Fresh Start for Hu and Chang...

*The LA Dodgers traded Chin-Lung Hu to the NY Mets.


*The President Lions acquired Tarzan from the Bulls for ~ $83 K USD.   The team also reassigned
their GM within the corporation.


*One time star RHP Chung-Nan Tsai is now the Sinon Bulls' pitching coach.


*At the Asian LL Championships, the NT defeated South Korea 2-1 to move on to the championship game against Japan.  Japan beat China 7-6 in the other semifinal.



*Shi-Yuan Junior HS won the Taipei International Junior HS tourney, winning 11-4 in the championship game.   Chun-Jen Cheng, despite arm pain, logged another 5 innings to pick up the W and threw 398 pitches over 4 days!  Cheng was easily the MVP of the tourney with 3 W's.

CJ Cheng

SW Liu

Shao-Wei Liu from Taipei County has created the most buzz in the tourney with his 84-85 mph fastball.  He won the tourney batting title with a .541 BA. The 14 year old already stands in at 6"1".   Liu was on the 2008 LL NT team that won the Asian Championships.   See below vid:

*Taiwan's legislators are pushing forward an attempt to put a halt to fixing pro games.

Amateur Tourney Updates...

*The LL NT is currently 3-0 in Japan at the Asian LL Championships.   The team squeaked by China in its first game, 4-3, before defeating Thailand 16-0 in game 2.  The NT moved on to the semifinals after defeating Indonesia 20-0 in its last group game.   
The boys will face South Korea in one semifinal, while Japan plays China in the other semi.


*Some news on the current Taipei International Junior HS Tournament :
1)Hsin-Ming RHP Chuan-Yu Hsu from Taoyuan County has pitched well, topping out at 78 mph.
2)Shi-Yuan RHP Chun-Jen Cheng has thrown 2 CG's in 3 days (300 pitches!) to help his team enter the semifinals.


*In the College Cup, Chinese Culture University won the title with an 11-1 victory on Friday.   SP Chen-Hua Lin started the game, pitched a CG (7 innings) to pick up the W (1 unearned run on 5 hits, 8 K's, 1 BB).  Lin was elected the top pitcher in the tourney (0.00 ERA, 7.1 IP, 1 W).
On the losing end was SP Kuan-Yu Chen (0.1 IP, 3 R, 4 H).   KY Chen is still suffering from some confidence issues since getting hammered against South Korea in the Asian Games.
Fu-Jen University won third with a 7-1 victory over Taipei Sports College.




*CPBL News:   The President Lions signed their second round draft pick: RHP Wen-Yang Liao to a  2.5 million NT signing bonus, 100K NT/month salary.

Speaking of the Lions, veteran star slugger Tarzan (Tai-Shan Chang) has been linked to the club.




*Other:  Interesting read on Genji Kaku's son in Japan  - looks like the apple didn't fall too far from the tree.

News Briefs...

*The Asian Little League Championships (12 and under) will kick off tomorrow in Kurashiki, Japan.   Taiwan earned the easier draw as it was grouped with China, Indonesia, and Thailand.   Group B consists of Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, and Pakistan.
The LL NT will play:
12/24 vs. China
12/25 vs. Thailand
12/26 vs. Indonesia
The top 2 teams from each group will play on the 27th (1 vs. 2 format), with the semifinal winners meeting in the championship game on the 28th.



*Speaking of little league baseball, the Chu-Lo Mountain Cup LL Tourney in Chiayi has a record number of teams participating (120 total with 12 teams coming from other countries - 7 from Japan) this year.   Last year, 117 teams were involved in the tourney.  To help protect young arms, a pitch count restriction will be implemented.



*CPBL News: 
The Elephants have released a total of 9 players from this past season's roster to help make room for some of their new draft picks.

The Bears inked last year's top pick, RHP Chu-Kuan Lee to a 2.5 million NT signing bonus (~$84 K USD).

The President Lions hired new hitting (Terushi Nakajima) & pitching (Makoto Kito) coaches from Japan.






*Amateur lefty Kuan-Yu Chen had a tryout on Tuesday with the Yokohama BayStars.  He topped out at 84 mph.



*RHP Chun-Lin Kuo was clocked at ~92 mph recently in the collegiate tourney (12/22 loss vs. CCU).  Kuo, who currently plays for Taiwan Sports University, was a member of the 2010 world champion junior NT.

2010 CPBL Draft Results

Read more here.

Team:          Lions                      Bears                    Bulls                     Elephants
Round1:  Yung-Chi Chen      Yen-Wen Kuo        Chih-Pei Huang      Sung-Wei Tseng
Round2:  Wen-Yang Liao      Cheng-Hao Tseng   Hung-Cheng Lai     Chi-Hung Cheng
Round3:  Ying-Shan Wang     Te-Lung Yu            Wen-Cheng Hsu    Chun-Wei Chiu
Round4:  Wan-Lin Tsai          Wei-Jen Wang        Kun-Sheng Lin       Ta-Yuan Kuan
Round5:  En-Tse Huang         Yueh-Teng Hsu       Kai-Lun Chen        Hsiao-Jung Shih
Round6: Yu-Kang Fu             Ko-Yao Weng       Chia-Chu Lee         Chia-Wei Yen
Round7:  Na-Yao Fang         Chun-Yi Wu           Liu-Ching Huang    Chun-Sheng Huang

For the rest of the draft, go to the official CPBL site.

Yung-Chi Chen to the Lions....

*The President Lions will select IF Yung-Chi Chen with the 1st overall pick in the CPBL draft tomorrow (December 21st).  Chen will receive a multi-year deal (3 years) worth 300 K NT/month (~10 K USD/month)+ additional bonus incentives.  This is the second highest rookie salary in Lions team history (Genji Kaku, better known as Yuen-Chih Kuo earned 500 K NT/month in '97 with the Lions).

The Bears have the # 2 pick and will most likely select IF Yen-Wen Kuo.   The Bulls have the third overall pick and are expected to go with a positional player - perhaps C Kun-Sheng Lin.   The Elephants will choose last in the first round and are expected to select RHP Sung-Wei Tseng. 
RHP Wen-Yang Liao is a wild card to be selected in the first round and is the top amateur pitcher available in the draft.

*Taiwan Coop Bank 19 year old RHP Wei-Hua Wu was clocked at a high of 92 mph in the recently completed winter amateur tourney.  He threw a CG shutout on the 19th, giving up only 3 hits in his team's 5-0 win over Tai-Power.  Wu also started on 12/11 against Tai-Power, picking up the W after throwing 7 shutout innings, K'ing 5, walking none, while allowing only 3 hits.
Taiwan Coop bank won the tourney.
Po-Yu Lin (formerly with the White Sox organization) ended up winning the top pitcher award in the tourney (2 W's, 0.15 ERA)
 
 
 
*Negotiations haven't gone too well with Octagon and Chunichi regarding Wei-Yin Chen's desire to play in the US.  Chen was seeking to have his status changed to that of a foreign player.   The club currently views him as a domestic/Japanese player.   In order for Chen to play overseas, he'll either have to be 1) posted by his NPB club  or 2) wait till he's 31 years old, when he becomes an international free agent (with 9 years of service - this is defined as being active for 145 days on the team's top roster for nine seasons. Time missed for injuries during these years does not count).

MT Chen Signing Confirmed...

*Apple Daily is confirming MT Chen's signing with the Mariners.


*Here's the latest update on WL Pan, contrary to what's been reported.   Again, the biggest limiting factor with CPBL star veterans jumping ship is the transfer fee. 

Rumored Signing: Min-Tzu Chen

The Seattle Mariners are rumored to have signed RHP Min-Tzu Chen (tops out at 94 mph, but has had a history of elbow problems) for $150 K.
It's good to see the Mariners continue to sign players in Taiwan despite their lack of success (Chao-Kuan Wu, Yung-Chi Chen, Chia-An Huang, Kuo-Hui Lo, Yao-Wen Chang). 




*CMW has rejoined the Nationals, agreeing to a one year $1 million guaranteed deal (worth up to $5 million with incentives).    This news comes on the heels of the awkward public display put on by CMW's reps Octagon and the CPBL.  (The CPBL blasted Octagon for communicating with the league through the media rather than directly with the league and giving false facts to the public.)

2010 CPBL Draft News

The 2010 CPBL draft will have some big names available for the 4 CPBL clubs.    Yung-Chi Chen, Sung-Wei Tseng, Yen-Wen Kuo, and Chi-Hung Cheng are former US minor leaguers who will make things interesting as to who the Lions will select with the first overall pick.  Yung-Chi Chen is still seeking an opportunity to play in the US while the Lions are looking to avoid the same fate the Elephants suffered in '08 when they selected Fu-Te Ni with their first round pick.  Ni never pitched an inning for the pachyderms as he ended up signing with the Detroit Tigers.

As an interesting side note to the draft, CMW and his agent attempted to register for the CPBL draft but had issues with CPBL draft rules, which are similar to the KBO and NPB.



*In a stark contrast of Eastern/Western philosophies regarding how to train young arms, the Yomiuri Giants Yi-Hao Lin recently completed a 150 pitch bullpen.  The Yomiuri Giants pitching coach said "he's young, he needs to pitch a lot."!!

Wei-Lun Pan to the SK Wyverns

WL Pan (L), CH Lin (R) - 2010 Intercontinental Cup All-Stars

Per Korean news reports, the 2010 KBO champs - SK Wyverns have signed CPBL RHP Wei-Lun Pan.   The signing would make Pan the first CPBL player to jump ship to the KBO, completing the trifecta (En-Yu Lin was the last player to jump from the CPBL to the NPB; Fu-Te Ni was the first and only player from the CPBL to play in the Majors).



*Update on CMW

HS Pitcher Catches Hibbard's Attention...

Pei-Yuan Huang, a 17 year old senior at Tung-Shih HS, impressed Indians personnel Greg Hibbard in a scrimmage yesterday during a select HS elite training camp.   Huang started the game and threw 5 shutout/hitless innings while K'ing 6.   He was clocked at a high of 88 mph.  Hibbard mentioned that Huang would be a player worth following and that if he was in the US, he would be sought after by collegiate teams.

CPBL Vets Gathering Attention....

*Star CPBL veterans Chih-Sheng Lin and Wei-Lun Pan are some of the new crop of eligible CPBL free agents (Chien-Fu Yang and Cheng-Min Peng are two other names that come to mind) gathering some attention from overseas teams.  Lions stalwart RHP Wei-Lun Pan is rumored to have gathered some interest from KBO teams. 

Bears IF Chih-Sheng Lin worked out for MLB teams today (12/3) in Taichung (see above pic).  The Twins, Tigers, Indians, A's, and Pirates had scouts present at the work out.   Two factors working against Lin (and other CPBL vets) are:
1) his age - he turns 29 in January. 
2) the cost to sign him could be a deterrent:   Lin currently makes 350,000 NT/month, which is roughly $11,500 USD/month.   The Bears would ask for a transfer fee equivalent to 2.5x his current wages for this year - that would amount to ~$346,600 USD/year.    For the second year of services, the Bears would ask for a transfer fee of no less than 1.5x his current wages - equating to ~$208K USD/year.

Korean KBO teams are also interested in Lin and would have no problem paying him a salary of ~ $300 K USD/year, however, when you factor in his transfer fee of ~ $550 K USD over 2 years, one can see why there would be a hesitancy to invest in a perennial CPBL All-Star.

Recently released Pirates farmhands IF Chih-Wei Hsu and RHP Shen-Cin Hong were also trying to impress scouting personnel at the workout.    Hong was seeking another opportunity to return to the US with the Indians.   Greg Hibbard, a pitching coach in the Indians organization, is currently in Taiwan.  While performing a HS pitching clinic recently, Hibbard was shocked to hear that most youth pitchers threw 80-100 pitches daily in practice.   To help protect these young arms, Hibbard advocated for the "less is more" concept, where pitchers throw no more than 3x/week and no more than 50 pitches each session.




*Speaking of clinics, Chin-Lung Hu, Jim Lefebvre, and Rick Dell put on a hitting clinic in Taiwan.

*Chien-Ming Wang was non-tendered by the Nationals, signaling that the team did not want to pay the $1.6 million/year minimum that Wang would have earned in arbitration.      On the other hand, Hong-Chih Kuo is expected to get a hefty raise after an outstanding year - the early estimates point to a ball park figure of $2 million+/year.




*Former MLB farmhands Sung-Wei Tseng and Chia-Chu Chen alongside amateur standouts P Wen-Yang Liao and C Kun-Sheng Lin are expected to make themselves available for the upcoming CPBL draft.

One And Done....

*The Pirates released RHP Shen-Cin Hong and 1B Chih-Wei Hsu.  The pair were signed last year alongside OF Ping-Hung Chi.



*Lefty Fu-Te Ni was removed from the Tigers' 40 man roster.




*23 year old Shen-Fu Tsai expects to hear back from the Chiba Lotte Marines by December (pics from November workout in Japan).  The 6'3", 220 pound slugger was 2-4 with a RBI in yesterday's amateur tourney game.
Tsai does have legit power (Check out these blasts at the :38 and 1:20 mark in the same game):






*Taking a look at OF Chia-Ching Lin's swing (from this year's Fall Instructional League):

Strong Words from Chen...

*Per Taiwanese news reports, Cubs minor leaguer RHP Hung-Wen Chen has stated that if he doesn't get put on the 40 man roster, he'll quit and seek an opportunity to play in the NPB or CPBL. He said that the most important thing about playing baseball is being happy, however that has not happened while playing for the Cubs and he feels that he doesn't get any respect from his MLB organization.  Chen also said that he hit the Korean catcher during the gold medal game at the Asian Games intentionally as he was upset at how the Korean team reacted after hitting the 2-run HR off LHP KY Chen.




*Amateur 1B Shen-Fu Tsai went to a tryout with the Chiba Lotte Marines and said that he may get a contract offer.



*Lefty Wei-Yin Chen may get his opportunity to jump to the US after next season.

Red Sox Release CC Chen....

*The Red Sox released C Chia-Chu Chen.


*The NT is currently 2-1 at the Asian Games:  6-1 L vs. South Korea/11-1 W vs. Pakistan / 16-0 W vs. Hong Kong    The team's likely next opponent is Japan in one semifinal.


*CH Chen is getting some love in the prospect polls:  Call to the Pen / The Hardball Times

Che-Hsuan Lin wasn't in BA's top 10 for his respective team, but he did garner 3 of the "Best Tools" in the Red Sox minor league system.  He was one of two NT reps on the 2010 Intercontinental Cup All-Star team


*The CPBL and KBO champs split a two game set.


*Update on CMW - who's currently back home

US Minor Leaguers Performing Well at Intercontinental Cup...

*Over in Taiwan, the NT has finished the first round with a 3-1 record: 
11-5 W vs. South Korea
6-0 W vs. the Czech Republic
10-0 W vs. Hong Kong
2-0 L vs. Cuba

5 players with US minor league experience are among the team's leaders offensively:
-Yung-Chi Chen leads the team with a .571 BA, 6 RBI, and 2 SB
-Che-Hsuan Lin is second in BA (.444) with 2 SB
-Chun-Hsiu Chen is hitting .400 with 1 HR (watch here on youtube) and 6 RBI
-Yen-Wen Kuo has a .389 BA while Kuo-Hui Lo is batting .375

The team has secured second place in group A and is moving on to the second round where it will face the top three teams from group B: Japan, Italy, the Netherlands.



*The Elephants pulled off the unthinkable, winning the 2010 Taiwan Series by sweeping the Bulls.  Elephants SP Jim Magrane won the Series MVP.  The Elephants will now prepare for a 2 game tilt against the KBO champs - the SK Wyverns next month (Nov. 4th and 5th).



*Update on CC Lee in the AFL

One Away.....& Other News....

*Rain may be the only thing keeping the Elephants from sweeping the Taiwan Series from the Bulls.


*Hong-Chih Kuo is back home and will toss the honorary first pitch on Saturday's matchup between Taiwan and South Korea.
Here's the (Round 1) schedule for the home team:
10/23 - vs. South Korea
10/24 - vs. Czech Republic
10/25 - vs. Hong Kong
10/26 - vs. Cuba


*There are rumors circulating that the Seattle Mariners recently worked out Chin-Hui Tsao.


*Octagon has been contacting teams to gauge interest in CPBL Bears slugger Chih-Sheng Lin.   Lin, who has led the league in HR's the past two years (21 this year and 31 last year) is aspiring to play overseas. A posting fee will be required per La New.

NT Takes Victory over Cuba in Warm Up Match....

The national team defeated Cuba in a warm up match 3-2 on the 18th. 
Hung-Wen Chen started the game and threw 3 shutout innings.  Chih-Lung Huang relieved him and allowed 1 run over 3 innings to pick up the W.  Ching-Lung Lo and Yi-Hao Lin finished out the game.
19 year old Lin had 2 K's, including one of Cuban star Youliesky Gourriel (see below):


After trailing 1-0 in the 5th, Yung-Chi Chen and Che-Hsuan Lin would provide back-to-back singles to put the NT up 2-1 (see below vid).


Kuo-Ching Kao would drive in the final run (in the 6th) to complete the final offensive tally for the NT (see below):



Offensively, Chun-Hsiu Chen, Che-Hsuan Lin, and Yung-Chi Chen led the way with 2 hits each.



*The Elephants are up 2-0 in the Taiwan Series.  The Elephants won game 1 against the Bulls 3-2.
Game 2 also went to the Elephants, who defeated the Bulls 3-1.  Bulls manager Hsu failed to show up to the post game press conference.




*CC Lee has made 2 appearances in the AFL so far.

Tigers Release Tang....

*The Detroit Tigers released OF Chao-Ting Tang.


*After finishing last in both half seasons of the CPBL standings, the La New Bears and their manager have parted ways. 


*Lions ace Wei-Lun Pan earned his 100th career victory this past year, becoming the youngest player (at 28) to reach that bench mark in CPBL history.  Pan is entertaining the idea of playing overseas if the opportunity arises.


*CMW topped out at 89 mph in his latest outing in the instructional league.


*In an exhibition match against the Sinon Bulls, the NT's Chun-Hsiu Chen managed to gun down CPBL 2010 SB king Da-Hung Cheng.   Chen caught NT P's Hung-Wen Chen, Ching-Lung Lo, Yi-Hao Lin, and Chih-Lung Huang.   Huang was clocked at a high of 91 mph.


*You can follow how Chia-Ching Lin is faring in the fall instructional league here.

Nan-Ying HS celebrating their Golden Dragon Cup championship

*Nan-Ying HS had several members of their team earn (Golden Dragon Cup) tourney honors, including:

-Top ERA: Po-Hsien Hsieh (0.00 ERA ,16 IP)

-Most RBI, 1B All-Star: Wei-Hao Chen  (6 RBI)

-MVP:   Min-Jen Fang

-2B All-Star: Yu-Kung Chen

-SS All-Star: Yi-Sheng Lo

-OF All-Star: Chi-Hao Lin

A's Offer Rejected?

The Oakland A's were rumored to have offered Shi-Yuan RHP Chun-Lin Kuo $70K.   Kuo was on the 2010 junior NT and is best known for his 18 K's against the Dutch junior NT. 
The supposed offer was rejected. 



*Chien-Ming Wang was clocked in the mid 80's in his instructional league outing.



*Astros farmhand Chia-Jen Lo was clocked at 92 mph in a recent outing.

10/6 News Briefs...

*Hong-Chih Kuo has etched his name in the record books for the Dodgers.   His 1.200 ERA for the season broke Eric Gagne's mark of 1.202 back in 2003.  -quite an inspirational story for a guy who's been through multiple surgeries on his left elbow.

YC Chen, CH Lin, KH Lo

Lions (L>R): FH Liu, KC Kao, CK Kao, WL Pan

*The NT roster for the Intercontinental Cup has been announced.   Here's the official site for the tournament.

*It'll be the Elephants (first half champs 36W-23L) vs. the Bulls (second half champs 33W-20L-7D) in this year's CPBL Taiwan Series.  The Series will take place October 16th-24th (Games 5,6,7 if necessary), overlapping with the Intercontinental Cup (10/23-31).  

*Nan-Ying HS defeated San-Min HS 4-2 in the championship game of the Golden Dragon Cup. Cheng-Kung HS earned 3rd after defeating Gao-Nong HS 7-6 in the consolation final.

*CMW is scheduled to make an appearance on Thursday in an instructional league game.
Speaking of CMW, how sweet is this?  Check out this dual autographed card of CMW and CFC:

News Briefs....

*Hong-Chih Kuo is 2 games away from reaching a $25,000 bonus incentive (pitch in 55 games).  Including today,  there are 5 games remaining on the Dodgers' regular season schedule.

*A's scout Adam Hislop was rumored to have expressed interest in Ku-Pao HS INF Po-Rong (Jung) Wang (#7 pictured above).  The 17 year old was an All-Star INF at the 2010 Taiwan Cup that Ku-Pao won.





*The Kansas City Royals reportedly offered $100 K to Cultural University C Kuan-Wei Yang.





*In preparation for the Intercontinental Cup, the senior NT will play 3 warm-up games at Tien Mu Stadium in Taipei:
Oct. 18th vs. Cuba
Oct. 19th vs. the Netherlands
Oct. 20th vs. Japan

A Family Affair....National Team Roster Finalized....

Some news briefs:
*Marines nigun RHP Yen-Feng Lin had surgery (near the end of August) for a broken bone in his right wrist after being struck by a hit ball.

*News brief on CC Lin coming to the US.

*A Name to Remember for Next Year - CH Chen.

*CH Lin won the Red Sox minor league DPOY award. - he also had 15 OF assists this year.

*The CPBL and KBO champs will face off in November for a 2 game tilt.

*Amateur player Chia-Ming Cheng (playing for Taiwan Coop. Bank) has a torn ligament in his throwing elbow.   The ace pitcher is a former Little League star (selected the top national pitcher in '94/was also selected tourney MVP of the '97 world youth "AA" championships and one of the top pitchers in the '98 world youth "AA" championships) who helped lead TCB to a 2nd place finish in the recently completed 2010 Association Cup (Taipei City won the tourney).   Cheng hit 4th in the lineup and batted .384 (good for 7th in the tourney).    To continue his career as a pitcher, Cheng will require Tommy John surgery.

*The Dodgers will allow IF Chin-Lung Hu to play in the Asian Games only (Hu will not play in the Intercontinental Cup).   As expected, Hong-Chih Kuo will not be representing his country in either competition. 

*The 24-man final senior national team roster has been announced for the upcoming Asian Games:
Pitchers:
1)Hung-Wen Chen (Cubs)
2)Yao-Hsun Yang (Hawks)
3)Chih-Lung Huang (Giants)
4)Yi-Hao Lin (Giants)
5)Ming-Chieh Hsu (Lions)
6)Yi-Chieh Hsiao (Tigers)
7)Chien-Fu Yang (Bulls)
8)Ying-Chieh Lin (Bulls)
9)Wei-Lun Pan (Lions)
10)Kuan-Yu Chen (Amateur - Taiwan Beer)

Catchers:
1)Chun-Hsiu Chen (Indians)
2)Chih-Kang Kao (Lions)
3)Kun-Sheng Lin (Amateur)

Infielders:
1)Chin-Lung Hu (Dodgers)
2)Yung-Chi Chen (Pirates)
3)Tu-Hsuan Lee (Hawks)
4)Cheng-Min Peng (Elephants)
5)Yi-Chuan Lin (Bulls)
6)Tai-Shan Chang (Bulls)
7)Chih-Sheng Lin (Bears)

Outfielders:
1)Che-Hsuan Lin (Red Sox)
2)Kuo-Hui Lo (Mariners)
3)Dai-Kang Yang (Fighters)
4)Chien-Ming Chang (Bulls)

The South Korean contingent has been finalized and includes MLB standout Shin-Soo Choo.

*Yi Chang, is a 16 year old IF/RHP playing in Japan.  He's currently playing at Fukuoka Daiichi HS.  Sounds familiar?    Chang is following in the footsteps of his cousin - Dai-Kang Yang (formerly known as Chung-Shou Yang) by attempting to trace his career path (Taiwanese middle school>Japanese HS>NPB?) at Yang's alma mater.  
Chang belongs to an exclusive baseball family with good bloodlines.  
His cousins include:
-brothers -Dai-Kang Yang (Fighters), Yao-Hsun Yang (Hawks), Yao-Hua Yang (Nagasaki Saints)
-brothers - Chih-Yuan Chen (Ex-Elephants), Chih-Peng Chen (Elephants)
-Hua-Wei Tseng (Ex-Bulls)
-Hua Yang (2009 Lions' 10th round draft pick)
-Chia-Min Tseng (Ex-Elephants)

Junior NT Retro Look......

In a previous post, we've looked at past junior national teams and their rosters/results.  One interesting thing to note is that the success of the junior NT has not always correlated with the amount of talent (based on overseas signings) on the team.
(Bold # -overseas signees/team final ranking)

2000(2/5th World)
2001(5/1st Asia)
2002(5/2nd World)
2003(6/2nd Asia)

2004(8 -see below/5th World)
2005(5 -see below/3rd Asia)
2006(6 -see below/5th World)
2007(2 -see below/1st Asia) 

-To update the list:

1)the 2004 junior NT also included three more recent signees: Chia-Jen Lo (Astros), Chen-Chang Lee (Indians), and Kai-Wen Cheng (Tigers) to up the total of junior NT members to sign abroad to 8.

2)An update to the 2005 junior NT includes: Kai-Wen Cheng (Tigers) and Chao-Ting Tang (Tigers) to up the total to 5 (MLB/NPB signees).

3)The 2006 junior NT also saw Kai-Wen Cheng (Tigers) and Chih-Lung Huang (Giants) sign abroad - to up the total to 6 (MLB/NPB signees).

4)From the 2007 junior NT, Chih-Lung Huang (Giants) and Chia-Chu Chen (Red Sox) signed abroad (2 total).

-The 2008 junior NT finished 5th in the world.  To date only one player has signed abroad - Fu-Lin Kuo (Yankees).

-The 2009 junior NT placed 2nd to South Korea in Asia.   Three players signed overseas: Yao-Lin Wang (Cubs), Fu-Lin Kuo (Yankees), and Pin-Chieh Chen (Cubs).

-And of course, the 2010 junior NT made us all proud with a world title.   OF Chia-Ching Lin has already signed with the Indians and RHP Hung-Yi Chen is a Minnesota Twins signee.  IF Tzu-Wei Lin is a sure bet to sign somewhere when all's said and done with his HS career.



Prior to 2000, there were several outstanding junior NT's, however we'll only look back to 1994 as that was the year the current elder statesman overseas (MC Hsu) was on a junior NT roster:

1)1994 (1/3rd Asia - 0/3rd World) - The junior NT sent two squads to participate in both tourneys.  RHP Ming-Chieh Hsu (Lions) was on the Asian junior NT.  Ex-Elephants great Chih-Yuan Chen played on both junior NT squads.

2)1995 (2/2nd World) - Chin-Feng Chen (Dodgers/Bears) and Chia-Chia (Elephants) headlined this squad. P Wen-Ping Yu played briefly overseas in the NPB (Orix Blue Wave).

3)1996 (1/2nd Asia - 0/2nd World) - CFC (Dodgers/Bears) was on the Asian junior NT.  Chia-Chia (Elephants) and Kuo-Ching Kao (Lions) played on the world squad.

4)1997 (2/2nd World) - Chien-Ming Wang (Yankees/Nats) and Chin-Hui Tsao (Rockies/Dodgers/Elephants) were future major leaguers on this squad.

5)1998 (3/2nd Asia) - Chih-Chia Chang (Lions/Bears), Chien-Ming Wang (Yanks/Nats), and Hong-Chih Kuo (Dodgers) headlined this junior NT.

6)1999 (3/2nd World) - Chin-Hui Tsao (Rockies/Dodgers/Elephants), Ying-Chieh Lin (Cobras/Eagles/Bulls), and Chi-Hung Cheng (Jays/Pirates) were some of the power arms on this squad.   Hong-Chih Kuo was supposed to be on this team, until he was booted for signing with the Dodgers prior to his HS graduation.

Tung-Kao Cup...

*The Tung-Kao Cup (HS Baseball) kicked off yesterday.   Tzu-Wei Lin (pictured above) helped lead Kao-Yuan HS to a 4-3 win today in a two-way role (He was brought in to close out the game, K'ing the only batter he faced to end the game).

*TW Lin's junior national teammates Chia-Ching Lin (pictured above L) and Hung-Yi Chen (pictured above R) are US bound.   Chia-Ching Lin (Indians) will head to the US this month in preparation for the Fall Instructional League.  Chen (Twins) will train in Taiwan this winter and then head to the US some time in February.


*Indians prospect Chun-Hsiu Chen is back in Taiwan with the NT in preparation for the upcoming Asian Games.

Labor Day News Briefs.....

*More trouble looming for Tsao?    Chin-Hui Tsao went to a tryout for some Indy League team in Texas, and in the process of trying to obtain a work visa in the US, was taken down when he entered Taiwan at immigrations. The court had ordered him twice to attend court sessions as a possible witness to provide further "insider info" related to the game-fixing scandals, but he was a no-show both times.  Hence, he was taken into custody and then subsequently released after he was given a warning that if he is a no-show again, he'll be fined 30K NT. Tsao listed "cousin--Kelvin Lee" on his contact info to which Tsao explained that K. Lee is not his cousin but his agent instead.


*Chin-Lung Hu was recalled by the Dodgers.  Hu was hitting .317 with 4 HR's and 25 RBI in AAA despite missing 2 months recovering from a broken left thumb.

Minor League Run Down (as of 9/5):
AAA
-The last of the 7 figure signing bonus recipients - RHP Ching-Lung Lo is now in AAA.
-RHP Hung-Wen Chen has found sledding in AAA pretty tough (3-3, 6.04 ERA). He was an AA All-Star earlier this season.
-Since being sent down earlier in the season, lefty Fu-Te Ni has also struggled in AAA (7.94 ERA).

AA
-IF Yung-Chi Chen is hitting .205 on the year at the AA level between two organizations.
-OF Chih-Hsien Chiang's season is over due to a sore wrist, but he hit .260 with 11 HR's and 65 RBI in AA ball.  Check out his progression over the past few months (April .117 BA, May .212 BA, June .272 BA, July .320 BA, August .322 BA).  Heralded teammate OF Che-Hsuan Lin was hitting .275 with 2 HR's and 26 SB in AA.  He also had an impressive 72 BB/63 SO ratio.
-RHP Chen-Chang Lee has had an impressive season in AA - with a >1:1 K/IP ratio (82/72.2) and a 3.22 ERA.  Lee will be playing in the AFL this fall.
-RHP Chia-Jen Lo has missed most of the season with a partial tear of his UCL, but he started the year in AA ball.

A+
-After starting the year in AA ball, OF Kuo-Hui Lo was demoted to A+ ball and has actually fared worse, hitting only .224 with 0 HR's (.233/ 4 HR's - season total).
-In contrast, C Chun-Hsiu Chen was promoted to A+ ball and has been tearing the cover off of the ball - .321, 6 HR's, .976 OPS at Kinston (.316, 12 HR's, 69 RBI - season total).

A
-Reliever Sheng-An Kuo is third in the SAL (A ball) with 20 saves.   He was a midseason All-Star.
-OF Wang-Wei Lin hit .231 with 1 HR and 11 SB's in A ball.
-RHP Tzu-Kai Chiu is 1-0 with a 2.25 ERA in A ball (2-0, 1.69 ERA - season total).

A-ss
-C Chia-Chu Chen had his problems at the plate this year in A-ss ball (.171 BA, 1 HR, 6 RBI).
-Earlier this season, 22 year old OF Chao-Ting Tang was demoted from A+ ball to the NYPL (A-ss) and has still been unable to find his stroke - .197 BA, 0 HR's (.200 BA, 0 HR's - season total).
-IF Pin-Chieh Chen was rewarded with a promotion to A-ss ball after a nice debut in the AZL (R).  (.295 BA, 0 HR's, 10 SB - season total)

R
-19 year old RHP Yao-Wen Chang continued to struggle in his 3rd year of pro ball with Pulaski (R) -10.07 ERA, batters hit .360 off of him.
-C Meng-Hsiu Tsai made his US minor league debut this year in the GCL (R), but was hitless in 4 AB's.
-After starting the season in A-ss, RHP Yao-Lin Wang has had a nice first season in the AZL (R) - 2.12 ERA, 19 K's/17 IP - (1-3, 4.06 ERA, 29 K's, 31 IP - season total).
-The Pirates trio of Ping-Hung Chi, Chih-Wei Hsu, and Sheng-Cin Hong found life difficult in their US debut at the R level.
OF Chi hit .138 with 23 K's in 58 AB.  IF Hsu hit .154 with 16 K's in 39 AB.  RHP Hong allowed 4 HR's in 13.1 IP and had an ERA of 14.18.
-RHP Tzu-An Wang was 0-2 with a 7.32 ERA (19 K's/19.2 IP) in his US debut in R ball.
-In his first year stateside, IF Fu-Lin Kuo hit .243 with 4 HR's and 23 RBI in the GCL (R).
-RHP Po-Cheng Chi was 1-0 with a 5.02 ERA in his US debut in the AZL (R) -
although command was an issue: 5 K's, 17 BB's, 14.1 IP
-Last but not least, IF Zhi-Fang Pan - the most recent signee to make his debut in the US, had an excellent first season at the plate - .331 BA in 157 AB in the AZL (R).




*NT developments - Three Up, Three Down - OF Kuo-Hui Lo, IF Yung-Chi Chen, and P Ming-Chieh Hsu have been cleared by their organizations to participate with the NT.   Top lefties - Wei-Yin Chen and Fu-Te Ni, as well as Chen-Chang Lee will not be available for NT services.   Replacing them on the 45 man preliminary roster are amateur players: LHP Hung-Cheng Lai, RHP Chen-Hua Lin, and BayStars RHP Yi-Cheng Wang.

The Intercontinental Cup kicks off in October (23-31) and will be hosted by Taiwan.
The NT will then play in the 2010 Asian Games, taking place in Guangzhou, China - November 13-19.



*CPBL Update - Lions SP Ching-Ming Wang - CPBL ROY?  Wang was the Lions top pick in the '08 CPBL draft.  Wang's 9 wins are good for 3rd in the league, while his 3.74 ERA (13th) and 75 K's (9th) also are among league leaders.  His main competition may come from Bears slugger - Hung-Yu Lin (.311, 8 HR's, 60 RBI).

Other league leaders:
BA: Yi-Chuan Lin (.350), Chia Chia (.347), Chih-Sheng Lin (.311), Hung-Yu Lin (.311), Chao-Hsing Cheng (.310), Tarzan (.307)
HR: Chih-Sheng Lin (17), Tarzan (15), Cheng-Yu Chung (9), Yi-Chuan Lin (8), Hung-Yu Lin (8), Tai-Chi Kuo (8)   (Chia Chia and CFC both have 7)
RBI: Tarzan (69), Chih-Sheng Lin (67), Hung-Yu Lin (60), Cheng-Yu Chung (60), Chia Chia (58)  (Yi-Chuan Lin has 49)
SB: Da-Hung Cheng (23), Fu-Hao Liu (23), Chia Chia (19), Sheng-Wei Wang (19), Yen-Feng Chen (16)
Wins: Carlos Castillo (11), Orlando Roman (11), Chien-Fu Yang (10), Chris Mason (10), Jim Magrane (10)
ERA: Carlos Castillo (2.10), Ken Ray (2.31), Chien-Fu Yang (2.42), Ying-Chieh Lin (2.43), Chris Mason (2.51)
K's: Orlando Roman (123), Ken Ray (118), Jim Magrane (106), Ying-Chieh Lin (93), Shoda Itsuki (91)
Saves: Ryan Cullen (27), Takatsu Shingo (23), Yueh-Ping Lin (14), Po-Hsuen Keng (9), Ming-Chieh Hsu (7)

Lin and Yankees Go Their Separate Ways...

According to news reports in Taiwan, the Yankees have determined that their contract with Tzu-Wei Lin was invalid.   Supposedly, his father had signed off on the contract, but TW Lin's signature was nowhere to be found.  Yankees Sr. VP of Baseball Operations Mark Newman confirmed that the deal was never finalized.   
  
This leaves Lin with the opportunity to continue his HS career, avoid potential problems with his HS and amateur governing baseball bodies, and also perhaps seek greener pastures in the near future (when he graduates from HS).   The rumored $600 K offer from the Twins and ~$500 K offers from the Braves and Pirates greatly exceeded the $350 K (+ $64K for school) offer from the Yankees.

The drama has also casted a shadow on Lin's reps - Octagon (for helping Lin to consider signing a contract before his HS graduation and also for taking an inferior financial offer from the Yankees).




*Deja Vu - The boys from Kaohsiung won their consolation game at the LLWS on Sunday after a crushing defeat in extra innings the day before to Japan.   Similar to 2007 during LLWS play, Japan rallied from behind to tie things up in their last AB and then win in extra innings.   Hat tip to Japan on winning the LLWS.


*The minor league season is coming to a close.   Overall, the season has been a disappointment (injuries to CJ Lo and CL Hu, the dreadful debuts of several minor league farmhands - particularly with the Pirates, and poor performances from minor league veterans) save a few bright spots (CH Chen, CH Lin, CC Lee, CH Chiang, etc.).   First year players - ZF Pan (.331 BA) and PC Chen (.292 BA, 10 SB) did manage to hold their own offensively.
Over in Japan, TH Lee has been impressive at the plate as well (.303 BA, 9 HR) while Yi-Hao Lin (3 W's, 2.93 ERA) has begun to fulfill some of the promise he once exhibited as a 15 year old.

Enjoying the Ride......2010 Asian Youth Champs

The Youth NT won the 2010 Asian "AA" Youth Championships by defeating Japan 3-0 in the championship game.   Starting pitcher Hua-Ching Lin picked up the W and tourney MVP honors after shutting down Japan for 7 innings, allowing only 1 hit while K'ing 4.  IF Hao-Chen Chen earned the BA title in the tourney.


*Their Little League brethren will also face Japan in the International Championship Game of the LLWS on Saturday at 10 AM Pacific on ABC.


*Pending further investigation, Tzu-Wei Lin may not be able to participate in any more HS games if his contract with the NYY is valid.    Also his HS team (Kao-Yuan HS) and coach would be barred from tourneys for a one year period.  NYY local scout Ken Su was to meet with  Kao-Yuan HS baseball program director Cheng-Hsien Yu to help clarify the situation.


*The CPBL is considering adding a 5th team to the league from across the Strait.   If it happens, wow!

Brief Update on TW Lin...

The latest reports in Taiwan on Tzu-Wei Lin are stating that Lin wants to void the contract he signed with the NYY.   The CTBA also wants the contract voided.  It is yet to be determined what the NYY will do.

The Smoking Gun.....Tzu-Wei Lin Signs with Yankees

First off, I apologize for the long layoff - a much needed vacation helped to rejuice my batteries.  For those with young children, I highly recommend Carnival Cruise Lines - they have an excellent program for kids.

Ok, on to some recent news:

1)Kevin Goldstein has broken the news that 16 year old Tzu-Wei Lin has signed with the Yankees for $350 K.  The news comes as a surprise for two reasons: 1) the kid signed before his HS graduation  2) he could've received a lot more coin signing with another team (rumored to have received multiple better offers - with offers rumored to be as high as $600 K from one particular MLB club)  
However, one can speculate that Lin's reps - Octagon and their close ties to NYY local scout Ken Su probably had something to do with Lin's signing with the Yankees. 


2)The youth NT is 2-0 at the Asian "AA" Championships.  


3)A 45-man preliminary roster was announced for the upcoming Intercontinental Cup and Asian Games.  Hong-Chih Kuo headlines a large contingent of overseas players that include:
-HC Kuo (Dodgers)
-FT Ni (Tigers)
-HW Chen (Cubs)
-CJ Lo (Astros)
-CC Lee (Indians)
-CL Lo (Rockies)
-WY Chen (Dragons)
-YH Yang (Hawks)
-CL Huang (Giants)
-YH Lin (Giants)
-MC Hsu (Lions)
-YC Hsiao (Tigers)
-CH Chen (Indians)
-CL Hu (Dodgers)
-YC Chen (Pirates)
-TH Lee (Hawks)
-CH Lin (Red Sox)
-KH Lo (Mariners)
-WC Lin (Tigers)
-TK Yang (Fighters)


4)Congrats to Chung-Ching Jr. LL from Taipei City on winning the Junior League Baseball World Series.  It looks like there's another Tzu-Wei Lin to keep an eye out for.


5)At the LLWS, Taiwan is currently 2-0.  (18-0 W vs. KSA - Box/Recap) (23-0 W vs. CANADA - Box/Recap)


6)CH Chen continues to stroke the ball well at A+ ball - homering again tonight.  Che-Hsuan Lin was selected the best defensive OF in the Eastern League by BA.

PONY Score Updates....

*Palomino WS:  Taiwan lost its opening game to Lynnhaven, VA 7-1 on Friday.  The team then beat Puerto Rico 10-4 on Saturday, keyed by Meng-Chieh Kan's grand slam home run.    The team was eliminated from the tourney in a 13-11 rematch loss to Lynnhaven, VA today.



*Bronco WS: Taiwan is 2-0 so far in pool play, defeating Chambersburg, PA 9-2 Friday and Mexico 8-1 Saturday. 



*3B Wei-Chih Chen made the 2010 WUBC All-Star Team.

6th at the WUBC....

*The collegiate NT finished 6th at the 2010 WUBC after losing 15-14 to Canada.   Box / Stats



*The Bronco World Series kicks off today for Taiwan.    Roster
8/6 - vs. Chambersburg, PA
8/7 - vs. Kino, Sonora, Mexico
8/9 - vs. Monterey, CA
8/10 - vs. Tamiami/Leon Medical Centers, FL
- Top 2 from each bracket play in the semis on Wed. 8/11



*The Palomino World Series also starts today for Taiwan.  Representing Taiwan (the team is from Taichung and not Taipei as indicated on the PONY website)  is another squad from Shi-Yuan/Gao-Nong HS.
8/6 - vs. Lynnhaven, VA (double elimination format - lose 2 and you're out of the tourney, except for the championship game)
The two other teams in Taiwan's bracket are: Colton, CA & Gurabo, P.R.



*The 2010 Asian "AA" Youth Championships are around the corner.   The tourney will take place in Bangkok, Thailand. The youth NT's schedule is as follows:
8/22 - vs. Hong Kong
8/23 - vs. Indonesia
8/24 - vs. Thailand
8/25 - the semis take place with the top two seeds in each pool playing each other (#1A vs. #2B and vice versa)  Taiwan was fortunate that Japan and South Korea are in pool A together alongside China and Sri Lanka;  however this also means that the team most likely will have to face both Japan and South Korea (in the semis and finals) in order to win the tourney.




*The LLWS doesn't start until 8/20.  Taiwan's first game is on 8/21 against Saudi Arabia - the MEA champs.
Regarding the Junior League World Series, Taiwan will face Guatemala in its opening game on Sunday August 15th.




*Coolin' Down:  Red-hot reliever Chen-Chang Lee has been quietly putting together a nice season in AA ball.  Lee was recently placed on the DL with an oblique strain.




*Yi-Hao Lin is now on the Giants' regular roster and has a new contract.




*The star of the world junior championship squad, Tzu-Wei Lin has a bright future ahead of him.   At 16, he's a world champ, the WJC tourney MVP/most outstanding defensive player/tourney All-star 3B, and owned the highest BA in the tourney.   He's apparently being represented by heavyweight - Octagon (rumor has it that he signed with them - with the assistance of the Yankees' Ken Su, during his last HS tourney).




*Taipei County has established a baseball program at Ying-Ke Vocational HS.  The head coach will be former 1B/LHP Chuan-Chia Wang.   This is important news as Ying-Ke becomes only the 3rd HS baseball program (including Ku-Pao and Sioufong (Hsiu-Feng) HS) in Taipei County - which is the most populated locality in Taiwan.





*See how Wei-Ta Su and Jung-Hao Hsieh are faring in Alaska.

2010 World Jr. Champs!!!!

It's been over 25 years since the island won its last and only world junior title.
Congrats to the 20 young men on an unforgettable showing in Thunder Bay!

Junior NT Keeps On Rollin'...

*Call it the luck of the draw, but the junior NT finds itself in position to make a run at a medal.   Taiwan defeated Venezuela 9-0 on Wednesday to complete pool play.
By finishing 2nd in its pool and because of Cuba's upset loss to the Netherlands on that Wed., Taiwan found itself matched up against the #3 seed in the other pool - the Netherlands.  Behind Chun-Lin Kuo's CG,18 K! performance and IF Tzu-Wei Lin's clutch 3-run bomb, the NT rallied to defeat (4-2) an up-and-coming program in the junior Dutch team.
Taiwan will now play the Canadian junior NT (in their backyard) today at 4:00 PM Pacific in one semifinal. 
The game is scheduled to be shown online.



*The collegiate NT dropped its first game on Friday to Canada 3-2 at the WUBC.  The team will face the US tomorrow.



*The Dodgers released RHP Sung-Wei Tseng.

Youngsters Looking Good for the Junior NT....

*The junior NT defeated Italy 13-4 yesterday.  Box   The team (3-1) will look to wrap up second place in pool play today with a game against Venezuela.  (The team has already defeated both Italy and Australia - both teams are 2-2, who play each other today)

Racking up 3 more hits in yesterday's game for the junior NT was hot-hitting IF Che (Tzu) -Wei Lin.  Lin is the youngest fielder on the team (turned 16 in February).  Lin is currently among the tourney leaders in BA (.563), hits (9), runs scored (8), doubles (3),  & total bases (14).

Aside from a tremendous bat (hits lefty), the 5'8" speedster is an impressive defensive player with a strong arm (throws righty) as well.

Lin played on last year's youth NT (2009) and led the team with a .519 BA.  Representing Kao-Yuan HS, he was also the top hitter (.466) in this year's Yu-Shan Cup.

Lin

Also performing well for the junior NT is RHP Ping-Hsueh Chen.  Chen is currently the youngest player on the team (just turned 16 earlier this month).  Playing for HS powerhouse Ku-Pao, Chen has already racked up an impressive resume.  Like Lin, Chen was also on the 2009 youth NT, however unlike Lin, Chen is already pretty mature physically and stands in at 6'0" while weighing ~ 185 lbs.  He currently leads the team with 10 K's (including 3 K's against team USA in 1 inning of work) in 2 game appearances.  He's been clocked at at high of 91 mph.

Chen

*The collegiate NT lost its last warmup game (6-3) to team USA and top pitching prospect Gerrit Cole on Tuesday.  Box/Recap
Team USA head coach Bill Kinneberg has already commented that this year's Taiwanese collegiate NT is better than the 2007 edition that also competed in the WUBC.
Team USA played Taipei County today and is currently winning 9-1.
The collegiate NT has announced its final roster for the upcoming World University Baseball Championships.

Junior NT blanked by the US......

*The junior NT was shutout by the US junior NT 10-0 in 7.  Phillip Pfeifer (a top class of 2011 prospect) threw a 2-hit shutout against the junior NT lineup.
Box/Recap
The team is now 2-1, a day after winning a wild one against Australia (13-11).
Box/Recap



*The collegiate NT is 2-0 in its exhibition matches against the US. 
The team won 3-1 (Box/Recap) on Sunday and 1-0 (Box/Recap) today.   Wen-Yang Liao continues his impressive pitching performance (4 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 6 K's against the US).



*CPBL All-Star game recap

First Win for Junior NT...

*First off, congrats to J. Lin.   Good luck on your endeavours in the NBA.  Hopefully some day (soon), we'll see a Taiwanese American play in the Major Leagues.



*The junior NT defeated France in its opening game 11-1. 
Box
Recap



*As already reported, the Bronco reps rallied to defeat South Korea and move on to the World Series in the Monterey, CA.
-The top pitcher award and home run king went to Shih-Peng Chen
-Chun-Hao Hsieh had the most RBI (13)
-Tourney MVP honors went to Hsin-Chun Lee



*Here's the rosters for the upcoming US/Taiwanese NT friendly series in Taiwan (7/25-7/28).  You can follow the games (to be played in Xinchuang Stadium) here.

More Amateur Updates...

*The junior NT wrapped up its exhibition tour, defeating the St. Cloud Area Select All-Stars last night 6-4.  (Recap) 
The starter, Chun-Lin Kuo threw 5 shutout innings, allowing 2 hits while K'ing 5.  Reliever Wei-Chung Wang picked up the W, but only after he allowed 4 runs in his 3 1/3 innings of work.  Cheng-Han Tsai picked up the save.  The team is now on its way to Thunder Bay, Canada to kick off the World Junior Baseball Championships, which begin this Friday.   The team's first game is against France on Saturday.
-Read more about the junior NT



*Pony Baseball:
BRONCO - Taiwan defeated the Philippines 30-0 (in 5 innings) to set up a showdown against South Korea tomorrow.  South Korea defeated Japan 13-3 in the other semi.  The offense rolled up 26 hits while the pitching staff held the Filipino hitters to 1 hit.   Team ace Shih-Peng Chen is expected to start the game tomorrow.
PONY - Taiwan lost to Japan in the championship game, falling short by a 1-0 score.   Huai-Lin Tang started the game, a day after pitching in the team's victory against the Philippines.  Tang was clocked at a high of 84 mph.  Teammate Che-Wei Lin was elected the tourney's top hitter.

Amateur Updates...

*The junior NT defeated a Twin Cities HS All-Star squad 3-1 on Sunday.   The team managed 3 runs on 8 hits offensively while the pitching managed to hold the Twin Cities Select squad to 1 run on 5 hits.   Cheng-Han Tsai started and allowed 1 run on 3 hits over 3 IP, while K'ing 4 and walking 3.  Shi-Ying Peng relieved Tsai and threw 3 scoreless innings, allowing 1 hit, while K'ing 1.   Chia-Wei Huang closed out the game (pitching the last 3 innings) and was credited with the W (0 H, 2 K's).   He was clocked at a high of 88 mph.*edited

The junior NT also picked up a W against the Canadian junior NT yesterday in a 4-0 win.  The offense racked up 9 hits, while the hurlers shutout their opponent on 4 hits.  OF Tse-Wei Ko led the way offensively with 3 hits in 4 AB's.  The pitching staff racked up 16 K's (Ping-Hsueh Chen started - 3 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 6 K's, 2 BB's/ recent Twins signee Hung-Yi Chen relieved PH Chen - 3 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 5 K's, credited with the W/ Kuo-Hua Lo closed out the game - 3 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 5 K's).
Recap
Recap
The junior NT played the St. Cloud All-Stars today.




*Regarding Bronco (Pony) baseball in the Asia-Pacific regional, Taiwan shutout its remaining 2 opponents in the pool to set up a semifinal against the Philippines.   South Korea and Japan are playing in the other semi. On Monday, the team crushed Indonesia 34-0.  The offense rolled up 28 hits including home runs by Chun-Hao Hsieh and two-way star Shih-Peng Chen.    Taiwan defeated Vietnam 17-0 today.
Recap

Opening Win in Bronco Baseball....

*Taiwan defeated Japan 5-0 in the opening game of the Asia-Pacific regional tourney in the Bronco division of Pony baseball.   Shih-Peng Chen (pictured above) started and threw a CG shutout, giving up 4 hits while K'ing 5 over 7 innings.  The lefty was clocked at a high of 73 mph.




*The collegiate NT finished 2-6 in the Netherlands.  IF Po-Ting Hsiao led all hitters with a .500 BA and a .571 OBP.  He was second in slugging (.583).  P Wen-Yang Liao had the most K's in the tourney (14) and was 5th in ERA (1.12).
Team's final stats.



*The junior NT's warmup match with the USA was rained out yesterday.  The team was scheduled to play the Twin Cities High School All-Stars today and will play the Canadian junior NT tomorrow.

Movin' On to the Good 'Ol US of A.........

Taiwan is sending two reps to the US in the LL baseball organization.   Fu-Hsing LL from Kaohsiung City won the Asia-Pacific regional tourney, blanking its 5 opponents 46-0, and will receive plenty of TV time in Williamsport.  Chung-Ching Jr. LL from Taipei City won the Asia-Pacific regional tourney in JL baseball.  Chung-Ching will head to Taylor, MI after beating its opponents by an 86-6 margin.

In the Pony baseball organization, three teams will try to duplicate their LL brethrens' feats.   In the Bronco division, the team's toughest opponent in its pool is its opening game against Japan on the 18th.  Team ace Shih-Peng Chen is expected to start against Japan.  South Korea is in the other pool.

Shih-Peng Chen (L) pictured with Head Coach

Link to the Bronco team's pics

Ups and Downs.....

*MILB: 
HW Chen was moved up to AAA (he was a Southern League - AA All-Star).
KH Lo was demoted to high A ball.
YL Wang was demoted to R ball.
Nice read on CT Tang.



*One-time top pitching prospect RHP Chia-Ming Huang had TJ surgery.  Prior to his surgery, the kid was on the radar for quite a few ML clubs.



*LLB:
Taiwan defeated South Korea 3-0 to conclude pool play.  The team will now face the winner of the Philippines-Hong Kong matchup for the right to head to Williamsport.

Junior League Baseball (ages 13-15):
Chung-Ching Junior LL will play the Philippines tomorrow for the right to head to Taylor, MI.

7/13 Updates....

*Kuo pitched in the All-Star Game, throwing 2/3 of an inning.  The NL won 3-1. 
Play-by-Play/Box



*Taiwan will host the first ever IBAF sponsored world LL tourney next year.



*The collegiate NT won its first game in Holland, defeating Japan 3-1. Box
Taiwan is 3-0, setting up a showdown with undefeated South Korea tomorrow in the A-P LLWS regionals.



*Some bad news: Tigers minor leaguer Hua-Wei Lo had TJ surgery.

Congrats to Kuo!

On being Taiwan's first ML All-Star rep!

Brief Updates...

*The CNMI LL reps journey is over before it even began.   Taiwan's first scheduled opponent in the LL A-P regionals were stuck in Manila and I'm assuming they're out of the tourney.
Taiwan is scheduled to play Thailand today.



*The collegiate NT is 0-2 over in the Netherlands:
3-1 loss to the US team
1-0 loss to the home team



*The XM All-Star Futures Game takes place today in Anaheim, CA.   Watch and follow Chun-Hsiu Chen at 3 PM Pacific on ESPN2.



*Here's a list of the velocities recorded by Taiwanese MLB/MILB pitchers this year :
>LHP H. Kuo top 98, avg 93-96
>RHP C. Lee top 98, avg 91-93
>RHP CJ Lo top 97, avg 91-94
>RHP Y. Chang top 94, avg 88-92
>RHP H. Chen top 93, avg 87-91
>RHP Y. Wang top 93, avg 87-92
>RHP S. Kuo top 93, avg 88-91
>RHP CL Lo top 92, avg 87-90
>RHP T. Wang top 92, avg 86-89
>RHP S. Hung top 91, avg 86-89
>LHP H. Lo top 91, avg 87-90
>LHP F. Ni top 90, avg 85-88
>RHP P. Chi top 89, avg 85-87
>LHP T. Chiu top 88, avg 84-87
>RHP S. Tseng top 88, avg 82-86
>RHP Huang injured, s/p surgery
>RHP Wang injured, s/p surgery