Q & A with Steve Wilson.....

Recently, I had the chance to correspond with Cubs Pac-Rim scout - Steve Wilson. Here is a brief Q & A on the two kids that the Cubs recently signed :


TTT:
Could you comment on the two kids that you signed out of Taiwan? - P Hong-Wen Chen & Chih-Hsiang Wen. While HW Chen is more of a known commodity, CH Wen is someone that I had not heard of until his signing.

Steve Wilson:
"1) Chen Hung-Wen: He's the equivalent of a college junior sign in the States. Very polished pitcher, he has the ablility to throw 5 pitches, and has pretty good command of all of them. Pitches comfortably at 89, but will get it up to 91-94 in a closer situation. Has a usable curve, and slider which can be tightened up, but his split can be an out pitch vs. lefties in the big leagues I feel. He can move his fb around, and has a feel for pitching. He's a good athlete, fields his position well, and is tough on the mound.

2) Wen Chih-Hsiang is like a college senior sign. He's a kid that's a bit raw, but has some nice tools and raw power. He's a quiet kid that is a hard worker with good makeup. A kid that I want to give a chance to, and with some work on his hitting which has improved this year you never know. he runs well, plays a nice OF, and like I said, has some pop. Pretty good sized kid for a Taiwanese boy."


Steve also stated that "The Cubs are very committed to not only Taiwan, but the rest of Asia, that is why they hired me. We are going to be an aggressive player in this market, and have started to establish a very good network of part time scouts."

In addition to the two Taiwanese kids signed by Steve, the Cubs have also been busy in South Korea. Per Donga.com(Korean news in English), the Cubs inked South Korean HS'er Dae-Eun Lee on June 4th for $800 K.

A big thank you to Steve for partaking in the Q&A.

Signing Day...Che-Hsuan Lin to Red Sox...+ Others...

Red Sox Ink Lin:


The Boston Red Sox inked recently graduated HS OF Che-Hsuan Lin to a signing bonus in the ball park of $375-400K. However, the coveted speedster is rumored to have turned down a more lucrative offer from the Mariners because he wanted to be in a Red Sox uniform and is eager to play in the US ASAP. Lin could have easily earned more $$$ had he come to the US and exhibited his skills in a showcase. Lin, who's been profiled before, reportedly has a 100M PB time of 10.78 - the kid can fly! The kid's upside is significant because he possesses so many + tools and is a well polished player for his age.

I've posted several highlight vids of Lin in the past, check here to see them again. Here's 2 new vids of Lin - taken when he was 15:
Link 1
Link 2

Other MLB Signing News:

Cubs: Chen(L) & Wen (R)

In addition to pitcher Hong-Wen Chen, the Cubs also signed another Taiwanese kid: 23 year old collegiate OF Chih-Hsiang Wen. Wen, who plays for Taipei Physical Education University, signed for $2,500 + additional money for college tuition. He stands 6'1", weighs 188 pounds, bats and throws righty. He has some power in his bat and has good speed, having run the 100M in 11.30 seconds. Not a household name, the kid has never played on any national squad for Taiwan - although he did graduate from the same junior HS as Chin-Hui Tsao -> Kuang Fu junior high in Hualien, before attending Taitung Agricultural Vocational HS. Wen was primarily a pitcher in HS.*Updated*

Chen and Chiu Vids....

I'll be on hiatus for a few weeks on a much-needed break. In the meantime, check out vids of the two latest signings from Taiwan: Hong-Wen Chen of the Cubs and Tzu-Kai Chiu of the Reds.

Here's a vid of H.W. Chen back in HS in 2004 - he was hitting 89 mph at the time:

Here's a vid of T.K. Chiu pitching the 9th inning in a 2006 HS game - he's still hitting 87 mph after throwing 140+ pitches - Check it out:

Feel free to post updates in the comments section while I'm gone.....or go to the forums at TaiwaneseBallPlayers.com
Till next time, peace.

Chicago Cubs Sign Hong-Wen Chen...

photo courtesy of Cor

photo courtesy of udn.com

The Chicago Cubs signed their first Taiwanese player - RHP Hong-Wen Chen. Chen was signed by Cubs Pac-Rim scout, Steve Wilson and received a $200,000 signing bonus. Chen, who is 22, stands 6'0" tall and weighs 188 pounds. Playing collegiate baseball in Taiwan, Chen has been clocked recently as high as 94 mph. He throws harder now than he did 2 years ago when he was here on tour in Southern California. Along with Mariners farmhand Kuo-Hui Lo, Chen was one of a few players on that NT who had a combination of talent and the physical stature to match that talent. Chen has good bloodlines as his uncle is none other than Yi-Hsin Chen, a star pitcher in the TML/CPBL in his heydays.

Chen is scheduled to report to XST in May.

Tzu-Kai Chiu Signs with Reds....

Chiu
pic added 3/6

The Cincinnati Reds were able to break into the Taiwanese market by signing 19 year LHP Tzu-Kai Chiu. Chiu received an estimated $200,000 signing bonus + additional money for his education. Chiu stands around 6'0" tall and weighs close to 200 pounds. Chiu has been on the MLB radar for quite some time now - refer to this Jan. '06 post to read more about Chiu. Chiu is currently in his first year of college but will be heading to the US shortly for a physical. Chiu throws comfortably in the 85 to 87 mph range with touches of 89 mph on his fastball - Chiu's best pitch is his curveball. Congrats to Chiu!

*In other news, Hong-Wen Chen - a RHP playing for Chinese Culture University, was clocked at 92 mph as he led his team to a 7-2 victory against Furen University in the current college baseball tourney. I had the opportunity to watch Chen in the summer of '05. He was the best pitching prospect - (including LA New Bears rookie Ying-Feng Tsai) on that touring NT.Chen #99

Hong Wen Chen

The team that will be representing Chinese Taipei at the upcoming World Cup might have one more potential pro prospect in pitcher Hong Wen Chen. Chen is the youngest of the unsigned players at 19 years old. He stands 6 feet tall even, has good size, and throws a fastball that sits around 89-91 mph. On the recent summer tour in Southern California, he was one of the few guys that stood out in my eyes(in addition to Lo). Let's see how he does in the World Cup against better competition.