Kieran Powell, Cricket Star, Attempting to Move to U.S. Baseball in MLB

Cricket star Kieran Powell is attempting to make the transition from the canoe paddle to the bat that you keep next to your bed in case of an intruder. That's right, Powell is trying to make the move from cricket to baseball in the U.S. MLB.

After a falling out with his West Indies cricket squad in July, Powell's representatives sent footage to major-league teams, sparking the interest of the Los Angeles Dodgers. Since then, Powell has gained considerable traction, and has been included in private and group workouts with several MLB teams, according to Yahoo! Sports Canada.

From afar, or to the untrained eye, cricket and baseball seem relatively alike. After all, both swing a wooden stick at a little round ball. But they are two different games, with different skills sets required to compete at a high level. To help overcome the transition challenges, Powell traveled to the United States last summer and spent eight weeks training with former big league players.

However, Powell is realistic and understands that he will need to spend time in the minor leagues if a team does, in fact, decide to take a shot on him and he is to fulfill his dream of playing in the MLB. But his determination is second to none, and he feels as though the transition from cricket to baseball hasn't been too terribly overwhelming. There is progress every day.

"I wouldn't say that anything has been particularly difficult," Powell said, via 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."