Could the next Shohei Ohtani come from Thailand? A Thai television heartthrob is promoting America’s pastime in Thailand by appearing at a recent baseball tournament in Bangkok, building interest in the game among his 3.8 million Instagram followers.

Twenty-one-year-old actor Phuwin Tangsakyuen was definitely a draw for fans at the Thailand Baseball5 Championship in Bangkok. The Thai tournament coincided with pitchers and catchers reporting for Major League Baseball’s spring training in the United States, signaling the approach of springtime and the baseball season.

His participation “on the final day of competition attracted fans beyond the traditional baseball community. His mini-concert and fan meet-and-greet provided an additional layer of entertainment to the event, contributing to the discipline’s growing profile,” reported the World Baseball Softball Confederation website.

Baseball is not close to being the most popular sport in Thailand. Those honors are held by Muay Thai (Thai kickboxing) and soccer. But the sport is growing. The Kingdom does have a Little League, a Minor League that consists mainly of university teams and a Major League with six teams. In addition, some provinces, such as Suphanburi and Chonburi, have their own professional teams that are not officially part of the Major League.

Japan’s baseball associations were instrumental in getting Thailand’s baseball leagues off the ground. It’s important to note that not so long-ago Japanese teams and players were lightly regarded by U.S. leagues, with U.S. teams beating their Japanese counterparts easily in every competition and exhibition.

But slowly things began to change. Japanese players and teams have raised their level to the point where Shohei Ohtani from Japan is regarded by many as the best player in the Major Leagues. Baseball devotees in Thailand hope the Kingdom can follow in Japan’s footsteps.

One Thai American, Johnny Damon, did make the Major Leagues and won the World Series with the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees. But Damon was born and grew up in the U.S. He visited Thailand a number of years ago to help promote the sport.

“Thai baseball began to compete internationally in the 90's and competed in their first Asian Games in 1994. Thailand was also able to reach the final Southeast Asia qualifying game for the Atlanta Olympics. In the Southeast Asian Games, Thailand won gold in 2007 and placed third in 2011,” wrote the Baseball Federation of Asia website.

The Baseball Federation of Asia has 24 member countries, but the game is most popular in Japan, South Korea, and the Philippines. Nonetheless, Thailand has shown it is competitive in international competitions and is striving to climb up the standings and start producing its own baseball superstars.