bonus.

Even before these signings, baseball had been slowly gaining ground in Africa. The South African duo of Gift Ngoepe and Tayler Scott were the only African-born players to reach Major League Baseball (MLB) until 2022. Meanwhile, Uganda was quietly emerging as a rising talent hub, following the sport’s introduction to the country in 2002.

AFRICA’S BASEBALL PIPELINE: FROM GRASSROOTS TO PRO CONTRACTS.

In 2002, an American chemical engineer named Richard Stanley, while volunteering for an international development project in Uganda, launched a baseball league for children. He also built a Little League complex academy, which later became an official Dodgers development academy in 2019, now known simply as “The Complex.”

This Dodgers academy develops talent on a non-contractual basis, providing a structured pathway for young players. One standout product is Pirates signee David Matoma, who was discovered at the academy. Beyond this, several Ugandan baseball prospects train regularly on primary school fields, leading to the first wave of Ugandan MLB signings in 2022.

This RHP is just the 3rd Ugandan-born int'l signing

PITTSBURGH -- In November 2021, Uganda’s aspiring baseball talent convened in Kampala, the country’s capital, for a tournament, an opportunity to gain exposure. Pirates scout Tom Gillespie was in attendance, searching for talent in a country whose baseball footprint was steadily growing. As for David Matoma, an up-and-coming pitcher who

www.mlb.com/news/david-matoma-signs-with-pirates-out-of-uganda

When Ben Serunkuma and Umar Male became the first Ugandan-born players to secure professional baseball contracts, their deals reportedly included a $10,000 signing bonus and a $10,000 education bonus each.

Historic: MLB's Los Angeles Dodgers sign two players from Uganda - World Baseball Softball Confederation

Ben Serunkuma and Umar Male are the first Ugandan-born players to sign a professional baseball contract with an MLB club. Uganda is No. 43 in WBSC Men's Baseball World Rankings, the second African country in the rankings after No. 26 South Africa.

www.wbsc.org/en/news/historic-mlbs-los-angeles-dodgers-sign-two-players-from-uganda?fbclid=IwAR3LaIdL0IEvA50DW29AWl-FZhM4Sn0PDGldkTIAJC_ssLvEuT5eTQtfvLA

At the time, Will Nolden, the Dodgers’ Youth Development Coach, stated:

"The Dodgers hope the success of these three young men will continue to grow the sport and inspire a new crop of potential professional players from the Pearl of Africa."

Will Nolden

This 2022 breakthrough was soon followed by the signing of David Matoma to the Pirates. Notably, all three players came from Luwero, Uganda. In Matoma’s case, scouting director Gillespie traveled from Germany to personally watch him pitch. His fastball, clocked at 92 mph, secured him a recommendation and an official contract offer.

Matoma’s signing also came with a unique investment component his coach, Okello, was flown to the Pirates’ Dominican Republic training camp for three weeks as a guest coach, reflecting an emerging model of MLB talent investment in Africa.

In 2025, the African talent pipeline expanded, with two players signed from two different countries, South Sudan and Uganda. Joseph Deng was discovered after a viral video showcased his 95-mph fastball. Baseball advocate Charlie Mayer recorded and shared the clip, drawing international attention. Deng’s signing makes him the first-ever baseball player from South Sudan to sign with an MLB team, potentially paving the way for future talent scouting in the country.

Meanwhile, Armstrong Muhoozi, like previous Ugandan signings, was scouted through the Dodgers' complex academy. His journey began at age 12 when he attended an open tryout at Jinja Army Primary Boarding School, organized by Dodgers scouts in 2019. His standout performance earned him a spot in the academy, where he honed his skills for four years before signing with the Pirates. His $45,000 signing bonus will reportedly be used to build a house for his mother.

In between these signings, there is also the unique case of Dennis Kasumba, a Ugandan player who has been invited to the MLB Draft League, marking another key milestone in the expansion of baseball scouting in Africa.

MLB’S PLAYBOOK FOR AFRICA: LESSONS FROM NBA & NFL.

Despite these signings, MLB’s approach to Africa remains team-driven, rather than league-led. Unlike the NBA and NFL, MLB has yet to introduce a structured, centralized development initiative on the continent.

For example:

  • The NBA has established NBA Academy Africa and runs the Basketball Africa League (BAL) to cultivate local talent and expand the sport’s commercial footprint.

  • The NFL’s International Pathway Program (IPP) provides a structured route for non-American players to enter the league. The NFL has also taken steps to build a commercial presence in Africa, recently granting international marketing rights to Ghana and Nigeria for the Philadelphia Eagles and Cleveland Browns.

For MLB, Africa represents a lower barrier to market entry compared to the NFL. The sport shares fundamental similarities with cricket, which already has an established audience in several African nations. A strong indicator of this latent baseball potential is Nigeria’s U-19 women’s cricket team, which recently secured its first-ever World Cup win at the 2025 Women’s T20 World Cup.

Given the momentum, MLB could benefit from adopting a more structured African strategy, leveraging the growing number of signed African players as case studies for a broader commercial expansion. A dedicated academy structure, combined with stronger scouting networks and grassroots programs, could cement Africa as a viable long-term talent hub for baseball.

In an interview with current player personnel with the LA Dodgers, Joe Harrington, he said the following about the evolution of African baseball talent pipeline:

“Before considering what’s next, it’s important to recognize what sparked this. Local coaches, families, former players, community leaders, and teachers have been laying the foundation for years, often without the recognition they deserve. The kids falling in love with the game are learning in environments shaped by them, driven by their passion and dedication. The path forward depends on continuing this momentum, and with the right support, it has the potential to become something locally led, lasting, and impactful, on and off the field”

Joe Harrington

The success stories of Joseph Deng, Armstrong Muhoozi, and David Matoma and others, demonstrate that Africa’s baseball market is no longer speculative, it’s real and growing. The next step for MLB is to move beyond isolated team scouting efforts and build a sustainable, league-backed development model, ensuring that the next wave of African talent doesn’t just break through but stays and thrives at the highest levels of the sport.

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