Prospect Tidbits

*RHP Ping-Hsueh Chen has reported to the Indians camp and has resumed throwing.

*RHP Chih-Wei Hu was offered around $200 K by the Cubs and Twins.   There are rumors that the deal was sweetened and Hu may have signed.

*With July's end around the corner, amateur baseball will soon be in full-tilt.

-Reps for the LLWS

-News on the BFA U-12 National Team

-Bracket for the Bronco League World Series/News on A-P championship play

-The A-P champs will be determined in South Korea with the winner heading on to the Pony League World Series

-The tourney winner in Taiwan will play in the Palomino World Series

-Taiwan will also send a rep to the Junior League World Series/ News on A-P championship play

-The junior National Team will also attempt to defend its title at the 2012 U-18 World Baseball Classic

-A youth National Team will play in Mexico in the 2012 World Cup and also the BFA championships.

Tzu-Wei Lin Vids

Here's a few vids of Red Sox GCL infielder Tzu-Wei Lin in action (Note that he utilizes a wood bat in all of the games):

1)Lin is #17 - vid shows bat and speed, stretching a single into a double:  view from beginning to 1:33 mark




2)Here Lin is facing one of the top HS pitchers in Taiwan - Jung-Hung Sen. Lin just misses out on an opposite field HR. Also note how Lin's bat always seems to find the ball.



3)Lin Facing the Junior Japanese National team at the 2011 Asian BFA Junior Championships:



4)Lin facing top HS junior Ren-He Tseng (clocked in the 150's)and slapping a single to CF. view from 3:33 mark till 4:52





Taiwanese Mid-Season All-Stars:
1)CF Dai-Kang Yang - NPB Fighters - Selected by Fans to represent PL in the OF.
2)IF/DH Chun-Hsiu Chen - Akron Aeros (AA)- Eastern League All Star
3)IF Chih-Fang Pan - Will represent World Team at 2012 Futures Game

TW Lin to the Red Sox Pending Physical

Per news reports in Taiwan, IF Tzu-Wei Lin will sign with the Red Sox for a record $2.05 million signing bonus, the highest signing bonus handed to an amateur non-pitcher from Asia.    News is coming out as Lin just graduated from HS:


Of course the deal will not be finalized until he passes his physical which should be coming up in the next few days.     Lin is represented by Scott Boras and was rumored to have multiple seven figure offers from MLB teams.   MLB teams that were heavily involved with Lin included the Yankees, Dodgers, Indians, Tigers, Twins, Pirates, and Rangers.

TW Lin scouting report.

Ping-Hsueh Chen & the Indians

The Cleveland Indians continue to make their mark in Taiwan, this time reaching an agreement with RHP Ping-Hsueh Chen for roughly $60 K.  Chen is thought to have been seeking much more.   He has a close relationship with Octagon. 

Vitals:
DOB 7/8/94
H: 187 cm
W: 92 kg
B:R
T:R

-Topped out at 146 kph
-On the '09 Youth NT; '10 Junior NT


To watch a video of Chen, see more at this previous link.

Link to previous blog entries on PH Chen.

2012 Junior National Team

In an effort to defend their 2010 World Title, the 2012 junior national team has been selected upon completion of the Yu-Shan Cup.  The IBAF event will take place in South Korea from 8/30 till 9/8.

Pitchers (7):
1)Jung-Hung Sen  - 18; 180 cm; 76 kg; T:R  (2012 Yu-Shan Cup MVP; tops out at 149 kph)
2)Cheng-Hsien Lin  - 16; 180 cm; 78 kg;  T:L
3)Hsiang-Hao Yang - 18; 182 cm, 75 kg; T:R
4)Sheng-Hong Liu - 18; 172 cm; 60 kg; T:R  (2012 Yu-Shan Cup top pitcher award)
5)Hsin-Chi Hong - 18; 183 cm; 78 kg; T:R
6)Tzu-Peng Huang - 18; 182 cm; 72 kg; T:R
7)Ren-He Tseng - 17; 185 cm, 90 kg; T:R (On the 2011 junior NT; tops out at 152 kph)

Catchers (3):
1)Joseph Chen  - 16; 180 cm; 74 kg; B:R - T:R
2)Chun-Hsiang Chan - 18; 173 cm; 75 kg; B:R - T:R  (2012 Yu-Shan Cup top catcher award)
3)Yi-Che Lin - 18; 172 cm; 73 kg; B:R - T:R  (On the 2011 Palomino World Series team - #2)

Infielders (6):
1)Chih-Chieh Su - 17; 178 cm; 76 kg; B:L - T:R (2012 Yu-Shan Cup top 1B award, 2011 junior NT)
2)Tsung-Hsien Lee - 17; 176 cm; 74 kg; B:R - T:R (2012 Yu-Shan Cup top 3B, 2011 junior NT - had 2 HRs in tourney)
3)Chia-Wei Yang - 16; 176 cm; 74 kg; B:R - T:R
4)Yi-Hsuan Tsai - 18; 180 cm, 75 kg; B:R - T:R  (2012 Yu-Shan Cup top SS)
5)Cheng-Tang Wang - 16; 173 cm, 73 kg; B:L - T:R
6)Tzu-Wei Lin - 18; 175 cm; 70 kg; B:L - T:R (MLB bound?)

Outfielders (4):
1)Yu-Ping Sen - 17; 180 cm, 74 kg; B:L - T:L (2012 Yu-Shan Cup top OF)
2)Yu-Ning Tsao - 18; 178 cm, 74 kg; B:R - T:R (2012 Yu-Shan Cup top OF)
3)Yu-Ming Chen - 17; 172 cm; 79 kg; B:L - T:R
4)Chia-Kai Liu - 18; 183 cm; 76 kg; B:L - T:L

Tzu-Wei Lin Scouting Report

Here's all you need to know about Tzu-Wei Lin, soon to be the most hyped Taiwanese amateur baseball player in recent memory.     So does the ability match the hype?   Let's see below:

DOB:  2/15/94  (18 years old)
H: 5'8"
W: 160
B: L
T: R
HS:  Kao-Yuan HS  in  Kaohsiung, Taiwan

Achievements & Awards:

·         2006—Hsieh Kuo-Chen little league tournament batting title (0.800)

·         2006—Unified Cup little league tournament batting title (0.727)

·         2006--60^th World little league domestic qualifying tournament RBI title

·         2008--Taipei International Cities junior high school baseball tournament HR title

·         2009- Golden Dragon Cup high school tournament batting title

·         2010--Yu-Shan Cup national high school tournament batting title (0.466)

·         2010 IBAF 18U junior world championship games 7/25/2010 vs. Australia went 5-5, 2 RBI, scored 4 runs

·         2010 IBAF 18U  junior world championship games 7/30/2010 vs. Netherlands went 2-3 including 3 run HR

·         2010 IBAF 18U junior world championship games 7/31/2010 vs. Canada went 4-5, 2 RBI

·         2010 IBAF 18U junior world championship games tournament MVP, batting title, most run scored, best defensive player, best 3^rd baseman

·         2010 Tong-Kao Cup national high school tournament batting title

·         2011 BFA Asian junior tournament all-star team (in 5 games and 21 AB, hit .476, 10 hits, 1 double, 2 HR, 8 RBI, 7 runs, 1 strikeout, 3 BB, 2 SB)

·         2011 BFA Asian junior tournament best OF award

·         2010 IBAF 18U world player of the year award

Scouting Report:

*Defense/Arm Strength:   60/65 - true MLB SS with plus defensive skill set and great range, also has the ability to play CF - was voted best defensive player at the 2010 World Junior Championships.   As a pitcher in HS, was clocked at a high of 89 mph.  

*Speed:  70/70 - lightning fast (top time to 1st base:  3.79 seconds), has shown the ability to get good reads and jump on pitchers, aggressive on the base paths, plus instincts with base running.

*Hitting/Approach:   35/65 - utilizes a quick and compact swing,  has tremendous hand/eye coordination, squares up on balls and makes hard contact consistently - utilizing all parts of the field, rarely strikes out with good patience and pitch recognition, strong wrists, has a high OBP.

*Power:   30/35 - below average at this time, has gap to gap power.

*Intangibles:   Profiles as a leadoff hitter, is fundamentally sound, has risen to the challenge during big games - performing well against top competition in major international contests, is mentally tough, demonstrating leadership skills,  plus athleticism and overall skill set has some comparing him to a younger and shorter version of Jose Reyes.

Lin's Blog

Previous Blog Entries on TW Lin

 

Linsanity 2.0!

Tzu-Wei Lin

(2010 IBAF World Junior Championship MVP & Junior Athlete of the Year)

Ok, the latest news on IF Tzu-Wei Lin is that multiple MLB teams are after the kid, driving up his value.   The latest rumor is that the current highest offer is around $2 million!  If this holds true, this would put him in the same ball park as Chin-Hui Tsao ($2.2 million '99) and Chien-Ming Wang ($1.9 million '00).

The Yankees, who thought they had Lin locked up at 16 years of age, have taken a rather low key approach during this process.  However, as Lin approaches graduation, the Yankees are getting aggressive after Lin.   The Yankees' scout in Taiwan, Ken Su informed the Taiwanese media that the Yankees are still very interested in Lin.  "For sure we will make an offer that is higher than the current offers to get him to join the Yankees."  (UDN)     "Our organization has given instructions to get SS Lin at any cost." (Apple Daily News).
Lin's HS Head Coach Lee has said  "It's true that there are many teams after Lin, but most likely he'll go to the Yankees."

MLB.com has ranked Lin in their top 20 (#18) international prospects for 2012.    Based on the most current rumors of his $2 million offer and the fact that he is more polished and fundamentally sound than most of the kids on that list, Lin easily should be in the top 5 list.   Lin also does have some power; he's hit home runs in international tourneys utilizing a wood bat.  He projects to have gap power further on down the road. 

Speaking of Linsanity, everyone catch Che-Hsuan Lin's beauty of a catch as the Red Sox RF the other night?   The kid just needs some more playing time to show what he can do in the field.


*Congrats to CMW on his first W of the season. 

*WY Chen looks to get back on track tomorrow night against the Royals.

*In other amateur news:

RHP Chih-Wei Hu-- The A's, Cubs, & Twins are all after him.

RHP Ping-Hsueh Chen--The Yankees met with him and are rumored to have offered $30 K.

HS Top Gun Vids

Here's a couple of vids of some of the tops HS pitchers in Taiwan.

*Wei-Chieh Huang is an 18 year old HS RHP.   Playing on the same HS team as star amateur Tzu-Wei Lin at Kao-Yuan HS, has also allowed Huang to garner the attention of 3-4 ML teams.   Huang has been clocked at a high of 145 kph.    (H:  181 cm/  W:   71 kg)




*Ren-He Tseng, the hard-throwing RHP from San-Min HS, is seen hitting 150 kph in the vid seen below  (he also faced Tzu-Wei Lin #17 and gave up a single in the vid).   Tseng turns 18 in October.    (H:   184 cm/ W:  85 kg)





*Here's a vid of Shi-Yuan righty Chih-Wei Hu.   Hu topped out at 150 kph in this vid.    (18 y.o./H:  184 cm/W:   96 kg)





*Ku-Pao ace Ping-Hsueh Chen topped out at 145 kph here.  (17 y.o./H:  187 cm/W:  92 kg)

The Million Dollar Man?

*There is speculation that Kao-Yuan IF Tzu-Wei Lin is set to receive the highest signing bonus for an amateur non-pitcher from the island.      The toolsy Lin should garner a seven figure signing bonus as he is reportedly receiving serious interest from the Rangers, Yankees, Indians, Red Sox, Twins, Pirates, A's, Padres, and Softbank Hawks (NPB).   He's eligible to sign upon the completion of his HS career in a matter of months.

CFC received $680,000 back in 1999 with the Dodgers.

If and when Lin signs, he'll be able to live down this potential blunder made back in 2010.






*There are rumors that the A's reportedly made an offer to Ku-Pao RHP Ping-Hsueh Chen.






*Remember the 2009 Little League World Series?  
Well, the star player from that Taiwanese team, Wen-Hua Sung is on all scouts' radars with his impressive development.     The 15 year old is set to finish "middle school" and begin HS in the fall.   He's now grown to 6'1" and weighs 187 pounds.   He's been clocked at a high of 92 mph. 

* The Cubs released RHP Hung-Wen Chen.
Several other minor league washouts are playing in the Atlantic League.   Ching-Lung Lo is with the Lancaster Barnstormers.  Chin-Lung Hu failed his physical with the Phillies and is on the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs roster.  Sheng-An Kuo is also supposedly in the Atlantic League.

Orioles Ink Yi-Hsiang Lin

From BA, the Orioles (Ray Poitevint) remained busy in Taiwan, this time inking LHP Yi-Hsiang Lin. The 19 year old (12/16/92) Fubon Bull (TPEC) graduated from San Min HS, alma mater of Mariners prospect Chih-Hsien Chiang.

Lin stands 183 cm and weighs in at 68 kg. He's been clocked at a high of 143 kph.
(Vid from 11/15/2011 with the Fubon Bulls)

He received roughly $75 K and is represented by Bros.  

Chen Coming to America

Reports have it that lefty Wei-Yin Chen has agreed to a 3 year deal (11 million +) with the Baltimore Orioles.   The deal is pending Chen passing his physical. 

Chen is the 4th member from Kao-Yuan HS's graduating class ('03) to join a MLB organization.   Other HS teammates included Ching-Lung Lo who made the biggest initial splash with his large signing bonus with the Rockies; Chi-Hung Cheng with the Jays; Kuo-Hui Lo with the Mariners. 


Chen - Wiki




Here's a look at Chen in 2009 in arguably his most dominant year in the NPB.   These are the highlights (K's) of his 4 shutouts thrown that year.