Majors
Hong-Chih Kuo can thank his lucky stars for a ND tonight against the Giants. In the top of the 9th inning, the Dodgers tied the game 3-3 on Olmedo Saenz's pinch hit RBI. Kuo only lasted 5 innings tonight, giving up 3 runs on 8 hits. He also had no walks and 6 K's. Down 3-0 and with the opposing pitcher dominating the Dodgers lineup, it looked like a sure loss for Kuo. But thankfully, JD Drew cracked a 2 run shot and Saenz's heroics lifted Kuo off the hook. The bright spot tonight for Kuo was K'ing Barry Bonds twice: once on a beautiful curve ball and the second time on an offspeed pitch. Kuo was clocked around 90 to 94 mph on his heater tonight. As I type, the Dodgers are now up 4-3 heading into the bottom of the 9th. This is a huge game for the Dodgers playoff aspirations: if they win, they catch up to the Padres for the NL West lead and maintain their wildcard lead on the Phillies.
CPBL
Chin-Feng Chen jacked his 21st HR of the season against the Elephants in his team's 8-4 loss today. Chen trails Chang by 1 in the HR department.
Pitcher En-Yu Lin of the Cobras experienced right elbow pain in his last outing on Wednesday. Hopefully nothing serious here.
Friday, September 29, 2006
Thursday, September 28, 2006
Updates....
Japan
Hanshin won 6-0. Lin, in his usual role, was 1-1 with a pinch hit single, a RBI, and a run scored. Box
Amateur
Korea defeated the USA in a tightly contested game to win the gold medal at the Junior World Baseball Championships. The bronze medal went to Canada as they defeated Mexico. More on the South Korean championship squad. The All-Star team was also announced, but no one from Taiwan made the cut.
Here's a brief recap of the top performers from the Taiwanese squad:
Hitters (16 AB's minimum)
1)Che-Hsuan Lin 34AB's .353BA 1HR 2RBI's 7Runs
2)Yen-Wen Kuo 31AB's .387BA 0HR's 5RBI's 4Runs
Pitchers
1)Chun-Lin Chen 2W - 0L 0.00 ERA 17IP 21K's/2BB
2)Kai-Wen Cheng 2W - 0L 0.50 ERA 18IP 8K's/1BB
3)Chih-Lung Huang 0W - 1L 1.69 ERA 16IP 15K's/7BB
Hanshin won 6-0. Lin, in his usual role, was 1-1 with a pinch hit single, a RBI, and a run scored. Box
Amateur
Korea defeated the USA in a tightly contested game to win the gold medal at the Junior World Baseball Championships. The bronze medal went to Canada as they defeated Mexico. More on the South Korean championship squad. The All-Star team was also announced, but no one from Taiwan made the cut.
Here's a brief recap of the top performers from the Taiwanese squad:
Hitters (16 AB's minimum)
1)Che-Hsuan Lin 34AB's .353BA 1HR 2RBI's 7Runs
2)Yen-Wen Kuo 31AB's .387BA 0HR's 5RBI's 4Runs
Pitchers
1)Chun-Lin Chen 2W - 0L 0.00 ERA 17IP 21K's/2BB
2)Kai-Wen Cheng 2W - 0L 0.50 ERA 18IP 8K's/1BB
3)Chih-Lung Huang 0W - 1L 1.69 ERA 16IP 15K's/7BB
Wednesday, September 27, 2006
A Milestone Set...
Chien-Ming Wang became the second 19 game winner in the Majors this year, joining AL Cy Young frontrunner Johan Santana. Although Wang didn't have his best peformance of the year, he finally got some run support - and plenty of it, as the Yankees scored 16 runs on 18 hits!!!! As for Wang, he pitched 6 innings, giving up 10 hits - 4 runs, while K'ing 4 and walking 1. BoxWith the win, Wang surpasses South Korean pitching great Chan Ho Park for the most victories in a season by an Asian pitcher. Not only did Wang get the record, but he also received good news when Joe Torre named Wang as the Game 1 starter in the ALDS. What a sensational year so far for the young man!!! Hopefully he can set another milestone by winning his first playoff game for the Yanks.
Hong-Chih Kuo will start this Friday against the San Francisco Giants. He will face Noah Lowry at AT&T Park.
Juniors Beat Cuba!!!!!
ChengFor the second time this summer, a Taiwanese select national team beat a Cuban national team. Following in the footsteps of the University level NT, the Taiwanese junior NT defeated Cuba today in a 12 inning thriller 2-1. Even though there was no medal at stake, Taiwan earned 5th place overall in the tourney. The hero for Taiwan was pitcher Kai-Wen Cheng (see above pic). He pitched a complete game, holding the Cuban offense to 1 run on 8 hits over 12 innings!! He also had 5 K's and 1 walk. I hope the adrenaline hasn't worn off for Cheng, cause his arm is gonna be hella sore! He was clocked at 90 to 92 mph, even in the 12th inning!!!
Box Link
Even with the 5th place finish, the fact that Taiwan defeated both Cuba and the USA in the same tourney (If I'm not mistaken, it's something that has never been done before at any level of international competition) makes this a successful showing in my eyes. The 3 teams that Taiwan lost to: Canada and Mexico (are playing each other for the bronze medal), and South Korea (is playing the US for the gold medal) are all still playing for some hardware. The only bad game Taiwan had in the whole tourney was the 8-1 loss to Canada; other than that they played both Mexico and South Korea to a standstill. I'm very very very proud of this team. Despite the lack of critical acclaim for individual talent on the team, it goes to show that baseball is a TEAM sport. Congrats guys!!
Tuesday, September 26, 2006
Juniors Shut Out Panama....
Amateur
The Taiwanese junior NT defeated the Panamanian team 9-0 on Tuesday. The starting pitcher for Taiwan, Chun-Lin Chen was dominant as he pitched a complete game shutout - giving up only 5 hits while striking out 14 hitters with no walks. The floodgates opened wide as the offense for Taiwan came alive - getting 13 hits, with SS Yen-Wen Kuo and 1B Chun-Hsiu Chen leading the way with 4 hits apiece and 2 RBI's each. Box/Link
Japan/NPB Draft
Seibu lost 6-2 to the Marines as M.C. Hsu made a relief appearance for the Lions. Hsu pitched 2 scoreless innings, giving up 1 hit to go along with 2 walks and 1 K. Box
The 2006 high school NPB draft took place yesterday. Japanesebaseball.com has the results of the draft in English. A Taiwanese kid was selected in the 4th round by the Softbank Hawks. Ping-Yen Lee, an 18 year old (DOB 4/21/1988) infielder, follows in the footsteps of Wei-Chu Lin and Chung-Shou Yang as Taiwanese kids who played HS baseball in Japan and were later drafted by an NPB team. Lee, who stands around 5'9" and weighs 180 pounds, can play both SS and 3B defensively.
In an interesting side note, the Seibu Lions drafted a Chinese pitcher - Dai-Yi Hsu in the 3rd round. JapanBaseballDaily.com has a nice write up on Hsu.
The Taiwanese junior NT defeated the Panamanian team 9-0 on Tuesday. The starting pitcher for Taiwan, Chun-Lin Chen was dominant as he pitched a complete game shutout - giving up only 5 hits while striking out 14 hitters with no walks. The floodgates opened wide as the offense for Taiwan came alive - getting 13 hits, with SS Yen-Wen Kuo and 1B Chun-Hsiu Chen leading the way with 4 hits apiece and 2 RBI's each. Box/Link
Japan/NPB Draft
Seibu lost 6-2 to the Marines as M.C. Hsu made a relief appearance for the Lions. Hsu pitched 2 scoreless innings, giving up 1 hit to go along with 2 walks and 1 K. Box
The 2006 high school NPB draft took place yesterday. Japanesebaseball.com has the results of the draft in English. A Taiwanese kid was selected in the 4th round by the Softbank Hawks. Ping-Yen Lee, an 18 year old (DOB 4/21/1988) infielder, follows in the footsteps of Wei-Chu Lin and Chung-Shou Yang as Taiwanese kids who played HS baseball in Japan and were later drafted by an NPB team. Lee, who stands around 5'9" and weighs 180 pounds, can play both SS and 3B defensively.
In an interesting side note, the Seibu Lions drafted a Chinese pitcher - Dai-Yi Hsu in the 3rd round. JapanBaseballDaily.com has a nice write up on Hsu.
Monday, September 25, 2006
Odds and Ends...
Japan
It's official - Lin's a Giant! Pics from Yi-Hao Lin's press conference formally announcing his signing. He will wear # 106
Amateur
Good news for our senior NT. Major Leaguer Shin-Soo Choo and feared NPB slugger S.Y. Lee will not be playing for South Korea in the 2006 Asian Games.
Despite missing out on an opportunity to medal, the junior NT is still playing in Cuba. The classification games will determine places 5-8. Taiwan plays Panama tomorrow. Shockingly, the US beat previously unbeaten Cuba in one quarterfinal and then Mexico in the semifinal to advance to the championship game where it will face either South Korea or Canada. What a great turnaround for the US junior NT!
CPBL
The LA New Bears won both half season titles to guarantee themselves a spot in the CPBL Championship game. NT member Si-Yo Wu won his league leading 16th game of the season for the LA New Bears on Saturday as the Bears beat the Cobras to clinch the second half season title. In other Saturday news, Chang cracked his league best 22nd HR (C.F. Chen is still stuck on 20) of the season but his team lost 6-1 to the Elephants. Read more here.
En-Yu Lin of the Cobras will attempt to win #17 today against the Lions.
It's official - Lin's a Giant! Pics from Yi-Hao Lin's press conference formally announcing his signing. He will wear # 106
Amateur
Good news for our senior NT. Major Leaguer Shin-Soo Choo and feared NPB slugger S.Y. Lee will not be playing for South Korea in the 2006 Asian Games.
Despite missing out on an opportunity to medal, the junior NT is still playing in Cuba. The classification games will determine places 5-8. Taiwan plays Panama tomorrow. Shockingly, the US beat previously unbeaten Cuba in one quarterfinal and then Mexico in the semifinal to advance to the championship game where it will face either South Korea or Canada. What a great turnaround for the US junior NT!
CPBL
The LA New Bears won both half season titles to guarantee themselves a spot in the CPBL Championship game. NT member Si-Yo Wu won his league leading 16th game of the season for the LA New Bears on Saturday as the Bears beat the Cobras to clinch the second half season title. In other Saturday news, Chang cracked his league best 22nd HR (C.F. Chen is still stuck on 20) of the season but his team lost 6-1 to the Elephants. Read more here.
En-Yu Lin of the Cobras will attempt to win #17 today against the Lions.
Sunday, September 24, 2006
A Down Day on Sunday.....
Japan
C.M. Chiang took his first loss of the season as Yomiuri lost to the Hanshin Tigers 4-1. Chiang lasted 5 innings, giving up 10 hits, 4 runs to go along with 1 walk and 2 K's. Chiang also uncorked a wild pitch and hit a batter as well. Box
Lin DNP for the Tigers.
Amateur
The Taiwanese junior NT was eliminated by South Korea in a heartbreaker at the World Junior Championships. Despite outhitting SK 5-2, Taiwan was on the wrong end of a 1-0 game. Taiwan went with 2 pitchers and they dominated the South Korean lineup, giving up only 2 hits all game. Unfortunately for Taiwan, the South Korean pitcher was just as good, blanking Taiwan on a complete game 5 hit shutout. Box Link
Despite a promising start to the tourney, Taiwan's journey is now over. Overall, I'm still proud of their efforts, considering the lack of top talent on the team.
Majors
About the only good thing happening today was Hong-Chih Kuo's dominant pitching performance against the D-Backs. Despite his outstanding performance, Kuo earned a ND. Kuo left the game after the 7th inning in a 1-1 tie thanks to a defensive miscue, a lack of run support, and a questionable call to not send Kuo home from 3rd. Kuo went 7.0 strong innings, giving up 4 hits, 1 run - that was unearned with 3B Betemit's error. He also walked 2 batters, K'd 8 hitters, and doubled and scored a run in the 5th inning. Kuo was consistently in the low 90's with a high of 94 mph. Box/Recap
With the victory, Kuo showed that he belongs in the rotation during the Dodger's stretch run.
Wang's attempt for win #19 will happen on Wednesday against the Baltimore Orioles. Getting the win won't be easy. His mound opponent, Kris Benson, has already won once this year against Wang and the Yankees.
C.M. Chiang took his first loss of the season as Yomiuri lost to the Hanshin Tigers 4-1. Chiang lasted 5 innings, giving up 10 hits, 4 runs to go along with 1 walk and 2 K's. Chiang also uncorked a wild pitch and hit a batter as well. Box
Lin DNP for the Tigers.
Amateur
The Taiwanese junior NT was eliminated by South Korea in a heartbreaker at the World Junior Championships. Despite outhitting SK 5-2, Taiwan was on the wrong end of a 1-0 game. Taiwan went with 2 pitchers and they dominated the South Korean lineup, giving up only 2 hits all game. Unfortunately for Taiwan, the South Korean pitcher was just as good, blanking Taiwan on a complete game 5 hit shutout. Box Link
Despite a promising start to the tourney, Taiwan's journey is now over. Overall, I'm still proud of their efforts, considering the lack of top talent on the team.
Majors
About the only good thing happening today was Hong-Chih Kuo's dominant pitching performance against the D-Backs. Despite his outstanding performance, Kuo earned a ND. Kuo left the game after the 7th inning in a 1-1 tie thanks to a defensive miscue, a lack of run support, and a questionable call to not send Kuo home from 3rd. Kuo went 7.0 strong innings, giving up 4 hits, 1 run - that was unearned with 3B Betemit's error. He also walked 2 batters, K'd 8 hitters, and doubled and scored a run in the 5th inning. Kuo was consistently in the low 90's with a high of 94 mph. Box/Recap
With the victory, Kuo showed that he belongs in the rotation during the Dodger's stretch run.
Wang's attempt for win #19 will happen on Wednesday against the Baltimore Orioles. Getting the win won't be easy. His mound opponent, Kris Benson, has already won once this year against Wang and the Yankees.
Saturday, September 23, 2006
Saturday Updates....
Japan
On Saturday, Hanshin beat the Yomiuri Giants 11-2. W.C. Lin made a pinch hit appearance, walking in his only PA. He would eventually score a run in the same inning. Box
Lin's Tigers will face the Giant's Chiang tomorrow.
Majors
Kuo's spot in the rotation may hinge on his performance tomorrow. Read more here.
Amateur
Taiwan plays long time rival South Korea in the "AAA" World Championship quarterfinals on Sunday. Let's hope the 2 game losing streak comes abruptly to an end tomorrow.
CT NT Update
The final 22 man roster has been finalized for the 2006 Asian Games. 7 cuts were made - with several players dropped due to injury. The final list:
PITCHERS
1)Hong-Chih Kuo
2)En-Yu Lin
3)Chien-Ming Chiang
4)Yueh-Ping Lin
5)Wei-Lun Pan
6)Si-Yo Wu
7)Po-Hsuan Keng
8)Sung-Wei Tseng
9)Ko-Chien Lin
CATCHERS
1)Chun-Chang Yeh
2)Feng-Min Chen
INFIELDERS
1)Chih-Sheng Lin
2)Tai-Shan Chang
3)Chuan-Chia Wang
4)Yung-Chi Chen
5)Chin-Lung Hu
6)Chung-Shou Yang
OUTFIELDERS
1)Chien-Ming Chang
2)Chin-Feng Chen
3)Wei-Chu Lin
4)Chia-Hsien Hsieh
5)Yu-Hsien Ming
On Saturday, Hanshin beat the Yomiuri Giants 11-2. W.C. Lin made a pinch hit appearance, walking in his only PA. He would eventually score a run in the same inning. Box
Lin's Tigers will face the Giant's Chiang tomorrow.
Majors
Kuo's spot in the rotation may hinge on his performance tomorrow. Read more here.
Amateur
Taiwan plays long time rival South Korea in the "AAA" World Championship quarterfinals on Sunday. Let's hope the 2 game losing streak comes abruptly to an end tomorrow.
CT NT Update
The final 22 man roster has been finalized for the 2006 Asian Games. 7 cuts were made - with several players dropped due to injury. The final list:
PITCHERS
1)Hong-Chih Kuo
2)En-Yu Lin
3)Chien-Ming Chiang
4)Yueh-Ping Lin
5)Wei-Lun Pan
6)Si-Yo Wu
7)Po-Hsuan Keng
8)Sung-Wei Tseng
9)Ko-Chien Lin
CATCHERS
1)Chun-Chang Yeh
2)Feng-Min Chen
INFIELDERS
1)Chih-Sheng Lin
2)Tai-Shan Chang
3)Chuan-Chia Wang
4)Yung-Chi Chen
5)Chin-Lung Hu
6)Chung-Shou Yang
OUTFIELDERS
1)Chien-Ming Chang
2)Chin-Feng Chen
3)Wei-Chu Lin
4)Chia-Hsien Hsieh
5)Yu-Hsien Ming
Friday, September 22, 2006
Win #18 At Last!
Box/Recap
Prior to the playoffs, Wang should get at least one more start, probably against the Baltimore Orioles next week.
Amateur
In the final game of pool play, Taiwan lost to Mexico in extra innings. With the loss, Taiwan falls to 3rd place in it's pool, meaning that it will play South Korea in a quarterfinal match. No stats at this time, as the official site is down.
Thursday, September 21, 2006
Taiwan Loses First Game in Cuba....
The Taiwanese junior NT lost to Canada 8-1 today. With the loss, Taiwan falls into 2nd place in their bracket. Taiwan's offense got shut down by Canadian pitcher Shelton McDonald, as they were only able to muster 1 run on 7 hits. On the other hand, the pitchers for Taiwan got roughed up a bit as four pitchers collectively gave up 15 hits and 8 runs, while struggling to find the strike zone - with 6 walks allowed. Going into the tourney, Wang-Wei Lin was perceived as one of Taiwan's best offensive threats. He produced Taiwan's lone run on offense by cracking a solo HR in the 6th inning.
Tomorrow's final game in pool play against Mexico is an important one. Should Taiwan lose, it would fall into a probable tie with the US for the 3rd and 4th positions. A win would lock up a #2 seed heading into the quarterfinals. Here's a look at the 1-5 seeds for Pool A:
1)Cuba 4-0
2)The Netherlands 3-1
3)Australia 2-2
4)South Korea 2-2
5)Panama 1-3
Majors:
Wang is officially a member of the 2006 AL East Divisional Champs! Although Giambi won't be available in the lineup for the Yanks, Gary Sheffield will make his return in the TB series - Wang could definitely use some early run support in his search for win # 18.
Meanwhile Kuo, who was the Dodger's minor league pitcher of the month in August, will get his next start on Sunday versus Livan Hernandez of the Arizona Diamondbacks. The game is in LA and will be aired on Fox Sports Prime at 1:10 PM Pacific.
Tomorrow's final game in pool play against Mexico is an important one. Should Taiwan lose, it would fall into a probable tie with the US for the 3rd and 4th positions. A win would lock up a #2 seed heading into the quarterfinals. Here's a look at the 1-5 seeds for Pool A:
1)Cuba 4-0
2)The Netherlands 3-1
3)Australia 2-2
4)South Korea 2-2
5)Panama 1-3
Majors:
Wang is officially a member of the 2006 AL East Divisional Champs! Although Giambi won't be available in the lineup for the Yanks, Gary Sheffield will make his return in the TB series - Wang could definitely use some early run support in his search for win # 18.
Meanwhile Kuo, who was the Dodger's minor league pitcher of the month in August, will get his next start on Sunday versus Livan Hernandez of the Arizona Diamondbacks. The game is in LA and will be aired on Fox Sports Prime at 1:10 PM Pacific.
Wednesday, September 20, 2006
Three Consecutive Wins....
Amateur
The Taiwanese junior NT finds itself atop Group B with 3 wins and 0 losses. Taiwan blanked Spain 9-0 on Wednesday. Three Taiwanese pitchers combined on a 6 hit shutout, with the starter Chun-Lin Chen picking up the win. Chen lasted 5 innings, gave up 2 hits, to go along with 6 K's and 2 walks. Four hitters led the way for Taiwan's offense with 2 hits each. SS Yen-Wen Kuo was 2-4 with a double and a run scored. RF Wang-Wei Lin was 2-4 with 2 runs scored, a double, and a RBI. 1B Hung-Cheng Lai was 2-2 with 2 runs scored, a double and 2 RBI's. Finally Chung-Chieh Wang was 2-3 with a double and led the way with 3 RBI's.
In other Group B action, Italy shocked Mexico by winning 8-6. The US also beat previously unbeaten Canada 2-1. With today's action complete, here are the current Group B rankings:
1)Taiwan 3-0
2)Canada 2-1
3)Italy 2-1
4)Mexico 1-2
5)USA 1-2
6)Spain 0-3
Taiwan will face Canada tomorrow in an important showdown for Group B supremacy.
Minors
Chi-Hung Cheng was recognized by the Blue Jays organization as the 2006 MVP of the Lansing Lugnuts. Read more here.
Majors
The Sporting News take on Chien-Ming Wang. Wang goes for win #18 on Friday.
The Taiwanese junior NT finds itself atop Group B with 3 wins and 0 losses. Taiwan blanked Spain 9-0 on Wednesday. Three Taiwanese pitchers combined on a 6 hit shutout, with the starter Chun-Lin Chen picking up the win. Chen lasted 5 innings, gave up 2 hits, to go along with 6 K's and 2 walks. Four hitters led the way for Taiwan's offense with 2 hits each. SS Yen-Wen Kuo was 2-4 with a double and a run scored. RF Wang-Wei Lin was 2-4 with 2 runs scored, a double, and a RBI. 1B Hung-Cheng Lai was 2-2 with 2 runs scored, a double and 2 RBI's. Finally Chung-Chieh Wang was 2-3 with a double and led the way with 3 RBI's.
In other Group B action, Italy shocked Mexico by winning 8-6. The US also beat previously unbeaten Canada 2-1. With today's action complete, here are the current Group B rankings:
1)Taiwan 3-0
2)Canada 2-1
3)Italy 2-1
4)Mexico 1-2
5)USA 1-2
6)Spain 0-3
Taiwan will face Canada tomorrow in an important showdown for Group B supremacy.
Minors
Chi-Hung Cheng was recognized by the Blue Jays organization as the 2006 MVP of the Lansing Lugnuts. Read more here.
Majors
The Sporting News take on Chien-Ming Wang. Wang goes for win #18 on Friday.
Tuesday, September 19, 2006
Kuo Loses 5th on the Season....
Hong-Chih Kuo, despite taking the loss, had a solid showing tonight against the Pirates. Kuo lasted 5.1 innings, and left the game down 2-1 with the bases loaded. Kuo's reliever then allowed a grand slam HR to Jose Bautista, sandwiched around 2 K's. Kuo was charged with 3 earned runs on the HR. Bottom line: Kuo allowed 5 earned run on 6 hits (one was a solo HR to Xavier Nady). He also K'd 8 hitters, while walking 2 (one was intentional). The Dodgers lost 10-6.
Box/Recap
With his performance tonight, Kuo deserves another start in the pitching rotation.
CT Junior NT Evokes Mercy Rule....
Amateur
Taiwan beat an overmatched Italian team 17-1 in 7 innings. The game was pretty much over in the 3rd inning, when Taiwan would score 7 runs in the inning to take a commanding 10-1 lead. Three Taiwanese pitchers combined to give up 4 hits and an unearned run. Chih-Lung Huang started the game, went 3 innings giving up 2 hits and an unearned run to go along with 4 K's and a walk. Reliever Hung-Cheng Lai pitched the next 2 scoreless innings. He K'd 2 and and allowed 2 hits. Yu-Hsun Chen succeeded Lai and was credited with the win, when he threw 2 scoreless/hitless innings, K'ing 5 and walking one. Just about everyone in the lineup got in on the hitting parade (14 hits). The kid who carried the ball club offensively was 3B Wei-Chih Chen who was 2-4, with a double, 3 runs scored, and 5 runs batted in. With the win, Taiwan is now in a 3 way tie with Canada and Mexico for first place in the group with a 2-0 record. Taiwan plays 0-2 Spain tomorrow. Surprisingly enough, the other 0-2 team in Taiwan's group play is the USA. The US struggled in it's second game versus Mexico.
Minors
J from MarinerMinors has brought to my attention that the Mariners have traded catcher Chao-Kuan Wu to the Cleveland Indians for future considerations. Wu has been a huge disappointment since his arrival 4 years ago. However, I can think of one good reason why the Indians wanted Wu: Sung-Wei Tseng
These 2 will probably end up being teammates next season on one of the Indians' "A" level affiliates.
Majors
It's early, but Kuo is up 1-0 in the bottom of the first inning against the Pirates.
An interesting article on how Wang matches up with the other AL playoff contenders.
Taiwan beat an overmatched Italian team 17-1 in 7 innings. The game was pretty much over in the 3rd inning, when Taiwan would score 7 runs in the inning to take a commanding 10-1 lead. Three Taiwanese pitchers combined to give up 4 hits and an unearned run. Chih-Lung Huang started the game, went 3 innings giving up 2 hits and an unearned run to go along with 4 K's and a walk. Reliever Hung-Cheng Lai pitched the next 2 scoreless innings. He K'd 2 and and allowed 2 hits. Yu-Hsun Chen succeeded Lai and was credited with the win, when he threw 2 scoreless/hitless innings, K'ing 5 and walking one. Just about everyone in the lineup got in on the hitting parade (14 hits). The kid who carried the ball club offensively was 3B Wei-Chih Chen who was 2-4, with a double, 3 runs scored, and 5 runs batted in. With the win, Taiwan is now in a 3 way tie with Canada and Mexico for first place in the group with a 2-0 record. Taiwan plays 0-2 Spain tomorrow. Surprisingly enough, the other 0-2 team in Taiwan's group play is the USA. The US struggled in it's second game versus Mexico.
Minors
J from MarinerMinors has brought to my attention that the Mariners have traded catcher Chao-Kuan Wu to the Cleveland Indians for future considerations. Wu has been a huge disappointment since his arrival 4 years ago. However, I can think of one good reason why the Indians wanted Wu: Sung-Wei Tseng
These 2 will probably end up being teammates next season on one of the Indians' "A" level affiliates.
Majors
It's early, but Kuo is up 1-0 in the bottom of the first inning against the Pirates.
An interesting article on how Wang matches up with the other AL playoff contenders.
Miscellaneous News...
Majors:
Chien-Ming Wang's next attempt at win #18 will come this Friday against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. He is scheduled to face rookie Jamie Shields. Hopefully Wang can forget about his last game out and bounce back with a win.
Amateur:
More on the current junior NT in Cuba. Interesting read on Team USA - it seems they went heavy on pitching and light on the hitting - I'm sure the wood bats have something to do with their diminished offensive production as well.
Chien-Ming Wang's next attempt at win #18 will come this Friday against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. He is scheduled to face rookie Jamie Shields. Hopefully Wang can forget about his last game out and bounce back with a win.
Amateur:
More on the current junior NT in Cuba. Interesting read on Team USA - it seems they went heavy on pitching and light on the hitting - I'm sure the wood bats have something to do with their diminished offensive production as well.
Monday, September 18, 2006
Breaking News....Taiwan Beats the USA!!!
In Cuba, Taiwan's junior NT pulled the early upset of the tourney by beating team USA 4-1 today in the World Junior Baseball Championships! Both teams managed 8 hits, but 4 errors cost team USA as all 4 runs scored against starter Blake Beavan and reliever Tim Alderson were unearned. For Taiwan, Kai-Wen Cheng earned the victory as he came on in the 5th inning, relieving starter Chun-Hsiu Chen. Chen pitched well, lasting 4.1 innings, giving up 2 hits and 1 run, to go along with 2 walks and 1 K. Cheng then blanked team USA the rest of the way, giving up 6 hits. As for Taiwan's hitters: SS Yen-Wen Kuo was 2-4 with a double and a RBI, 3B Wei-Chih Chen was 2-4 with 2 runs scored, and pinch hitter Chen-Yu Hung was clutch as he was 2-2 with a RBI. This is Taiwan's first win against the USA junior NT since the 2002 World Junior Baseball Championships! Taiwan plays Italy tomorrow. What a great way to start off the tourney!!!!!
Sunday, September 17, 2006
ND for Chiang....
Japan:
C.M. Chiang earned a no-decision today against the Yokohama BayStars. Chiang lasted 6.2 innings, giving up 2 runs (in his last inning of work) on 5 hits. He also had 1 walk and 4 K's. Chiang also scored a run in the 6th inning. Chiang left in the 7th inning in a 2-2 tie. Yomiuri ended up losing 4-2. Box
M.C. Hsu faced 4 batters in the 5th inning for the Seibu Lions. He gave up 2 hits and 0 runs. Seibu won 7-4. Box
Amateur:
The Taiwanese junior NT will face off against the USA tomorrow. The likely starter for the USA is Blake Beaven, an imposing figure standing in at 6'7". Beaven, with his low 90's fastball, projects as a top draft prospect in the 2007 class. Beaven has had success against Taiwan's youth programs in the past.
Roster #'s and DOB's are now available for all teams at this link (click on Participantes).
From what a buddy of mine said, scouts are not too impressed with the overall talent level of the Taiwanese junior NT. Let's keep our fingers crossed and hope for the best.
C.M. Chiang earned a no-decision today against the Yokohama BayStars. Chiang lasted 6.2 innings, giving up 2 runs (in his last inning of work) on 5 hits. He also had 1 walk and 4 K's. Chiang also scored a run in the 6th inning. Chiang left in the 7th inning in a 2-2 tie. Yomiuri ended up losing 4-2. Box
M.C. Hsu faced 4 batters in the 5th inning for the Seibu Lions. He gave up 2 hits and 0 runs. Seibu won 7-4. Box
Amateur:
The Taiwanese junior NT will face off against the USA tomorrow. The likely starter for the USA is Blake Beaven, an imposing figure standing in at 6'7". Beaven, with his low 90's fastball, projects as a top draft prospect in the 2007 class. Beaven has had success against Taiwan's youth programs in the past.
Roster #'s and DOB's are now available for all teams at this link (click on Participantes).
From what a buddy of mine said, scouts are not too impressed with the overall talent level of the Taiwanese junior NT. Let's keep our fingers crossed and hope for the best.
Saturday, September 16, 2006
Wang Loses to BoSox....
Losing for the first time since the month of August, Wang took his 6th loss of the season against the Boston Red Sox. Wang gave up 3 runs, all in the 4th inning, on 9 hits, in 5 innings. He left the game down 3-2. The Yanks offense couldn't muster much against Beckett and the Sox relievers, beyond Cano's 2 run shot. Final score: Boston 5 - NYY 2. Box/Recap
With the loss, Wang's shot to reach 20 wins has pretty much evaporated. Wang still has a chance to win 19 games as the remaining opponents left on the Yanks schedule include: Toronto, Tampa Bay, and Baltimore - all teams that Wang has beaten this season.
With the loss, Wang's shot to reach 20 wins has pretty much evaporated. Wang still has a chance to win 19 games as the remaining opponents left on the Yanks schedule include: Toronto, Tampa Bay, and Baltimore - all teams that Wang has beaten this season.
Conflicts of Interest.....
The recent signing of Yi-Hao Lin by the Yomiuri Giants leaves me scratching my head. Lin, a once in a decade type talent, recently officialized his agreement to sign with the Japanese NPB team. At 15 years old, Lin is the youngest Taiwanese kid to ever sign with a pro baseball team. He breaks Ching-Lung Lo's record - who was 16 when he signed with the Colorado Rockies.
The NPB recently passed a new rule which allows them to actively pursue and sign foreign players, at any time and regardless of age. The foreign players would receive a small preliminary signing bonus and get free room and board. For younger players like Lin, they would be enrolled in Japanese high schools to receive their education, but train with the minor league ni-gun teams. Upon graduation from HS, the kids would then circumvent the amateur NPB draft by being offered a "formal signing bonus" from their respective team. This would eliminate competition from other NPB teams and MLB clubs.
What this new rule does is effectively give the NPB an unfair advantage over MLB clubs for not only Taiwanese prospects, but for kids all over the world. The MLB has an age limit, where kids must be 16 in order to sign with a team. I have no problems with the NPB or MLB policies and rules regarding signing young foreign talent. What I do have a problem with is the fact that the upper governing bodies in Taiwan baseball have exhibited a schizophrenic personality when it comes to young talent leaving Taiwan for the US or Japan. Well respected NT coach Hua-Wei Lin encouraged and facilitated Lin's signing with the Yomiuri Giants. However, he along with other top baseball officials pushed for Taiwanese HS kids to graduate from HS before they could be eligible to sign with US ML teams. In fact Chih-Hsien Chiang's signing with the Red Sox caused controversy when his HS baseball team faced sanctions for the 2006-2007 season when they (not Chiang) were punished because of the fact that Chiang signed with the Red Sox before he finished HS.
If things continue on their current path, then we will continue to see a talent drain as top young Taiwanese talent flow towards Japan, ala Lin and C.S. Yang. Unless a player really wants to go the US, MLB will be stuck with sloppy seconds or late bloomers like C.M. Wang.
My thanks to my buddy for contributing info to this rant.
The NPB recently passed a new rule which allows them to actively pursue and sign foreign players, at any time and regardless of age. The foreign players would receive a small preliminary signing bonus and get free room and board. For younger players like Lin, they would be enrolled in Japanese high schools to receive their education, but train with the minor league ni-gun teams. Upon graduation from HS, the kids would then circumvent the amateur NPB draft by being offered a "formal signing bonus" from their respective team. This would eliminate competition from other NPB teams and MLB clubs.
What this new rule does is effectively give the NPB an unfair advantage over MLB clubs for not only Taiwanese prospects, but for kids all over the world. The MLB has an age limit, where kids must be 16 in order to sign with a team. I have no problems with the NPB or MLB policies and rules regarding signing young foreign talent. What I do have a problem with is the fact that the upper governing bodies in Taiwan baseball have exhibited a schizophrenic personality when it comes to young talent leaving Taiwan for the US or Japan. Well respected NT coach Hua-Wei Lin encouraged and facilitated Lin's signing with the Yomiuri Giants. However, he along with other top baseball officials pushed for Taiwanese HS kids to graduate from HS before they could be eligible to sign with US ML teams. In fact Chih-Hsien Chiang's signing with the Red Sox caused controversy when his HS baseball team faced sanctions for the 2006-2007 season when they (not Chiang) were punished because of the fact that Chiang signed with the Red Sox before he finished HS.
If things continue on their current path, then we will continue to see a talent drain as top young Taiwanese talent flow towards Japan, ala Lin and C.S. Yang. Unless a player really wants to go the US, MLB will be stuck with sloppy seconds or late bloomers like C.M. Wang.
My thanks to my buddy for contributing info to this rant.
Friday, September 15, 2006
Friday News....
Majors:
Wang's scheduled start today got delayed another day due to inclement weather. Wang is scheduled to pitch the opening game of a twin billing tomorrow at 1:05 pm Eastern against Josh Beckett.
Kuo is scheduled to make his next start on Tuesday against the Pittsburgh Pirates. This will be his first start at home for you LA based fans!
Japan:
Hsu won his first game in over 2 years. His last NPB win came on June 26th of 2004! Hsu, pitching in relief, picked up the win by pitching 2.1 innings, giving up 2 hits (one of them a HR) and 1 run. He had 2 K's and 0 walks. Seibu won 5-3. Box
Lin finally got a chance to start for Hanshin, although the team had him play at 1B. Hanshin lost 7-0, but Lin was 2-4 at the plate. It's about time he got some consistent PT! Box
Wang's scheduled start today got delayed another day due to inclement weather. Wang is scheduled to pitch the opening game of a twin billing tomorrow at 1:05 pm Eastern against Josh Beckett.
Kuo is scheduled to make his next start on Tuesday against the Pittsburgh Pirates. This will be his first start at home for you LA based fans!
Japan:
Hsu won his first game in over 2 years. His last NPB win came on June 26th of 2004! Hsu, pitching in relief, picked up the win by pitching 2.1 innings, giving up 2 hits (one of them a HR) and 1 run. He had 2 K's and 0 walks. Seibu won 5-3. Box
Lin finally got a chance to start for Hanshin, although the team had him play at 1B. Hanshin lost 7-0, but Lin was 2-4 at the plate. It's about time he got some consistent PT! Box
Thursday, September 14, 2006
ND for Kuo...
Majors:
Well, today's ND was tough to swallow. Kuo pitched well, well enough to win his 2nd game of the season. In fact, Kuo left the game after 6 strong innings, with a 5-2 lead against the Cubs. The Dodgers bullpen, specifically Brett Tomko, blew the lead and Kuo ended up with a ND. Kuo, who was clocked at a high of 96 mph, demonstrated excellent command of his pitches - 0 walks and of the 93 pitches thrown, 65 were strikes. Kuo also managed to strike out 6 batters - including Juan Pierre - the toughest guy statistically in the ML to K. Tough loss for the Dodgers - Box/Recap
With his strong performance today, Kuo will keep his spot in the starting rotation for the Dodgers.
Chien-Ming Wang's scheduled start today versus the Devil Rays got pushed back a day. Citing bad weather conditions in NY, Joe Torre decided to start Wang tomorrow against the Boston Red Sox. Wang's bid for win #18 just got that much tougher - Manny Ramirez and Eric Hinske are extremely tough outs for Wang. Wang will face Josh Beckett on the mound. The game will be broadcast nationally on ESPN at 4:00 PM Pacific.
Japan:
Hanshin won 4-2. Lin was 0-1 in another pinch hit appearance. He's hitting .270 on the year. Box
CPBL:
Ace En-Yu Lin won his 16th game of the season as he threw a complete game 3 hit shutout against the Sinon Bulls. Chalking up 12 K's tonight, Lin has been phenomenal this season. Like his hitting counterpart - CF Chen of the Bears, Lin is putting up triple-crown type numbers. Aside from co-leading the league in wins (16), he also has an ERA of 1.56 to go along with a league leading 194 K's in 184.2 innings. Barring injury, Lin is as good as gone next season to the NPB.
Amateur:
Taiwan's last game versus Team USA was rained out last night. The boys will regroup in Cuba as the World Junior Championships begin on September 17th. Visit the official site (in Spanish) for game updates. With that said here's a few parting photos (courtesy of Paul Durdaller of GeorgiaDugoutClub.com) of our boys during their friendly series this past week with a select team from Georgia.
Well, today's ND was tough to swallow. Kuo pitched well, well enough to win his 2nd game of the season. In fact, Kuo left the game after 6 strong innings, with a 5-2 lead against the Cubs. The Dodgers bullpen, specifically Brett Tomko, blew the lead and Kuo ended up with a ND. Kuo, who was clocked at a high of 96 mph, demonstrated excellent command of his pitches - 0 walks and of the 93 pitches thrown, 65 were strikes. Kuo also managed to strike out 6 batters - including Juan Pierre - the toughest guy statistically in the ML to K. Tough loss for the Dodgers - Box/Recap
With his strong performance today, Kuo will keep his spot in the starting rotation for the Dodgers.
Chien-Ming Wang's scheduled start today versus the Devil Rays got pushed back a day. Citing bad weather conditions in NY, Joe Torre decided to start Wang tomorrow against the Boston Red Sox. Wang's bid for win #18 just got that much tougher - Manny Ramirez and Eric Hinske are extremely tough outs for Wang. Wang will face Josh Beckett on the mound. The game will be broadcast nationally on ESPN at 4:00 PM Pacific.
Japan:
Hanshin won 4-2. Lin was 0-1 in another pinch hit appearance. He's hitting .270 on the year. Box
CPBL:
Ace En-Yu Lin won his 16th game of the season as he threw a complete game 3 hit shutout against the Sinon Bulls. Chalking up 12 K's tonight, Lin has been phenomenal this season. Like his hitting counterpart - CF Chen of the Bears, Lin is putting up triple-crown type numbers. Aside from co-leading the league in wins (16), he also has an ERA of 1.56 to go along with a league leading 194 K's in 184.2 innings. Barring injury, Lin is as good as gone next season to the NPB.
Amateur:
Taiwan's last game versus Team USA was rained out last night. The boys will regroup in Cuba as the World Junior Championships begin on September 17th. Visit the official site (in Spanish) for game updates. With that said here's a few parting photos (courtesy of Paul Durdaller of GeorgiaDugoutClub.com) of our boys during their friendly series this past week with a select team from Georgia.
Wednesday, September 13, 2006
Wednesday Recaps....
Japan:
Wei-Chu Lin was 0-1 in a pinch hit appearance. Hanshin won 5-4 on Wed. Box
Amateur:
Taiwan's junior NT is in Georgia playing a 3 game series versus the US junior NT.
Taiwan lost on Monday to the US 2-1. The Taiwanese hitters got a chance to face Michael Main, the top HS pitching prospect in the US.
Yesterday, Taiwan lost 3-1 to the US. The series finale takes place tonight.
The two teams will meet up again on Monday in the opening game for both teams in group play at the World Junior Baseball Championships.
I'm encouraged to see that our guys managed to keep pace with team USA. Team USA is one of the favorites to win the tourney - along with Cuba.
Wei-Chu Lin was 0-1 in a pinch hit appearance. Hanshin won 5-4 on Wed. Box
Amateur:
Taiwan's junior NT is in Georgia playing a 3 game series versus the US junior NT.
Taiwan lost on Monday to the US 2-1. The Taiwanese hitters got a chance to face Michael Main, the top HS pitching prospect in the US.
Yesterday, Taiwan lost 3-1 to the US. The series finale takes place tonight.
The two teams will meet up again on Monday in the opening game for both teams in group play at the World Junior Baseball Championships.
I'm encouraged to see that our guys managed to keep pace with team USA. Team USA is one of the favorites to win the tourney - along with Cuba.
Tuesday, September 12, 2006
Odds and Ends.....
HSU
In an away game, the Seibu Lions fell to the Nippon Ham Fighters. Ming-Chieh Hsu made a relief appearance for the Lions, going 2.2 innings, giving up 2 hits, an earned run, to go along with 2 walks and 1 K. His ERA on the year is 5.89 Box
LINMinors:
With Hu of the Dodgers participating in the AFL, Ching-Lung Lo will be playing in the HWB. Lo is listed on the Waikiki BeachBoys roster.
Minor League Pitcher Season Review....
The pitching pipeline from Taiwan has exported three big names to the US: Wang, Kuo, and Tsao. The next wave of Taiwanese kids are trying to make a name for themselves in the minors. How did they fare in 2006? Let's take a look.
On the Rise
None at this time - Sounds a bit harsh, but Tsao, Kuo, and Wang set the bar high with their dominant performances in the minors.
Holding Steady
1)Ching-Lung Lo: Signed as a 16 year old out of Taiwan, Lo is already a 5 year veteran in the US minors as a 21 year old! The last of the 7 figure bonus babies from Taiwan, Lo has failed to live up to high expectations. Throwing in the low 90's as a 16 year old, Lo only recently gained back some of that zip on his fastball with a change in his throwing mechanics. With that said, Lo's K/9 did improve this season (7.43) while moving up a rung in the minor leagues. Playing in High A ball, Lo did have one of his best seasons in the minor leagues, winning a career high 10 games, throwing a career high 155.1 innings, while striking out a career high 128. However, opponents hit .285 off Lo and his ERA for the season was 5.39!
Lo's cumulative stats for 2006:(Compare to Lo's previous seasons)
10Wins - 5Losses 5.39 ERA 155.1 IP 128 K's/54 BB
Lo's future outlook with the Rockies organization is unclear, but because he is still fairly young, it is too early to write him off at this time. Lo could get another look at Modesto or start next year in AA.
2)Chi-Hung Cheng: Statistically, Cheng had the best season of his young 3 year minor league career. The 21 year old won a career high 11 games, had a K/9 > 9, and even managed to lower his BB/9 to 4.28 (career average of 4.83). However, the Blue Jays organization felt fit to keep Cheng in A - ball (Lansing) for all of 2006, despite having fairly similar numbers in 2005 with Lansing. The biggest hinderance to Cheng's advancement in his career has been his control (or lack there of). Also, over the years, Cheng has lost velocity off of his fastball - from the low 90's as a teenager to the mid to upper 80's nowadays.
Cheng's cumulative stats for 2006:(Compare to Cheng's previous seasons)
11Wins - 5Losses 2.70 ERA 143.1 IP 154 K's/68 BB
The former Little League World Champ should get a shot at High A ball (Dunedin) next season.
3)Po-Hsuan Keng: Keng started the season with Cheng in Lansing. The 21 year old was utilized mainly as a reliever in 2006. Keng actually pitched well enough in Lansing - utilizing his 89 to 90 mph fastball, that he was promoted to high A - ball in Dunedin during the season. Unfortunately for Keng, his stay in Dunedin was short as he got shelled in his brief appearance with the club - 8.2 IP 10 ER 3 HR's allowed.
Keng's cumulative stats for 2006:(Compare to Keng's previous seasons)
1Win - 5Losses 3 Saves 3.22 ERA 78.1 IP 62 K's/21 BB
The Blue Jays appear content to move Cheng and Keng up the organization together, so Dunedin appears to be the destination of choice for Keng in 2007.
Incomplete
1)Ting-Jen Yeh: The 23 year old project made his debut in the US in 2006. However, he only made 9 appearances with Lowell (short season A ball) all season. With such little data, he retains his "project" status. We'll have to wait and see how he fares next season.
Yeh's cumulative stats for 2006:
1Win - 0Losses 9.53 ERA 11.1 IP 10 K's/7 BB
Because of his age and too much time spent away from the game, Yeh will probably play another year in Lowell.
2)Wang-Yi Lin: Another "project", Lin actually performed quite well in his US debut. The 18 year old held his own, pitching strictly as a reliever for the Spinners. Lin appeared in 10 games and hitters only hit .227 off him. However, again because of the limited amount of data on Lin, another season in the GCL is warranted before we pass judgement on Lin. Also Lin, a former positional player in HS is still learning how to pitch. In a matter of a year, Lin's fastball has improved from barely cracking 80 mph to the point that he is able to clock up to 88 mph on his fastball. Lin's future appears bright.
W.Y. Lin's cumulative stats for 2006:
2Wins - 1Loss 1 Save 1.31 ERA 20.2 IP 8 K's/6 BB
3)Yen-Feng Lin: The 21 year old made his pro debut in the GCL. Like W.Y. Lin, Y.F. Lin pitched mostly in a relief role and managed to go undefeated in his first pro campaign (3-0). However, like the two guys mentioned above, his limited appearances make it hard to project his future.
Y.F. Lin's cumulative stats for 2006:
3Wins - 0Losses 2 Saves 3.92 ERA 20.2 IP 17 K's/6 BB
Lin could start next year in the GCL or with Batavia (low A-ball).
Falling
1)Chia-An Huang: Can any player's stock fall any faster than the one time uber prospect? After numerous rumors surrounding the player's whereabouts and physical condition in the offseason, the bottom line is that Huang did finally end up in the US in 2006. Despite not playing this year, Huang reported to extended spring training in Peoria. An unspecified injury to Huang's shoulder led to a significant loss in mph off of Huang's once feared fastball. The last I heard, Huang was only throwing in the low 80's. Of all the pitchers listed above, Huang's signing bonus was second to only C.L. Lo. The return on the Mariner's investment in Huang is not looking good at this time. We'll have to see what transpires in the offseason and during spring training in 2007, before we can establish Huang as a prospect again.
On the Rise
None at this time - Sounds a bit harsh, but Tsao, Kuo, and Wang set the bar high with their dominant performances in the minors.
Holding Steady
1)Ching-Lung Lo: Signed as a 16 year old out of Taiwan, Lo is already a 5 year veteran in the US minors as a 21 year old! The last of the 7 figure bonus babies from Taiwan, Lo has failed to live up to high expectations. Throwing in the low 90's as a 16 year old, Lo only recently gained back some of that zip on his fastball with a change in his throwing mechanics. With that said, Lo's K/9 did improve this season (7.43) while moving up a rung in the minor leagues. Playing in High A ball, Lo did have one of his best seasons in the minor leagues, winning a career high 10 games, throwing a career high 155.1 innings, while striking out a career high 128. However, opponents hit .285 off Lo and his ERA for the season was 5.39!
Lo's cumulative stats for 2006:(Compare to Lo's previous seasons)
10Wins - 5Losses 5.39 ERA 155.1 IP 128 K's/54 BB
Lo's future outlook with the Rockies organization is unclear, but because he is still fairly young, it is too early to write him off at this time. Lo could get another look at Modesto or start next year in AA.
2)Chi-Hung Cheng: Statistically, Cheng had the best season of his young 3 year minor league career. The 21 year old won a career high 11 games, had a K/9 > 9, and even managed to lower his BB/9 to 4.28 (career average of 4.83). However, the Blue Jays organization felt fit to keep Cheng in A - ball (Lansing) for all of 2006, despite having fairly similar numbers in 2005 with Lansing. The biggest hinderance to Cheng's advancement in his career has been his control (or lack there of). Also, over the years, Cheng has lost velocity off of his fastball - from the low 90's as a teenager to the mid to upper 80's nowadays.
Cheng's cumulative stats for 2006:(Compare to Cheng's previous seasons)
11Wins - 5Losses 2.70 ERA 143.1 IP 154 K's/68 BB
The former Little League World Champ should get a shot at High A ball (Dunedin) next season.
3)Po-Hsuan Keng: Keng started the season with Cheng in Lansing. The 21 year old was utilized mainly as a reliever in 2006. Keng actually pitched well enough in Lansing - utilizing his 89 to 90 mph fastball, that he was promoted to high A - ball in Dunedin during the season. Unfortunately for Keng, his stay in Dunedin was short as he got shelled in his brief appearance with the club - 8.2 IP 10 ER 3 HR's allowed.
Keng's cumulative stats for 2006:(Compare to Keng's previous seasons)
1Win - 5Losses 3 Saves 3.22 ERA 78.1 IP 62 K's/21 BB
The Blue Jays appear content to move Cheng and Keng up the organization together, so Dunedin appears to be the destination of choice for Keng in 2007.
Incomplete
1)Ting-Jen Yeh: The 23 year old project made his debut in the US in 2006. However, he only made 9 appearances with Lowell (short season A ball) all season. With such little data, he retains his "project" status. We'll have to wait and see how he fares next season.
Yeh's cumulative stats for 2006:
1Win - 0Losses 9.53 ERA 11.1 IP 10 K's/7 BB
Because of his age and too much time spent away from the game, Yeh will probably play another year in Lowell.
2)Wang-Yi Lin: Another "project", Lin actually performed quite well in his US debut. The 18 year old held his own, pitching strictly as a reliever for the Spinners. Lin appeared in 10 games and hitters only hit .227 off him. However, again because of the limited amount of data on Lin, another season in the GCL is warranted before we pass judgement on Lin. Also Lin, a former positional player in HS is still learning how to pitch. In a matter of a year, Lin's fastball has improved from barely cracking 80 mph to the point that he is able to clock up to 88 mph on his fastball. Lin's future appears bright.
W.Y. Lin's cumulative stats for 2006:
2Wins - 1Loss 1 Save 1.31 ERA 20.2 IP 8 K's/6 BB
3)Yen-Feng Lin: The 21 year old made his pro debut in the GCL. Like W.Y. Lin, Y.F. Lin pitched mostly in a relief role and managed to go undefeated in his first pro campaign (3-0). However, like the two guys mentioned above, his limited appearances make it hard to project his future.
Y.F. Lin's cumulative stats for 2006:
3Wins - 0Losses 2 Saves 3.92 ERA 20.2 IP 17 K's/6 BB
Lin could start next year in the GCL or with Batavia (low A-ball).
Falling
1)Chia-An Huang: Can any player's stock fall any faster than the one time uber prospect? After numerous rumors surrounding the player's whereabouts and physical condition in the offseason, the bottom line is that Huang did finally end up in the US in 2006. Despite not playing this year, Huang reported to extended spring training in Peoria. An unspecified injury to Huang's shoulder led to a significant loss in mph off of Huang's once feared fastball. The last I heard, Huang was only throwing in the low 80's. Of all the pitchers listed above, Huang's signing bonus was second to only C.L. Lo. The return on the Mariner's investment in Huang is not looking good at this time. We'll have to see what transpires in the offseason and during spring training in 2007, before we can establish Huang as a prospect again.
Monday, September 11, 2006
Minor League Positional Player Season Review....
With the minor league regular season over, let's take a look at how the kids fared in 2006.
POSITIONAL PLAYERS
The Good
1)Yung-Chi Chen: Had a standout season among the positional players in the US minors. His potential was recognized by MLB when he was named to the 2006 Futures All-Star Game. The 23 year old started the year in A+ ball (where he was recognized as an All-Star) and finished the season in AA. Playing solid defense, Chen only committed 8 errors at 2B all season. Chen's plate discipline, base running instincts, and run production all contributed to a solid 2006 campaign.
Chen's cumulative stats for 2006: (Compare to Chen's stats from the last 2 years)
.324 BA 438 AB's 8 HR's 72 RBI's 41 BB/63 K's 26 SB's
Chen will probably start next season at AA again, but if he performs well, deserves a shot at the next level - AAA.
2)Chih-Hsien Chiang: Mentioned already in a previous post, had a standout first year in the pros - jumping from rookie ball to short-season A ball by the end of the year. The 18 year old's upside is tremendous - but then again, we already knew that.
Chiang's cumulative stats for 2006:
.285 BA 158 AB's 2 HR's 20 RBI's 6 BB/20 K's 3 SB's
The assumption here is that Chiang will begin next season in A ball with Greenville.
3)Ching-Lung Hu: Defensive Whiz who played the entire year in AA at Jacksonville. While flashing a tremendous glove - leading the Southern League in fielding percentage at SS, Hu struggled at the plate in 2006 - hitting only .254. Hu's cumulative stats for 2006:(Compare to Hu's stats from the previous few seasons)
.254 BA 488 AB's 5 HR's 34 RBI's 49 BB/63 K's 11 SB's
Despite his offensive woes, Hu was named to the 2006 Futures All-Star Game roster along with Chen and was also a Southern League All-Star. The 22 year old could probably use another year at AA to hone his batting skills.
The ?????
1)Kuo-Hui Lo: Already profiled in an earlier post. After a promising start at Everett, Lo struggled in Wisconsin. The potential is there, but he must improve his plate discipline and cut down on his K's. The 20 year old will probably start the year in A-ball in 2007.
Lo's cumulative stats for 2006:
.255 BA 165 AB's 3 HR's 17 RBI's 14 BB/43 K's 24 SB's
The Ugly
1)Chao-Kuan Wu: After starting the year with Wisconsin, Wu struggled and was demoted to Everett where he didn't fare much better. Although the 22 year old is still young, his prospect status is getting dimmer by the minute. Playing mostly as a catcher, Wu did not see much consistent playing time this year - his anemic bat - .217 BA and 0 HR's in 166 AB's, certainly didn't help his cause.
Wu's cumulative stats for 2006:(Compare to Wu's stats from previous seasons)
.217 BA 166 AB's 0 HR's 14 RBI's 14 BB/32 K's 1 SB
A star in the 2002 World Junior Championships, Wu has been a big bust so far in his pro career - Expect another season in Everett/Wisconsin.
2)Chih-Hsiang Huang: The 18 year old struggled in his first season overseas. Despite his struggles, Huang is a good athlete with plus tools. With that said, Huang was unable to capitalize on his raw potential and his numbers from his first season reflect that. Huang managed to hit only .125 at the rookie level GCL, while K'ing at an alarming rate of once in every 3 AB's.
Huang's cumulative stats for 2006:
.125 BA 72 AB's 1 HR 5 RBI's 6 BB/22 K's 0 SB's
Huang will probably repeat another year in the GCL next season.
POSITIONAL PLAYERS
The Good
1)Yung-Chi Chen: Had a standout season among the positional players in the US minors. His potential was recognized by MLB when he was named to the 2006 Futures All-Star Game. The 23 year old started the year in A+ ball (where he was recognized as an All-Star) and finished the season in AA. Playing solid defense, Chen only committed 8 errors at 2B all season. Chen's plate discipline, base running instincts, and run production all contributed to a solid 2006 campaign.
Chen's cumulative stats for 2006: (Compare to Chen's stats from the last 2 years)
.324 BA 438 AB's 8 HR's 72 RBI's 41 BB/63 K's 26 SB's
Chen will probably start next season at AA again, but if he performs well, deserves a shot at the next level - AAA.
2)Chih-Hsien Chiang: Mentioned already in a previous post, had a standout first year in the pros - jumping from rookie ball to short-season A ball by the end of the year. The 18 year old's upside is tremendous - but then again, we already knew that.
Chiang's cumulative stats for 2006:
.285 BA 158 AB's 2 HR's 20 RBI's 6 BB/20 K's 3 SB's
The assumption here is that Chiang will begin next season in A ball with Greenville.
3)Ching-Lung Hu: Defensive Whiz who played the entire year in AA at Jacksonville. While flashing a tremendous glove - leading the Southern League in fielding percentage at SS, Hu struggled at the plate in 2006 - hitting only .254. Hu's cumulative stats for 2006:(Compare to Hu's stats from the previous few seasons)
.254 BA 488 AB's 5 HR's 34 RBI's 49 BB/63 K's 11 SB's
Despite his offensive woes, Hu was named to the 2006 Futures All-Star Game roster along with Chen and was also a Southern League All-Star. The 22 year old could probably use another year at AA to hone his batting skills.
The ?????
1)Kuo-Hui Lo: Already profiled in an earlier post. After a promising start at Everett, Lo struggled in Wisconsin. The potential is there, but he must improve his plate discipline and cut down on his K's. The 20 year old will probably start the year in A-ball in 2007.
Lo's cumulative stats for 2006:
.255 BA 165 AB's 3 HR's 17 RBI's 14 BB/43 K's 24 SB's
The Ugly
1)Chao-Kuan Wu: After starting the year with Wisconsin, Wu struggled and was demoted to Everett where he didn't fare much better. Although the 22 year old is still young, his prospect status is getting dimmer by the minute. Playing mostly as a catcher, Wu did not see much consistent playing time this year - his anemic bat - .217 BA and 0 HR's in 166 AB's, certainly didn't help his cause.
Wu's cumulative stats for 2006:(Compare to Wu's stats from previous seasons)
.217 BA 166 AB's 0 HR's 14 RBI's 14 BB/32 K's 1 SB
A star in the 2002 World Junior Championships, Wu has been a big bust so far in his pro career - Expect another season in Everett/Wisconsin.
2)Chih-Hsiang Huang: The 18 year old struggled in his first season overseas. Despite his struggles, Huang is a good athlete with plus tools. With that said, Huang was unable to capitalize on his raw potential and his numbers from his first season reflect that. Huang managed to hit only .125 at the rookie level GCL, while K'ing at an alarming rate of once in every 3 AB's.
Huang's cumulative stats for 2006:
.125 BA 72 AB's 1 HR 5 RBI's 6 BB/22 K's 0 SB's
Huang will probably repeat another year in the GCL next season.
Sunday, September 10, 2006
Twin Billing on Thursday...
As mentioned in the comments section, Wang and Kuo will both make their next projected starts this Thursday.
Chien-Ming Wang will start against Jamie Shields of Tampa Bay. I don't want to jinx Wang, but his chances of getting win #18 are pretty good. Wang has already faced TB 3 times this season. He is 2-0 with a 1.12 ERA and threw his first complete game (shutout) on July 28th against the same lineup. The Yankees have already seen Shields this season and won against him. Throw in the fact that Wang is 10-2 at home with a 2.76 ERA while Shields is 2-5 with a 5.52 ERA away, and it would seem as if things are looking pretty good for Wang. Then again, we'll have to see what happens Thursday!
Hong-Chih Kuo will get his second career start against the Chicago Cubs, with the starter TBD later. The game will be broadcast at 11:00 AM Pacific on FSN-Prime or WGN. Might as well set those DVR's!
Here's to hoping that both guys shine and come out with a win!
The most recent Sporting News has jumped onto the Wang/Kuo bandwagon with a brief mention about each kid:
Chien-Ming Wang will start against Jamie Shields of Tampa Bay. I don't want to jinx Wang, but his chances of getting win #18 are pretty good. Wang has already faced TB 3 times this season. He is 2-0 with a 1.12 ERA and threw his first complete game (shutout) on July 28th against the same lineup. The Yankees have already seen Shields this season and won against him. Throw in the fact that Wang is 10-2 at home with a 2.76 ERA while Shields is 2-5 with a 5.52 ERA away, and it would seem as if things are looking pretty good for Wang. Then again, we'll have to see what happens Thursday!
Hong-Chih Kuo will get his second career start against the Chicago Cubs, with the starter TBD later. The game will be broadcast at 11:00 AM Pacific on FSN-Prime or WGN. Might as well set those DVR's!
Here's to hoping that both guys shine and come out with a win!
The most recent Sporting News has jumped onto the Wang/Kuo bandwagon with a brief mention about each kid:
Saturday, September 09, 2006
"Today Was a Good Day!!"
Taking a line from Ice Cube, today was a DAMNED good day for Taiwanese baseball!
First off:
MAJORS
Chien-Ming Wang won his 17th game of the season against the Baltimore Orioles today. Wang lasted 7.1 innings, giving up 8 hits, 1 earned run, to go along with o walks and 1 K. Mixing in sliders and the changeup with his sinker, Wang induced 16 more groundouts today. Wang left the game in the 8th inning, winning 2-1. The Yankees would tack on another run in the 8th before the bullpen closed out a 3-2 win for Wang and the Yanks. Wang lowers his ERA to 3.60 and joins Johan Santana as the ML's only 17 game winners. Wang avenges an earlier loss this season to the Orioles and with at least 4 starts remaining in the regular season, is seeking 20 wins while chasing Chan Ho Park's 18 victories in a season.
Box/Recap
JAPAN
Chien-Ming Chiang won his third consecutive game of the season for the Yomiuri Giants, beating the Yakult Swallows 2-1. Chiang pitched 8 strong innings, giving up 4 hits, 1 run - via a solo HR, to go along with 4 K's and 1 walk. Chiang's ERA through 4 games is 0.55! Box
Lin launched his 4th HR of the season for the Hanshin Tigers. Making his usual pinch hit appearance in the 7th inning, Lin made the most of his opportunity, driving in his 10th run of the season on his solo blast. Hanshin won 5-3 over the Yokohama BayStars. Box
AMATEUR
Taiwan lived up to it's advanced billing by returning the favor and beating South Korea in the 2006 Asian Youth Baseball Championships!!! Taiwan won 4-0, thus avenging an earlier loss and retaining it's Asian Youth Baseball Title. Pitcher Sheng-Chih Yang won MVP of the tourney. I don't have any stats, but I wonder how Yi-Hao Lin and Rong-Hao Hsieh did in the tournament?
MINORS
The Jacksonville Suns were swept in the opening round of their playoff series after losing 2-0 today. Hu finished his season by going 1-3 in today's game. He also committed his only error of the postseason. Box
First off:
MAJORS
Chien-Ming Wang won his 17th game of the season against the Baltimore Orioles today. Wang lasted 7.1 innings, giving up 8 hits, 1 earned run, to go along with o walks and 1 K. Mixing in sliders and the changeup with his sinker, Wang induced 16 more groundouts today. Wang left the game in the 8th inning, winning 2-1. The Yankees would tack on another run in the 8th before the bullpen closed out a 3-2 win for Wang and the Yanks. Wang lowers his ERA to 3.60 and joins Johan Santana as the ML's only 17 game winners. Wang avenges an earlier loss this season to the Orioles and with at least 4 starts remaining in the regular season, is seeking 20 wins while chasing Chan Ho Park's 18 victories in a season.
Box/Recap
JAPAN
Chien-Ming Chiang won his third consecutive game of the season for the Yomiuri Giants, beating the Yakult Swallows 2-1. Chiang pitched 8 strong innings, giving up 4 hits, 1 run - via a solo HR, to go along with 4 K's and 1 walk. Chiang's ERA through 4 games is 0.55! Box
Lin launched his 4th HR of the season for the Hanshin Tigers. Making his usual pinch hit appearance in the 7th inning, Lin made the most of his opportunity, driving in his 10th run of the season on his solo blast. Hanshin won 5-3 over the Yokohama BayStars. Box
AMATEUR
Taiwan lived up to it's advanced billing by returning the favor and beating South Korea in the 2006 Asian Youth Baseball Championships!!! Taiwan won 4-0, thus avenging an earlier loss and retaining it's Asian Youth Baseball Title. Pitcher Sheng-Chih Yang won MVP of the tourney. I don't have any stats, but I wonder how Yi-Hao Lin and Rong-Hao Hsieh did in the tournament?
MINORS
The Jacksonville Suns were swept in the opening round of their playoff series after losing 2-0 today. Hu finished his season by going 1-3 in today's game. He also committed his only error of the postseason. Box
Friday, September 08, 2006
NT Rosters Updated....
The most up-to-date rosters have been announced for the two upcoming senior international competitions:
16th Intercontinental Cup (Nov. 9th - 19th / Taichung, Taiwan)
40 man preliminary roster(24 will make the final cut):
PITCHERS(18)
1)Pai-Yu Lin
2)Cheng-Lung Lo
3)Chia-Jen Lo
4)Ko-Chien Lin
5)Chen-Chang Lee
6)En-Yu Lin
7)Yueh-Ping Lin
8)Wei-Lun Pan
9)Chien-Fu Yang
10)Si-Yo Wu
11)Fong-Hua Lee
12)Po-Hsuan Keng
13)Chi-Hung Cheng
14)Sung-Wei Tseng
15)Ching-Lung Lo
16)Wei-Yin Chen
17)Chien-Ming Chiang
18)Yao-Hsun Yang
CATCHERS(5)
1)Yi-Wei Lee
2)Hung-Yu Lin
3)Chih-Kang Kao
4)Chun-Chang Yeh
5)Feng-Min Chen
INFIELDERS(9)
1)Sheng-Wei Wang
2)Chih-Wei Shih
3)Chih-Sheng Lin
4)Tai-Shan Chang
5)Chang-Ming Cheng
6)Chuan-Chia Wang
7)Yung-Chi Chen
8)Chung-Shou Yang
9)Kuo-Ching Kao
OUTFIELDERS(8)
1)Chih-Yao Chan
2)Yuan-Chin Chu
3)Yu-Hsien Ming
4)Chien-Ming Chang
5)Guan-Ren Chen
6)Chin-Feng Chen
7)Chia-Hsien Hsieh
8)Kuo-Hui Lo
2006 Asian Games (Nov. 29th - Dec. 7th / Doha, Qatar)
29 man preliminary roster (trimmed down from 50)(22 will make the final cut):
PITCHERS(12)
1)Ko-Chien Lin
2))En-Yu Lin
3)Yueh-Ping Lin
4)Wei-Lun Pan
5)Si-Yo Wu
6)Hong-Chih Kuo
7)Po-Hsuan Keng
8)Sung-Wei Tseng
9)Wei-Yin Chen
10) Chien-Ming Chiang
11)Yao-Hsun Yang
12)Chen-Chang Lee
CATCHERS(3)
1)Chih-Kang Kao
2)Chun-Chang Yeh
3)Feng-Min Chen
INFIELDERS(8)
1)Chih-Sheng Lin
2)Tai-Shan Chang
3)Chuan-Chia Wang
4)Yung-Chi Chen
5)Chin-Lung Hu
6)Chung-Shou Yang
7)Chang-Ming Cheng
8)Chih-Wei Shih
OUTFIELDERS(6)
1)Yu-Hsien Ming
2)Chien-Ming Chang
3)Chin-Feng Chen
4)Wei-Chu Lin
5)Chia-Hsien Hsieh
6)Kuo-Hui Lo
16th Intercontinental Cup (Nov. 9th - 19th / Taichung, Taiwan)
40 man preliminary roster(24 will make the final cut):
PITCHERS(18)
1)Pai-Yu Lin
2)Cheng-Lung Lo
3)Chia-Jen Lo
4)Ko-Chien Lin
5)Chen-Chang Lee
6)En-Yu Lin
7)Yueh-Ping Lin
8)Wei-Lun Pan
9)Chien-Fu Yang
10)Si-Yo Wu
11)Fong-Hua Lee
12)Po-Hsuan Keng
13)Chi-Hung Cheng
14)Sung-Wei Tseng
15)Ching-Lung Lo
16)Wei-Yin Chen
17)Chien-Ming Chiang
18)Yao-Hsun Yang
CATCHERS(5)
1)Yi-Wei Lee
2)Hung-Yu Lin
3)Chih-Kang Kao
4)Chun-Chang Yeh
5)Feng-Min Chen
INFIELDERS(9)
1)Sheng-Wei Wang
2)Chih-Wei Shih
3)Chih-Sheng Lin
4)Tai-Shan Chang
5)Chang-Ming Cheng
6)Chuan-Chia Wang
7)Yung-Chi Chen
8)Chung-Shou Yang
9)Kuo-Ching Kao
OUTFIELDERS(8)
1)Chih-Yao Chan
2)Yuan-Chin Chu
3)Yu-Hsien Ming
4)Chien-Ming Chang
5)Guan-Ren Chen
6)Chin-Feng Chen
7)Chia-Hsien Hsieh
8)Kuo-Hui Lo
2006 Asian Games (Nov. 29th - Dec. 7th / Doha, Qatar)
29 man preliminary roster (trimmed down from 50)(22 will make the final cut):
PITCHERS(12)
1)Ko-Chien Lin
2))En-Yu Lin
3)Yueh-Ping Lin
4)Wei-Lun Pan
5)Si-Yo Wu
6)Hong-Chih Kuo
7)Po-Hsuan Keng
8)Sung-Wei Tseng
9)Wei-Yin Chen
10) Chien-Ming Chiang
11)Yao-Hsun Yang
12)Chen-Chang Lee
CATCHERS(3)
1)Chih-Kang Kao
2)Chun-Chang Yeh
3)Feng-Min Chen
INFIELDERS(8)
1)Chih-Sheng Lin
2)Tai-Shan Chang
3)Chuan-Chia Wang
4)Yung-Chi Chen
5)Chin-Lung Hu
6)Chung-Shou Yang
7)Chang-Ming Cheng
8)Chih-Wei Shih
OUTFIELDERS(6)
1)Yu-Hsien Ming
2)Chien-Ming Chang
3)Chin-Feng Chen
4)Wei-Chu Lin
5)Chia-Hsien Hsieh
6)Kuo-Hui Lo
Kuo Impressive in Starting Debut!!
"He was throwing nasty." - teammate Rafael Furcalon Kuo's performance tonight
Well, you gotta feel happy for the "Comeback Kid", especially after the impressive performance he put up tonight. Facing arguably the NL's best team (seeing 3 guys in the lineup with 100's RBI's is mind boggling!) and with their team lead in the NL West down to 1/2 game, Kuo came through for the Dodgers in a big way: pitching 6 innings of shutout ball, K'ing 7, while walking 3. Although Kuo struggled a bit in the first inning - walking 2 batters, he was able to escape unscathed, thanks in part to C Martin throwing out Jose Reyes trying to swipe third base. After settling down, Kuo was commanding his breaking ball effectively, mixing it up with his 94-97 mph cheese. Furcal played tremendous defense behind Kuo as well. The last of the 3 hits given up by Kuo was a questionable call, as 3B Betemit was unable to make a play on a groundball that could have been fielded. Helped by the longball, the offense gave Kuo plenty of run support (5 runs). After losing his first 5 games in blown relief appearances over the past 2 seasons, Kuo finally nailed down his first career win in his first career ML start.
With his tremendous showing tonight, the Dodger's Manager - Grady Little, immediately announced that Kuo would start against the Chicago Cubs on Thursday. WAY TO GO KUO!!
Box/Recap
Hopefully Wang can duplicate Kuo's success tomorrow when he goes against the Orioles.
Minors:
Jacksonville lost game 2 of their series, 4-2 to Montgomery. Hu was 0-4 with a RBI. Box
Amateur:
Taiwan beat rival Japan 1-0 in the Asian Youth Championships semifinals. Taiwan will seek redemption as it will face South Korea in the championship game on Saturday. JIA YO!!
Thursday, September 07, 2006
Thursday Roundup...
Japan:
We've finally got a Lin sighting. The Hanshin Tigers lost 3-0 on Thursday. In his typical role, Lin made a pinch hit appearance in the 8th inning and promptly singled in his only AB. Box
Minors:
Jacksonville lost 4-3 in the opener of their playoff series. Hu was 1-4 with a run scored. Box
Lansing won 4-3. Keng made a relief appearance - facing 2 batters in the 7th inning. He gave up 0 hits, 1 unearned run, to go along with 2 walks and a K. Box
In the final game this season, Lowell won 6-1. However, Chiang went hitless in 5 AB's, although he did score a run. Box
Chiang's final numbers for 2006
CPBL:
C.F. Chen hit his league-leading 20th HR to help lead the LA New Bears to an 11-9 victory over the Sinon Bulls. Chen was 2-4 with 5 RBI's.
Chen is putting up triple-crown type numbers in the CPBL, leading the league in RBI's - 75 and HR's - 20, while hitting at a .329 clip.
We've finally got a Lin sighting. The Hanshin Tigers lost 3-0 on Thursday. In his typical role, Lin made a pinch hit appearance in the 8th inning and promptly singled in his only AB. Box
Minors:
Jacksonville lost 4-3 in the opener of their playoff series. Hu was 1-4 with a run scored. Box
Lansing won 4-3. Keng made a relief appearance - facing 2 batters in the 7th inning. He gave up 0 hits, 1 unearned run, to go along with 2 walks and a K. Box
In the final game this season, Lowell won 6-1. However, Chiang went hitless in 5 AB's, although he did score a run. Box
Chiang's final numbers for 2006
CPBL:
C.F. Chen hit his league-leading 20th HR to help lead the LA New Bears to an 11-9 victory over the Sinon Bulls. Chen was 2-4 with 5 RBI's.
Chen is putting up triple-crown type numbers in the CPBL, leading the league in RBI's - 75 and HR's - 20, while hitting at a .329 clip.
Wednesday, September 06, 2006
9/6/06 News....
Minors:
Lansing won 4-3 in the opening game of it's first round playoff series in the MWL. Cheng started for Lansing, earning a no-decision. Cheng lasted 5 innings, giving up 8 hits, 3 runs - (2 via a HR), to go along with 2 walks and 6 K's. Box
Everett won 5-0. Wu was 1-3 with a walk and 2 runs scored. Box
Chiang continues to tear the cover off the ball at Lowell. Lowell won 5-3 today. Chiang raised his batting average to .323 with a 2-4 night that included a triple, a walk, and a run scored. Box
Amateur:
Taiwan won 9-0 against the Philippines yesterday in the Asian AA Championships. However, it lost 3-1 to South Korea today. The only bright spot for Taiwan was the solo HR cranked out by 2-way player Yi-Shan Deng. Deng assisted Sheng-Chih Yang in pitching a shutout against the Philippines on Tuesday. Taiwan will now be forced to face Japan, #1 in their respective group, in one semifinal on Friday.
Majors:
Nice piece written by Chien-Ming Wang in English - read it here.
*Updated* Wang's next start is against the Orioles on Saturday. He will face rookie Adam Loewen.
Lansing won 4-3 in the opening game of it's first round playoff series in the MWL. Cheng started for Lansing, earning a no-decision. Cheng lasted 5 innings, giving up 8 hits, 3 runs - (2 via a HR), to go along with 2 walks and 6 K's. Box
Everett won 5-0. Wu was 1-3 with a walk and 2 runs scored. Box
Chiang continues to tear the cover off the ball at Lowell. Lowell won 5-3 today. Chiang raised his batting average to .323 with a 2-4 night that included a triple, a walk, and a run scored. Box
Amateur:
Taiwan won 9-0 against the Philippines yesterday in the Asian AA Championships. However, it lost 3-1 to South Korea today. The only bright spot for Taiwan was the solo HR cranked out by 2-way player Yi-Shan Deng. Deng assisted Sheng-Chih Yang in pitching a shutout against the Philippines on Tuesday. Taiwan will now be forced to face Japan, #1 in their respective group, in one semifinal on Friday.
Majors:
Nice piece written by Chien-Ming Wang in English - read it here.
*Updated* Wang's next start is against the Orioles on Saturday. He will face rookie Adam Loewen.
Tuesday, September 05, 2006
Tuesday Roundup....
Minors:
Only one game to recap tonight: In A ball, Chiang was 2-5 with a triple, 3 RBI's, and a run scored. Lowell won 14-7. Box
The season is effectively over for the majority of Taiwanese kids as the minor league playoffs have begun. A few players will be making post-season appearances with their respective ball clubs: Hu with the Jacksonville Suns, and Cheng and Keng with the Lansing Lugnuts.
Majors:
Hong-Chih Kuo will get his first career MLB start against the NY Mets this Friday. That will be a tough debut against the National League's best team. Kuo will be matched up against John Maine. It looks like the 4:10 PM Pacific game will be broadcast on ESPN/KCAL.
Only one game to recap tonight: In A ball, Chiang was 2-5 with a triple, 3 RBI's, and a run scored. Lowell won 14-7. Box
The season is effectively over for the majority of Taiwanese kids as the minor league playoffs have begun. A few players will be making post-season appearances with their respective ball clubs: Hu with the Jacksonville Suns, and Cheng and Keng with the Lansing Lugnuts.
Majors:
Hong-Chih Kuo will get his first career MLB start against the NY Mets this Friday. That will be a tough debut against the National League's best team. Kuo will be matched up against John Maine. It looks like the 4:10 PM Pacific game will be broadcast on ESPN/KCAL.
Monday, September 04, 2006
ND for Wang....
Majors:
Wang's attempt to become the first 17 game winner in the MLB fell short. Although the Yankees won 12-5, Wang ended up with a no-decision tonight after only lasting 5.2 innings. After giving up a run in the opening frame, Wang was cruising through the first 5 innings, giving up only 3 hits. Then in the 6th inning, Wang ran into problems when he allowed a single to the leadoff hitter. The runner advanced to 2nd on a fielder's choice. The next batter singled home the runner on 2nd. With 1 out, Wang managed to get a pop out. Wang then gave up back to back singles scoring the 2nd run of the inning, before walking the final batter he faced. Torre then pulled Wang from the game with the bases loaded, down 3-1. The Royals wouldn't score again in the 6th, but would tack on 2 more runs in the 7th inning. Wang can thank his lucky stars that the Yanks offense came to life because if not for the 10 run inning in the 8th inning, Wang would have lost his 6th game of the season. Wang's line for the night:
5.2 IP 7 hits 3 runs-all earned 1 walk 2 K's 1 error
Box/Recap
YANG
Japan:
Chung-Shou Yang won August MVP honors for the Eastern League in the NPB minors. Yang had a great August, playing in 18 games, hitting .321 with 25 hits in 78 AB's. Yang also had 1 HR and drove in 11 for the month.
From the Daily Yomiuri - nice read on Chiang's victory yesterday.
Minors:
AA - Jacksonville won 5-3, aided by Hu's 5th HR of the season. Hu was 2-3 with a run scored and a RBI. Box
A - Lowell lost 3-2 in both doubleheaders played today. Chiang played in game 1 and was 0-3 with a SB and a run scored. Box
CPBL:
Chin-Feng Chen and Tai-Shan Chang are all knotted up at 19 HR's a piece atop the CPBL leader board in that category. Read more here.
Amateur:
Taiwan won it's opening game versus Thailand 11-0 in the Asian Youth Baseball Championships. It takes on the Philippines today before meeting it's toughest group opponent - South Korea on Wednesday.
Wang's attempt to become the first 17 game winner in the MLB fell short. Although the Yankees won 12-5, Wang ended up with a no-decision tonight after only lasting 5.2 innings. After giving up a run in the opening frame, Wang was cruising through the first 5 innings, giving up only 3 hits. Then in the 6th inning, Wang ran into problems when he allowed a single to the leadoff hitter. The runner advanced to 2nd on a fielder's choice. The next batter singled home the runner on 2nd. With 1 out, Wang managed to get a pop out. Wang then gave up back to back singles scoring the 2nd run of the inning, before walking the final batter he faced. Torre then pulled Wang from the game with the bases loaded, down 3-1. The Royals wouldn't score again in the 6th, but would tack on 2 more runs in the 7th inning. Wang can thank his lucky stars that the Yanks offense came to life because if not for the 10 run inning in the 8th inning, Wang would have lost his 6th game of the season. Wang's line for the night:
5.2 IP 7 hits 3 runs-all earned 1 walk 2 K's 1 error
Box/Recap
YANGChung-Shou Yang won August MVP honors for the Eastern League in the NPB minors. Yang had a great August, playing in 18 games, hitting .321 with 25 hits in 78 AB's. Yang also had 1 HR and drove in 11 for the month.
From the Daily Yomiuri - nice read on Chiang's victory yesterday.
Minors:
AA - Jacksonville won 5-3, aided by Hu's 5th HR of the season. Hu was 2-3 with a run scored and a RBI. Box
A - Lowell lost 3-2 in both doubleheaders played today. Chiang played in game 1 and was 0-3 with a SB and a run scored. Box
CPBL:
Chin-Feng Chen and Tai-Shan Chang are all knotted up at 19 HR's a piece atop the CPBL leader board in that category. Read more here.
Amateur:
Taiwan won it's opening game versus Thailand 11-0 in the Asian Youth Baseball Championships. It takes on the Philippines today before meeting it's toughest group opponent - South Korea on Wednesday.
Sunday, September 03, 2006
Chiang Wins #2!
Japan:
C.M. Chiang improved to 2-0 on the season for Yomiuri as he pitched a complete game shutout against the Chunichi Dragons. Chiang gave up 5 hits - on 5 K's and 0 walks. Quite a start to the young man's NPB career!! Box
Majors:
Kuo pitched 2 innings in relief versus the Colorado Rockies today. In his first inning of work (in the 7th inning), Kuo gave up back to back doubles, plating one runner. He then induced two fly outs before K'ing the last batter. In the 8th inning, Kuo walked the first 2 batters, before K'ing the next 3 batters - Ryan Spilborghs, Kaz Matsui, and Todd Helton. Man, talk about a Jekyll and Hyde performance! LA lost 12-5. Box
Minors:
AA - Jacksonville won 8-1. Hu was 0-5. Box
AA - San Antonio lost 7-0. Chen was 0-3. Box
A - Lansing lost 8-0. Keng pitched a perfect 6th inning. Box
A - Lowell won 9-6. Chiang was 2-5 with a triple, a RBI, and a run scored. Chiang also committed his first error for Lowell. Box
Amateur:
More news on the Asian "AA" baseball championships.
Saturday, September 02, 2006
AA National Team.....
Taiwan's "AA" - (16 and under) NT is competing in the Asian Youth Baseball Championships going on in Indonesia right now.
ROSTER
Pitchers:
1)Yi-Hao Lin
2)Rong-Hao Hsieh
3)Chi Chuan
4)Yi-Shan Deng
5)Sheng-Chih Yang
6)Wei-Yu Lai
Catchers:
1)Shih-Hao Liu
2)Ming-Yan Gan
Infielders:
1)Sheng-Po Yu
2)Kai-Wen Wang
3)Tse-Wei Gong
4)Yi-Ren Lin
5)Fu-Lin Kuo
6)Ho Lin
Outfielders:
1)Chun-Leung Lin
2)Chih-Wei Shih
3)Yong-Rung Lee
4)Yan-Lin Nan
Expectations for the team are high as the team is headlined by an extremely talented pitching staff (see above).
SCHEDULE
Representing group "B", Taiwan is grouped with 3 other teams: South Korea, Thailand, and the Philippines.
In group "A", Japan, China, Hong Kong, and Indonesia round out the rest of the field.
Taiwan plays:
9/4 vs. Thailand
9/5 vs. the Philippines
9/6 vs. South Korea
The top 2 teams from each bracket advance to the semifinals on 9/8. Winners of the semifinals meet in the championship game on 9/9.
ROSTER
Pitchers:
1)Yi-Hao Lin
2)Rong-Hao Hsieh
3)Chi Chuan
4)Yi-Shan Deng
5)Sheng-Chih Yang
6)Wei-Yu Lai
Catchers:
1)Shih-Hao Liu
2)Ming-Yan Gan
Infielders:
1)Sheng-Po Yu
2)Kai-Wen Wang
3)Tse-Wei Gong
4)Yi-Ren Lin
5)Fu-Lin Kuo
6)Ho Lin
Outfielders:
1)Chun-Leung Lin
2)Chih-Wei Shih
3)Yong-Rung Lee
4)Yan-Lin Nan
Expectations for the team are high as the team is headlined by an extremely talented pitching staff (see above).
SCHEDULE
Representing group "B", Taiwan is grouped with 3 other teams: South Korea, Thailand, and the Philippines.
In group "A", Japan, China, Hong Kong, and Indonesia round out the rest of the field.
Taiwan plays:
9/4 vs. Thailand
9/5 vs. the Philippines
9/6 vs. South Korea
The top 2 teams from each bracket advance to the semifinals on 9/8. Winners of the semifinals meet in the championship game on 9/9.
Sat. Night Recapped....
Majors:
Kuo made his first appearance for the Dodgers tonight since being called up recently. Kuo pitching in relief, threw a perfect 9th inning, K'ing all 3 hitters he faced. The Dodgers won 14-5 against the Colorado Rockies. Box
Minors:
AA - Hu was 0-3 in 2 doubleheaders played today. Jacksonville lost both games. Box 1/Box 2
Despite his struggles at the plate this year, Hu was recognized for his defensive excellence, when he was selected to the 2006 Southern League Post-Season All-Star Team. Hu leads the league with a .981 fielding percentage at SS.
AA - San Antonio won 7-2. Chen was 1-3 with 2 walks and a run scored. Box
A - Wu was 1-3 with a double, a run scored, and a walk. His team lost 8-6. Box
Japan:
C.M. Chiang will start tomorrow for the Giants versus the Chunichi Dragons.
Kuo made his first appearance for the Dodgers tonight since being called up recently. Kuo pitching in relief, threw a perfect 9th inning, K'ing all 3 hitters he faced. The Dodgers won 14-5 against the Colorado Rockies. Box
Minors:
AA - Hu was 0-3 in 2 doubleheaders played today. Jacksonville lost both games. Box 1/Box 2
Despite his struggles at the plate this year, Hu was recognized for his defensive excellence, when he was selected to the 2006 Southern League Post-Season All-Star Team. Hu leads the league with a .981 fielding percentage at SS.
AA - San Antonio won 7-2. Chen was 1-3 with 2 walks and a run scored. Box
A - Wu was 1-3 with a double, a run scored, and a walk. His team lost 8-6. Box
Japan:
C.M. Chiang will start tomorrow for the Giants versus the Chunichi Dragons.
Friday, September 01, 2006
SI Archive Series......Part I
Ok, I thought I'd share a 'lil piece from my archived collection of Taiwanese baseball memorabilia. Back in August 19, 1991, Sports Illustrated wrote this intriguing piece on Taiwan baseball. This magazine article is what piqued my interest in the history of Taiwan baseball....at the time this was the only in-depth English language material on the subject that I have grown to love with a passion.Because of the difficulty I've had with formatting and rearranging the pages on blogger, I will break up this article into 6 parts. Click on the pic to zoom (up to 2x) and read. Enjoy!
Friday Night Results....
Card of the Month - Slugger Ming-Tsu Lu 1991 BBM
Ok, this month's pick came to mind after watching C.M. Chiang's vid. Before there was Chin-Feng Chen or Tai-Shan Chang, there was Ming-Tsu Lu. Lu or Meishi Ro as he was known in Japan, was a slugger extraordinaire. Playing for the NY Yankees of Japan - the Yomiuri Giants, Lu was an instant hit when he hit 11 HR's in the first month that he was called up from the nigun team. Lu was elected to the NPB All-Star team in his rookie season (1988). Did you Know? In 1988, to make room for Lu on the All-Star team roster, the NPB temporarily revised the number of foreigners who could be selected to the team from two to three, just so Lu could play.
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