Mariners Sign Yao-Wen Chang...

CHANG - (14 y.o. in August of '05)

pics courtesy of ponyworldseries.com

As mentioned by Mariner Minors and Baseball America, the Seattle Mariners signed 17 year old RHP Yao-Wen Chang (DOB: 10/31/1990). Chang joins Yi-Hao Lin (Yomiuri Giants) as the second signee from the talented class of 2009. The young man stands around 6'3" and weighs ~ 190 pounds. Chang first gained notoriety when he helped lead Taichung, Taiwan to the 2005 Pony League World Series Championship (see pics above). The righty reportedly has a fastball in the low 90's. The rest of his pitching repertoire includes a changeup, curve, slider, and a splitter. Chang's transition to the US may be smoother than most Taiwanese players as he already has a pretty solid grasp of the English language.

His signing bonus with the Mariners is reported to be ~ $400,000, the highest bonus given to a Taiwanese pitcher since Chien-Ming Chiang (~$600 K with the Yomiuri Giants in 2005) and Chia-An Huang (~$700 K with the Seattle Mariners in 2004).

*Edited/Updated*

Loose Ends....

Kuo and Wang

With just about all of the overseas players back home in Taiwan, it's time for some R & R for these guys before gearing up for the upcoming 2007 season. In the pic above, it's good to see Kuo and Wang reunited - too bad Tsao couldn't be there. As noted by a few of you, Tsao is currently a free agent after being non-tendered by the Rockies.

In other small news, it's good to know that the Boston Red Sox continue to work hard at scouting Taiwan's amateur scene. The Red Sox have definitely shown their commitment to scouting and signing some of the best players from the Pacific Rim - especially these past 2 years.

After a weak 2007 CPBL draft and in an effort to hold onto top domestic amateur talent, the CPBL has decided to include high school players in the draft next year.

Interesting note on foreign players being recognized as international athletes. In essence, there won't be any more incidences where players have problems returning (i.e. Chin-Feng Chen with the Dodgers - while trying to win a roster spot in ST) to the US because of a shortage of player visas.

There were a couple of noteworthy MLB acquisitions that could effect the PT of a few Taiwanese prospects/players:
1)The Mariners acquired 2B/DH Jose Vidro from the Nationals. So in addition to Jose Lopez, Yung-Chi Chen moves further down on the organizational 2B depth chart. However, his offensive skills and defensive versatility - 2B/3B work in his favor.
2)With the signing of Jason Schmidt and Randy Wolf by the Dodgers over the past month, Kuo's status as a 5th starter is up in the air. He could return back to the bullpen and/or make sporadic starts.

The Boys of Summer....

K.H. Lo - Mariners

C.H. Chiang - Red Sox

The two kids depicted above will get their chance this summer to prove if they are prospects or suspects. Of the recent signees from Taiwan, these 2 kids probably have the most upside of the bunch. The other interesting note is the fact that the Mariners and Red Sox have had a recent strangle-hold on the amateur prospect scene in Taiwan. While the jury is still out on Lo, Y.C. Chen's recent play has reestablished himself as a top prospect in the Mariners organization. C.K. Wu and C.A. Huang have been somewhat of a disappointment so far early in their careers.

After a horrid history with developing their Asian prospects (see Seung Song, Jin Ho Cho, Tai-In Che, Chul Oh, - just to name a few) , the Red Sox got their foot into Taiwan's doorstep when they signed Kevin Huang in 2000. While Huang's career with the Red Sox flamed out in 2003, the Red Sox renewed their pursuit of Taiwanese prospects in 2005 & 2006 with the signings of T.J. Yeh, C.H. Chiang, C.H. Huang, and W.Y. Lin

Despite the past presence of the Yanks, Dodgers, and Rockies in Taiwan, it looks like it's a 2 horse race for the present amateur baseball market on the island.

Ok on to Friday recaps:
Hu was 1-3 with a run scored and a walk. He was also thrown out trying to steal 2nd base. Box

Chen DNP with San Antonio.

K.H. Lo was 0-3, with a RBI, a run scored, and his 8th SB of the season. Box

Chiang was 0-2 tonight. Box

Chu DNP for the Alaska Goldpanners, while his teammate - Lan was 0-1 with a run scored. Box

Kuo Hui Lo - Scouting Report

I've decided to profile Lo after witnessing his talent and meeting him in person this past summer. Despite his quiet demeanor, he's a great guy who goes out of his way to meet and sign for all of his fans.

Lo currently is 19 years old, but will turn 20 at the end of September. His age could work against him, since it will take him a few years to get accustomed to the US.
Most Taiwanese players face culture shock when they get here. Some players thrive - see Chin-Feng Chen and Chin-Hui Tsao, while others struggle - see Chia-An Huang and Ching-Lung Lo.

Physically, Lo stands 6'2" and weighs 185 pounds. He bats righty and throws righty. He has a very projectable body that should get stronger as he matures.

From a genetic stand point, Lo is Chin-Hui Tsao's nephew - yea, the same Tsao of the Colorado Rockies who clocks triple digits on the radar gun. As you can see, baseball runs in the family.

Lo's most impressive attributes are his offensive capabilities. Lo has always been able to hit for high average and demonstrate plus power during competitive play. In his native country, Lo hit .363 in 80 AB's while cranking 2 HR's, contributed 20 RBI's, and had 11 SB's, with only 10 K's in Taiwan's amateur senior level league in 2005 play. During this summer's US tour, which I eyewitnessed, he was easily the most impressive offensive player on both sides of the field.
Lo's bat during the World Cup produced a top 10 BA: .433 while batting clean up for Chinese Taipei.

Lo is able to generate plus power and get good wood on the bat because of a fundamental level swing, quick wrists, and strong hips which help generate tremendous bat speed and torque.
Citybear, who I have a weblink to, has taken some great pictures of Lo # 52 at the plate - check it out. At the plate Lo has shown good discipline. Earlier this summer, while facing one of the top US college pitchers in Ian Kennedy, Lo was able to work the count and draw a walk from Kennedy.

As a baserunner, Lo shows good instincts, although he was picked off first base by US pitcher Chris Michalak during World Cup play. Lo tied Ching-Lung Hu with 2 SB's for the team lead in that department. I personally timed Lo around 4.3 seconds (+/- .1 seconds) going from home to first base - which is above average for his size.

Defensively, Lo covers adequate range in the OF with his wheels. During summer play in the US, Lo played all 3 OF positions, although his primary defensive position was CF. I was unable to judge Lo's arm strength, as he was never tested in any of these games. It is interesting to note that Lo was used strictly as a DH for Taiwan during World Cup play. I do not know the reasoning behind the manager's decision not to play Lo in OF.

It is easy to see the similarities in Lo's game with the guy he idolizes: Chin-Feng Chen of the Dodgers. Lo wears #52 in honor of Chen. Physically the two guys are very similar: Chen stands 6'1" and weighs 190 pounds. Both are good fastball hitters with power and speed potential. However, hopefully the comparisons to Chen end here. While Chen is viewed as an icon in his native Taiwan and has had success at the AAA level, he has been unable to latch on to a major league team secondary to perceived weaknesses: defensive liability and a high K rate. My hope for Lo is that he will be able to surpass the achievements of Chen and someday be a key contributor in the Major Leagues. I wish Lo the best of luck in achieving his dreams of making it to the Big Show!

Edited: 9/19/05