Patel, 19, and Singh, 20, have no Baseball experience, other than a stint on "Million Dollar Arm," a television reality show in India. The show rewarded anyone who could throw strikes at 85 mph or faster.

Although they were the top two finishers from among 30,000 entrants, neither Patel nor Singh won the million dollars. They did, however, get the chance to come to America, train with a pitching coach and work out for major league scouts.

Patel and Singh are believed to be the first Indian-born athletes to sign pro contracts outside of their country.

"There are a billion-plus people in India," Pirates general manager Neal Huntington said. "It's like China, which is a hot market for teams because it has a billion people.

"This was an opportunity for us to sign two players whom we like, and also to put our foot in the door in what potentially is a tremendous market of future players."

Cricket is tremendously popular in India. Huntington noted that cricket has similarities -- fielding, throwing, running and hitting -- to Baseball.

However, both Singh and Patel were javelin throwers in their homeland. Until a year ago, neither had ever picked up a Baseball or had any interest in the major leagues.

"I don't know anything about the Pirates, except that Barry Bonds played for them," Patel said last night by phone from the duo's personal training camp at the University of Southern California. "I never expected all this to happen. I'm very excited."

Patel and Singh have been training with USC pitching coach Tom House, a former major leaguer. They started at square one, having even to be taught how to use their mitts to catch a ball.

Neither spoke English when they arrived in the United States. The picked up the language by watching "Baseball Tonight" on ESPN and taking online classes.

"What they've done in six months is remarkable," Huntington said.

Two weeks ago, special assistant to the GM Joe Ferrone and area scout Sean Campbell watched Singh and Patel pitch during a workout at USC.

"They're not the biggest of guys," Huntington said. "But they showed arm strength and a base-level feel for secondary (pitches). We were intrigued by both pitchers."

Singh, 6-feet-2, 195 pounds, won $100,000 in the "Million Dollar Arm" contest by consistently hitting 87 mph with his fastball. Huntington believes the left-hander has the potential to add velocity over the next couple of years.

Patel, 5-11, 185 pounds, got $2,500 as the contest runner-up. His pitches touch 90 mph, but lack control.

The Pirates gave both pitchers signing bonuses comparable to what a low-round draft pick would receive. The team did not reveal the specific amounts.

Notes: Hal Morris joined the scouting department as an area supervisor in the upper Midwest. Morris played 12 seasons in the majors and after retiring in 2000 earned an MBA from Stanford. ... The Pirates are taking a look at free-agent pitcher Pedro Martinez, but have not yet made an offer. Martinez made $54 million over the past four years with the New York Mets , but was fully healthy for just one season in that span.