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Wednesday, October 26, 2005

Konami Cup - Asia Series 2005

Three of the four league champions have been decided.
NPB champs - Chiba Lotte Marines
KBO champs - Samsung Lions
CBA champs - Beijing Tigers
The CPBL will crown a champion in a clash between the Macoto Cobras and the Sinon Bulls.

Personally, I don't really follow professional baseball in Taiwan, but the Cobras would probably fare better against Asian competition because it has better starting pitching with rookie stud En-Yu Lin, star lefty Ying-Chieh Lin, and starter Chu-Jien Hsu.

The obvious favorite has to be the Lotte Marines, followed by the Lions, and then the eventual CPBL champs.

The official site of the Konami Cup can be found here.

Catch a rising star.....Chih-Hsien Chiang



CHIANG at the 2003 World Youth "AA" Championships

After talking to a buddy of mine a lil while back, I've decided to get the 411 out on Chiang, who probably has as much potential as recent NPB 1st round pick Chung-Shou Yang. One of Taiwan's best young high school hitters, Chih-Hsien Chiang is a 17 year old multi-positional fielder who even pitches a bit. Born February 21, 1988, Chiang has good size; he stands 6'1" tall and weighs 180 pounds. He throws righty, but hits lefty. Chiang has played at all levels of Taiwan's national teams in international youth and junior aged competitions. Chiang starred as a 2B/OF in the 2003 World Youth Championships (for 13 to 15 year olds), where he led Taiwan to a silver medal, falling only to the US in the championship game. Chiang hit 2 HR's (including a big grand slam against youth powerhouse Cuba) and led the entire tourney in RBI's.

In the abbreviated 2004 World Junior Championships (for 16 to 18 year olds) - as one of the younger kids in the tourney (16 years old) and playing 1B primarily, Chiang held his own and hit .267 in 15 AB's with 3 doubles and 2 RBI's.

Chiang will get one final opportunity to showcase his talents at the 2006 World Junior Championships. Don't be surprised to see Chiang playing SS defensively, as he is currently learning to play the "glamour position" in HS.

Overall, Chiang is a talented athlete who has a lot of tools that will allow him to succeed at the "next" level, wherever that may be. Chiang compares very well to Yang, and is in fact bigger than him. Offensively, he projects to be better than Yang - with his ability to hit for average and power. He has good speed and quick feet, as well as the ability to toss 88 mph fastballs, which should help with his transition to the SS position. If he continues to develop, the sky is the limit for him, and his dreams of playing in the MLB someday could become a reality.

Yung-Chi Chen Season Review....

J and G over at SportSpot.net have summed up Chen's past season at Wisconsin. Read it here. Scroll down to the "Discount Rack" under "Top Five Hitters."

Sunday, October 23, 2005

Japan Series - Lin update....

Lin got a pinch hit at bat in Game 2 of the Japan Series against Lotte. Lin flied out in his only plate appearance in the 8th inning. Hanshin has lost both games of the series to Lotte by 10-1 and 10-0 scores.

Saturday, October 22, 2005

Discussion Forum....

The guy over at Taiwaneseballplayers.com has started up a English-language discussion forum to talk about the sport we love so much.

I think it's a great idea, since there are so many Chinese-language forums on baseball in Taiwan and none that I can think of that are in English.

My Graded Card Collection.....



Ok, here's some of my favorite cards that I own. Bowman Chrome Refractors usually sell for a premium, especially the limited edition gold versions. Chen's best rookie is his Bowman's Best issue. You have to love the autos in Chinese by Chen, Wang, and Kuo. I think Hu was practicing his English penmanship. I'm still waiting for an officially licensed auto card for Tsao.

Friday, October 21, 2005

Need Help Translating!!!

This article is from the July 15-21st 2005 issue of the CTW magazine. I saw the number 160 kmph and wasn't sure if this kid was throwing that hard, or if he had the potential to do so. Can anyone help with identifying the kid and translate page 1 of the article? Thank you!

You can zoom in on the picture a few times to read the fine print.

Thursday, October 20, 2005

Yang's officially a Hawk...


YANG pictured with Ian Kennedy

Yao-Hsun Yang officially became a Hawk on Oct. 18th. He was signed to a 2 year contract with a $346,000 signing bonus. Details here and here.

Monday, October 17, 2005

60 man roster announced!!!

In preparation for the World Classic, Team Taiwan's preliminary roster was announced today. The list consists of 25 pitchers, 8 catchers, 17 infielders, and 10 outfielders.

Pitchers:
1)Chien-Ming Wang 3/31/80 NY Yankees
2)Hong-Chih Kuo 7/23/81 LA Dodgers
3)Chien-Ming Chiang 5/27/85 Yomiuri Giants
4)Wei-Yin Chen 7/21/85 Chunichi Dragons
5)Yao-Hsun Yang 1/22/83 Fukuoka Daiei Hawks
6)Chin-Hui Tsao 6/2/81 Colorado Rockies
7)Ching-Lung Lo 8/20/85 Colorado Rockies
8)Po-Hsuan keng 10/15/84 Toronto Blue Jays
9)Chi-Hung Cheng 6/20/85 Toronto Blue Jays
10)Chia-An Huang 11/11/85 Seattle Mariners
11)Chih-Chia Chang 5/6/80 Seibu Lions
12)Ming-Chieh Hsu 12/1/76 Seibu Lions
13)En-Yu Lin 3/25/81 Macoto Cobras
14)Ying-Chieh Lin 5/1/81 Macoto Cobras
15)Chu-Jien Hsu 1/25/81 Macoto Cobras
16)Wen-Hsiung Hsu 12/5/78 LA New Bears
17)Wei-Lun Pan 3/5/82 President Lions
18)Bao-Hsien Wu 2/6/80 Brother Elephants
19)Chien-Fu Yang 4/22/79 Sinon Bulls
20)Wei-Ming Chu 8/2/81 Chinatrust Whales
21)Ying-Feng Tsai 5/26/83 Amateur
22)Min-Ching Kao 7/12/84 Amateur
23)Sung-Wei Tseng 12/28/84 Amateur
24)Yi-Che Huang 2/14/83 Amateur
25)Chun-Chung Huang 4/25/82 No Affiliation - former Boston Red Sox
Catchers:
26)Chih-Kang Kao 2/7/81 President Lions
27)Chun-Chang Yeh 10/25/72 Sinon Bulls
28)Feng-Min Chen 10/29/77 LA New Bears
29)Chin-Shou Shi 9/26/74 Chinatrust Whales
30)Chih-Hong Chen 12/11/78 Amateur
31)Yi-Wei Lee 8/18/83 Amateur
32)Cheng-Hua Kao 7/1/77 President Lions
33)Kuan-Yi Yang 2/17/85 Amateur
Infielders:
34)Chin-Lung Hu 2/2/84 LA Dodgers
35)Yung-Chi Chen 7/13/83 Seattle Mariners
36)Chung-Shou Yang 1/17/87 Nippon Ham Fighters
37)Chia-Hsien Hsieh 4/8/76 Macoto Cobras
38)Chao-Kuan Wu 5/25/84 Seattle Mariners
39)Chih-Sheng Lin 1/1/82 LA New Bears
40)Sen Yang 3/25/81 President Lions
41)Kuo-Ching Kao 10/6/78 President Lions
42)Chang-Ming Cheng 1/28/78 Chinatrust Whales
43)Chia-Hung Chen 10/3/80 Chinatrust Whales
44)Tai-Shan Chang 10/31/76 Sinon Bulls
45)Chia-Hao Chang 10/31/76 Sinon Bulls
46)Shih-Yang Deng 7/24/79 Macoto Cobras
47) Yi-Chuan Lin 11/11/85 Amateur
48)Sheng-Wei Wang 4/1/84 Amateur
49)Chiang-Ho Chen 1/15/82 Amateur
50)Tsung-Han Yu 8/24/85 Amateur
Outfielders:
51)Chin-Feng Chen 10/28/77 LA Dodgers
52)Wei-Tsu Lin 1/22/79 Hanshin Tigers
53)Kuo-Hui Lo 9/26/85 Seattle Mariners
54)Cheng-Min Peng 8/6/78 Brother Elephants
55)Chih-Yuan Chen 10/27/76 Brother Elephants
56)Long-Yi Huang 2/20/79 LA New Bears
57)Ying-Chieh Liao 9/17/84 Amateur
58)Ying-Chieh Chung 1/31/85 Amateur
59)Chih-Yao Chan 1/2/83 Amateur
60)Chun-Yu Kuo 4/20/84 Amateur

Blue indicates players with MLB affiliations
Red indicates players with NPB affiliations
Black indicates players with CPBL experience or amateur status

Saturday, October 15, 2005

Mystery kid......solved.....

I've been informed by my anonymous source that the mystery kid the Indians have been looking at is Cheng-Chan Lee. Born 10/21/86, the kid stands 5'11" and weighs 176 pounds. Lee is right-handed and has a side-arm throwing motion. His fastball maxes out around 91 mph. Lee was on the junior national team that competed in the 2004 "AAA" world championships. In an exhibition game against the US junior NT in August 2004, Lee pitched 3 innings and K'd 6 while giving up no hit and runs. During the AAA championships, Lee faced top notch competition: 1)against Japan: Lee started the game against Japanese phenom Yu Darvish, pitched 3.2 IP gave up 1 ER and K'd 2 and had a no decision
2)against the US: Lee came in relief and pitched 2.2 innings, struck out 4 with 0 earned runs
My source stated that the Indians offered Lee a signing bonus of $20,000. If the Indians want to get their foot in the doorway in Taiwan, they will need to throw some more money at the kid. That kind of offer will NOT get it done with Lee.

In a personal sidenote....My wife and I found out that we will be having a baby boy in February!!!! Can't wait to get the lil slugger a bat in his hands!!!!!

Thursday, October 13, 2005

The (Yin) Yang Brothers!!!!


Here's a pic of the Yang brothers united again in Taiwan. Older brother and future Hawk, Yao-Hsun Yang is on the left. Lil brother and NPB first round pick, Chung-Shou Yang, is on the right.

Photo taken by Chun Liang Lin.

Wednesday, October 12, 2005

Mystery kid?????

Someone on Japanesebaseball.com alerted me to this link regarding an 18 year old Taiwanese pitcher who has been offered by the Cleveland Indians.

My short list of prospective 18 year olds include:
1)Chiu Tzu Kai
2)Wu Hsin Tsung
3)Luo Cheng Lung

Most of the better pitching prospects haven't turned 18 yet.

Anyone else care to venture a guess?

Lin selected head coach....

The head coach for the national team that will participate in the World Classic has been chosen. Hua-Wei Lin, a veteran coach and former player, helped lead Taiwan to the bronze medal at the 2001 Baseball World Cup. A good choice, in my opinion............

Monday, October 10, 2005

More on Lin....

I did a little research and found out that Lin is represented by super agent Scott Boras. Lin, along with fellow country-man Che-Yi Su were in the US earlier last year - March of 2004, where they showcased their goods in front of a ton of scouts in Chandler, Arizona. Obviously, scouts liked what they saw as Lin is now on his way to the US.

The guy over at baseballtaiwan.net has a pic up of Lin, Su, and Tsao. Here is the link. Lin is the guy on the far left, with Tsao in the middle, and Su on the right. From the pic, assuming that Tsao is 6'2" and Su is 6'0 even, I believe Lin stands somewhere around 5'10" to 5"11.

From what I've googled, Lin hasn't been on the international scene much as compared to some of the other recently signed kids. He was on the Under-17 Chinese-Taipei National team in 2001 that included teammates: Chia-An Huang(Mariners), Wei-Yin Chen(Chunichi), and Chien-Ming Chiang(Yomiuri). Lin was also included on the Taiwanese team that participated in the 2004 edition of the Grand Forks International Tournament.

Friday, October 07, 2005

Phillies sign Lin!!!!

The Philadelphia Phillies signed 20 year old Taiwanese pitcher Yen-Feng Lin. Lin is reported to have a fastball that runs around 90 - 94 mph.

Thursday, October 06, 2005

Huang Chia An scouting report and video....

The guy over at the Mariner Minors blog has put together a nice profile/scouting report on Huang's initial season in Peoria. He also has a link up of video footage of Huang pitching/hitting in HS. A must read indeed!!!

Wednesday, October 05, 2005

Tough loss for Wang....

Wang pitched well enough tonight to give the Yanks a chance at winning the game vs. the Angels in Game 2 of the divisional series. However, the Yanks offense left a ton of men on base, and 2 costly errors - 1 by Wang and 1 by A-Rod, contributed to Wang leaving in the 7th inning losing 4-2 to the Angels. Wang's line for the night was: 6 2/3 innings pitched - 6 hits - 4 runs - 1 earned - 0 walks - 1 strike out.

Wang got off to a good start in the first inning as he had his sinker working - getting 3 ground outs in the first. You could tell that Wang was pumped up, as he was clocking up to 96 mph on the gun. Except for a lead-off solo blast by Juan Rivera in the 5th inning, Wang was cruising through the first 5 innings. A-Rod's misplay on a ground ball in the 6th inning eventually led to a run scored when Benji Molina singled in the unearned run. Tied 2-2 going into the bottom of the 7th inning, Wang was still hitting 93 to 94 mph with his fastball, but he was leaving pitches up in the zone. An errant throw to first by Wang on an infield ball hit between the pitcher's mound and home plate, allowed the Angels to get 2 men on base. With runners on 2nd and 3rd with 2 outs, O. Cabrera came up with a clutch 2 out - 2 run scoring single. That was all she wrote for Wang, as Torre called in Leiter to relieve Wang.

Bottom line - Wang pitched well but in the later innings started leaving pitches up in the zone and out over the plate - the Angels hitters made him pay with clutch 2 out hitting; NY's defense was shaky; and the Yanks offense left too many men on base. You can't win with that kind of performance against a solid team like the Angels.

Tuesday, October 04, 2005

Lin cranks first HR!!!

Hanshin lost to the Yokohama BayStars 6-4 on Tuesday. Facing CL ERA leader Daisuke Miura, Lin struck out in his first at bat, but then hit his first NPB League HR in the 4th inning - a solo shot. Lin, playing RF the entire game, grounded out and flied out in his last 2 AB's. Lin's BA on the year stands at .417

Monday, October 03, 2005

Wang to start Game 2 vs. Angels......

Wang received Joe Torre's vote of confidence by getting the green light over Shawn Chacon to start game 2 on Wednesday night in the American League '05 Division Series.

The game will be broadcast by ESPN at 10:00 PM ET. Hopefully Wang will reward the Yanks with a good outing Wed. night.

Taiwanese high schooler picked in 1st round.....

In the 2005 NPB draft, the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters drafted Taiwanese high school infielder, Chung-Shou Yang with their first round pick. Yang, who is a Taiwanese citizen, played SS forFukuoka Daiichi High School. Yang, who was born 1/17/87, stands 182 cm tall, weighs 78 kg, throws and bats righty. Highly coveted because of his all-around game, Yang hit 39 home runs in his 3 year HS stay, ran the 50 meters in 6.0 seconds, and played great defense with the ability to cover a lot of field because of a strong arm and quick feet.

Yang is the younger brother of amateur pitcher Yao-Hsun Yang. The older brother faced off against Ian Kennedy this past summer. The elder Yang is expected to make the jump to the NPB next year with the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks. A mix-up during the 2005 draft caused elation and tears for the younger Yang, when Hawks manager Saharu Oh originally thought that he had won the rights to draft Yang. The younger Yang was obviously hoping to be drafted by the Hawks because of his Fukuoka connection, his brother's expected signing, and the fact that the revered Sadaharu Oh is the manager there. However, when the error was corrected, Yang's happiness turned to sadness when the Fighters were given the rights over the Hawks to pick Yang.

In other notes of the 2005 NPB draft, super stud high school pitcher, Tsujiuchi Takanobu was selected by the Yomiuri Giants. The rich get richer with the selection of Takanobu, who dominated Taiwan's high school kids earlier this summer.

Edited: 10/4/05 3:00 AM

Sunday, October 02, 2005

Baseball Cards.....

For those of you that are hardcore Taiwanese baseball fans and collect memorabilia, here's a link to the baseball rookie cards of Tseng Sung-Wei and Wang Sheng-Wei in their Anchorage Bucs uniforms.

Link - click on 2005 Anchorage Bucs

10/02 Lin update

Lin got into the game in the 7th inning to replace Shane Spencer in RF. Lin got 1 AB and flied out. Hanshin blanked the Swallows 7-0.

Saturday, October 01, 2005

10/01 Lin update

Playing for the newly crowned Central League champs - the Hanshin Tigers, Lin came up big against the Swallows. Lin, who started in RF, had 2 singles in 3 AB's, with a RBI and a BB. Lin's average for the year stands at .571

Look for this kid to get a good look from the Chinese Taipei selection committee when they begin choosing players for the national team in preparation for the World Classic.

10/01 Kuo update

Kuo came in the 8th inning and faced one batter against the Padres. Kuo blew away Ben Johnson for his 10th K in 5.1 innings pitched. His ERA now stands at 6.75

NPB News: Lin

Wei-Tsu Lin got a pinch hit AB in the 7th inning for the Hanshin Tigers against the Yakult Swallows. Lin grounded out in his only plate appearance. His BA for the year is now .500 with 2 hits in 4 AB's.