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*

NT Loses to Mexico...

WC:
The NT took its first loss of the WC, losing to Mexico 9-5 on Sunday. Taiwan's pitching staff was ineffective against a potent offensive attack from Mexico. CH Hsieh, KH Lo, and CS Lin all hit solo HR's for the NT. Read more about the game here. Box Score/V.O.D.
With the loss, Taiwan falls a half game behind the US in Group A and will now play Italy, the surprise of the pool so far, on Monday. En-Yu Lin will start for Taiwan.

Saturday Scoreboard...

KC:
Over in Japan, the President Lions were embarrassed by the KBO champs. The SK Wyverns tore into starting pitcher Pete Munro for 8 runs (7 earned) over 1+ innings. The Wyverns would go on to tack on 5 more runs in the next 2 innings for a 13-0 lead after 4 innings. The Lions would score their only run of the game on a solo shot by Sun-Hsuan Yang. Final score: Wyverns 13 - Lions 1 in a 7 inning laugher for the KBO champs. To make things worse for the Lions, slugger Tilson Brito DNP in today's game due to a foot injury.
The undefeated Wyverns will now play the Dragons (only loss to the Wyverns) for the Konami Cup Championship tomorrow.
The biggest disappointment in the Cup was the failure of the Lions' two big-name foreign pitchers (Figueroa - Taiwan Series MVP, Munro - CPBL ERA leader) to come through with quality innings. On the brighter side of things, SP Wei-Lun Pan and CPBL MVP Kuo-Ching Kao (7-11 with 3 RBI's in the K Cup) proved that they can compete with anyone in Asia. The Lions earned 3rd place in the 3rd annual Konami Cup.
Box/Recap


WC:
Taiwan defeated Spain 8-4 at the WC Saturday. CFC hit his 2nd HR of the tourney and led the way offensively with a 3-5 double/HR/3 RBI night. Tarzan also hit his 1st HR of the tourney. Starter Chih-Lung Huang was pulled after 1+ innings - he allowed 2 ER on 5 hits to go along with 1 K and 0 walks allowed. With the win, Taiwan is currently alone at the top of group A with a 3-0 record. Taiwan will play Mexico Sunday. Box/Recap/V.O.D.

Win Some, Lose Some....

WC:
Taiwan defeated Japan 6-1 at the WC Friday. Another solid pitching effort was given by starter Chien-Fu Yang, as he allowed only 1 run on 5 hits over 6 innings. Kuo-Hui Lo led the team with 2 RBI's while Tarzan collected 3 hits. Box/V.O.D.
With the win, Taiwan finds itself in a tie with Italy for first place in pool A. Italy shocked the USA earlier in the day.
Taiwan's game against Spain is starting in a few minutes. 18 year old Chih-Lung Huang is on the mound to begin the game.


KC:
The Lions lost to the Dragons 4-2. The Lions actually outhit the NPB champs 9-8. Two costly errors in the 3rd and 5th innings led to two unearned runs for the Dragons. Wei-Lun Pan, despite picking up the loss, threw a gem of a game. He allowed 2 unearned runs on only 4 hits over 6 innings to go along with 6 K's and 1 walk. Box/Recap
The Lions will have to step up their game as they face the SK Wyverns who have been winning in impressive fashion, today.


AFL:
Chen was 0-3 as his team won 5-3. Box


Other:
Tsao outrighted to Vegas....*Updated*

Following in his Brother's Footsteps....

WC:

CFC

YC LIN

Taiwan defeated South Africa 16-1 in its opening game Thursday. The team was led by SP Ying-Chieh Lin's dominating performance (6 IP - 1 ER - 4 H - 10 K's - 2 BB's) and bombs by two CPBL star sluggers. Not too long after his brother smacked 2 HR's to help the Lions defeat the China Stars in Japan, Chin-Feng Chen would follow suit with a 3-run HR in the first inning against SA. CFC was 2-4 with 3 RBI's. Cobras star Chia-Hsien Hsieh hit the team's other HR, a 2 run shot to complete the scoring in the first inning for Taiwan. Starting 3B Yi-Chuan Lin left the game with a lower extremity injury and was replaced by CPBL veteran Tai-Shan Chang who was 4-4 with 2 RBI's. Box/Recap/V.O.D.
Taiwan plays Japan tomorrow.


AFL:
YC Chen was 0-2 with 2 walks as his team lost 5-2. Box



Other:
Chin-Lung Hu, Chin-Hui Tsao, and Chung-Shou Yang will be reporting tomorrow to register for the NT (Olympic Qualifying).


KC:
More on the Lions win over China.

Sluggish Start for the Lions....

Konami Cup:
The President Lions struggled against the CBA All-Stars in the opening game of the Konami Cup. Nelson Figueroa, who was lights out in the CPBL playoffs, was hit frequently by the Chinese team. The Chinese All-Stars actually outhit the Lions 16-14. Figueroa allowed 4 runs on 12 hits over 7 innings. Things were looking bleek as the Lions were trailing their opponents 4-1 after 6 innings. However a big grand slam by DH Lien-Hung Chen would help rally the Lions for 6 runs in the 7th inning. Chen would hit another 2 run bomb in the 9th to account for 6 of the 9 runs scored by the Lions. The older brother of Chin-Feng Chen carried his team to a 9-5 victory on Thursday. Roster/Box Score/Line Score

Wed. News....

WC:

Coach Kuo is expected to start lefty Ying-Chieh Lin against South Africa tomorrow.

The projected starting rotation for the remaining games is as follows:

1)Chien-Fu Yang vs. Japan

2)Chih-Lung Huang vs. Spain

3)Ming-Chieh Hsu vs. Mexico

4)En-Yu Lin vs. Italy

The starters for the two remaining games against Panama and the US are still TBD.

AFL:
The Javelinas lost 6-2. Taking the loss for Peoria was CL Lo. He allowed 4 runs (3 earned) on 3 hits over 4 IP. YC Chen was 1-4 with a RBI. Box/Log

Other:

Baseball Prospectus's Kevin Goldstein has Che-Hsuan Lin listed as the #11 prospect in the Red Sox organization.

A Lack of Respect....

Konami Cup:
The K Cup kicks off tomorrow. Opening games will match up the CBA All-Stars and the President Lions; & the SK Wyverns against the Chunichi Dragons. 2007 Taiwan Series MVP Nelson Figueroa is expected to start against the Chinese All-Stars. Figgy's teammates Wei-Lun Pan and Pete Munro are expected to match up against the Dragons and Wyverns respectively.

Here's a shocker: more disparaging remarks about Taiwanese baseball from the Korean media. It's obvious the Korea Times isn't giving much respect to the CPBL and the President Lions. With headlines like "Wyverns, Dragons Clash for Bragging Rights", and a comparison of the CPBL to the CBA:
"The Wyverns and Dragons are considered a level above Taiwan's Uni-President Lions and China's China Stars, which means that the winner of today's opener would be a good bet to win it all."
you would think that the President Lions have no chance in the K Cup.

Two things are a given in this tourney: the Chunichi Dragons are the tourney favorite while the CBA All-Stars will be hard-pressed to win one game. Contrary to the general concensus in Korea, the President Lions will be extremely competitive in this competition. This year's CPBL representative has more overall talent and depth than the 2006 La New Bears. Also when you look at the brief history of the K Cup, the games between the KBO and CPBL champs have been decided by one run both times. In 2005, the Sinon Bulls lost 4-3 to the Samsung Lions. In 2006, the La New Bears defeated the Samsung Lions 3-2. If anything, the two games have proven how similar the talent level is in Korea and Taiwan.
I hope Lions Manager Lu pins this crap on the team bulletin board to help get the team fired up for Saturday's game.

Home Again...

CMW:Wang is back home. Read more about his press conference here.

Blame it on the Rain....

WC:
Due to heavy rain, Tuesday's opening slate was postponed until November 12th.

Be sure to check out the new revamped IBAF site, which will have ongoing coverage of the World Cup.

Monday News...

AFL:
Yung-Chi Chen is currently 1-3 as his team is down 5-2. Box/Log

WC:

Although Coach Kuo has announced three possible starters for tomorrow's opening game against Italy, the most likely candidate is En-Yu Lin.

EY LIN

Here's an in depth look at the team the USA will be bringing to the WC. Cuba and the US have to be the prohibitive favorites based on the talent on their rosters.

CPBL Awards & WC NT Roster Announced...

CPBL:

2007 MVP

The CPBL handed out its hardware today. The league champs took home a lot of trophies with Kuo-Ching Kao being the most decorated one.
Check out the list below:

*MVP - Kuo-Ching Kao (President Lions)
*ROY - Wu-Hsiung Pan (President Lions)
*Most Impoved Player - Yu-Wei Hsu (La New Bears)
*Best Pitcher - Wei-Lun Pan (President Lions)
*Best Catcher - Chih-Kang Kao (President Lions)
*Best 1B - Kuo-Ching Kao (President Lions)
*Best 2B - Sen Yang (President Lions)
*Best 3B - Tilson Brito (President Lions)
*Best SS - Chih-Sheng Lin (La New Bears)
*Top 3 OF - Fu-Hao Liu (President Lions)
*Top 3 OF - Chia-Hsien Hsieh (Macoto Cobras)
*Top 3 OF - Wu-Hsiung Pan (President Lions)
*Best DH - Chin-Feng Chen (La New Bears)
*Gold Glove (P) - Pete Munro (President Lions)
*Gold Glove (C) - Feng-Min Chen (La New Bears)
*Gold Glove (1B) - Kuo-Ching Kao (President Lions)
*Gold Glove (2B) - Sen Yang (President Lions)
*Gold Glove (3B) - Wei Kao (Macoto Cobras)
*Gold Glove (SS) - Chih-Sheng Lin (La New Bears)
*Gold Glove (OF) - Long-Yi Huang (La New Bears)
*Gold Glove (OF) - Wu-Hsiung Pan (President Lions)
*Gold Glove (OF) - Fu-Hao Liu (President Lions)



WC NT:
The revised final 24 man roster for the NT has been announced. You can check out the preliminary roster here.

Pitchers (10):
1)Ying-Chieh Lin (Rakuten Eagles)
2)En-Yu Lin (Rakuten Eagles)
3)Ming-Chieh Hsu (Seibu Lions)
4)Chien-Fu Yang (Sinon Bulls)
5)Po-Hsuan Keng (Toronto Blue Jays)
6)Sung-Wei Tseng (Cleveland Indians)
7)Yu-Chieh Shen (Chinatrust Whales)
8)Fu-Te Ni (Chinatrust Whales)
9)Yu-Cheng Liao (Brother Elephants)
10)Chih-Lung Huang (Amateur)

Catchers (3):
1)Chun-Chang Yeh (Sinon Bulls)
2)Feng-Min Chen (La New Bears)
3)Kun-Sheng Lin (Amateur)

Infielders (6):
1)Tai-Shan Chang (Sinon Bulls)
2)Chao-Hang(Hsing) Cheng (Sinon Bulls)
3)Yi-Chuan Lin (Amateur)
4)Chih-Hsien Chiang (Boston Red Sox)
5)Chih-Sheng Lin (La New Bears)
6)Chia-Hsien Hsieh (Macoto Cobras)

Outfielders (5):
1)Cheng-Min Peng (Brother Elephants)
2)Chin-Feng Chen (La New Bears)
3)Kuo-Hui Lo (Seattle Mariners)
4)Chih-Yao Chan (Amateur)
5)Ying-Chieh Liao (Amateur)

3-2 Loss in Final Tuneup...

NT:
The NT lost 3-2 to the Netherlands on Saturday. Chien-Fu Yang of the Sinon Bulls started the game and allowed 2 runs on 5 hits over 5 IP. A costly hit-batsman thrown by MC Hsu in the 9th inning would come around to score in the 9th, proving to be the difference in the game.

Coach Kuo is now expected to make an impending decision on his final 24 man roster for the WC. Aside from the 4 Lions playing in the Konami Cup, Chung-Shou Yang of the Nippon Ham Fighters won't be playing in the WC, as he is participating in the Phoenix Instructional League. Cobras slugger Chia-Hsien Hsieh is also not 100% health-wise and DNP in the 4 warm-up matches. Pitchers Chih-Lung Huang and Yu-Cheng Liao are expected to make a push for one spot on the team, while OF Kuo-Hui Lo has pretty much cemented his status on the roster. See original NT roster here.

Friday Scoreboard....

NT:

The Submariner

Line Score

The NT lost to Cuba 6-2 Friday. SP Yu-Cheng Liao fared well, considering the immensely talented Cuban lineup he was facing. The submariner pitched the first 4 innings, allowing 2 runs on 5 hits. Indians farmhand Sung-Wei Tseng, on a strict pitch-count gave up 2 runs in the 8th. Tseng was clocked at a high of 94 mph. Providing the only runs of the game for Taiwan were 2 La New Bears - Chih-Sheng Lin and Feng-Min Chen who hit back-to-back doubles to plate two in the 5th inning.
Taiwan plays Holland tomorrow in its final tuneup for the WC.

AFL:

YC Chen's team lost 6-2 today. Yung-Chi was 1-3 with a double and a walk. Box

The Mariners official site has an excellent article on YC.

Hit-Parade in Taiwan....

WC:

The MC


Get LO!

The NT defeated Australia 8-7 Thursday as the two teams combined for 28 hits. The most impressive players in the ball game for Taiwan were MC Hsu who threw two scoreless innings in the 8th and 9th innings, K'ing all three batters he faced in the 9th and Kuo-Hui Lo who cracked the first HR for the team in warm-up matches. Hsu may have sewn up the closer spot on the team with his clutch performance today. Lo, on the other hand has hit Australian pitching well, cracking 2 HR's against the Perth Heat last month. It's good to finally see Lo flash some of his power potential - he hit only 4 HR's in 358 AB's in the minors this past season. Rakuten Eagles teammates En-Yu Lin and Ying-Chieh Lin weren't very impressive - EY Lin allowed 4 runs in 4 innings, giving up a HR, while YC Lin pitched the 7th, allowing 4 runs. Fu-Te Ni threw two shutout innings (in the 5th and 6th), K'ing 3. 3B Yi-Chuan Lin had a bases-clearing bloop triple in the 4th inning to help power the offense - he also committed 3 errors in the game. Game Recap

The NT plays Cuba tomorrow. Elephants starter Yu-Cheng Liao is expected to start the game.



AFL:
CL Lo earned a ND after throwing 4 scoreless innings in Arizona. Lo only allowed 1 hit to go along with 4 K's and 2 BB's. His team lost 5-3. Box


From the HeraldNet on YC Chen's play in the AFL:
"Yung Chi Chen, a highly regarded second baseman who played just five games for Class AAA Tacoma before injuring his left shoulder, has batted .389 with one homer and eight RBI. McLaren heard glowing reports about Chen from the Mariners' player development department and was eager to watch him this fall. "I like what I see," McLaren said. "He's always been highly thought-of, but he had some injury problems. But he has looked really good in the games I've seen. He's swung the bat and played a good second base. He's very impressive.""



Other News:
Some news on CM Wang - he's heading home for some R&R beginning Nov. 6th.



The Korean NT's head coach ( Gyeong-Mun Kim) is bent on beating Taiwan in the Asian Olympic Qualifiers. From Donga.com, "he (Kim) promised Korea would “defeat Taiwan at all costs, because Taiwan defeated Korea in the Doha Asian Olympics last year.” His intention is to demonstrate that Korea is better than Taiwan in baseball."

WC to be Broadcast on Internet....Free!

WC:
Good news for avid baseball fans! Stadeo.tv will be broadcasting 41 games at the World Cup live & on-demand for free!
All of the NT's preliminary games will be broadcast on Stadeo.tv:
1)Nov. 6th vs. Italy - will be broadcast at 2:00 AM PST Nov. 6th
2)Nov. 8th vs. South Africa - broadcast at 2:00 AM PST Nov. 8th
3)Nov. 9th vs. Japan - broadcast at 2:00 AM PST Nov. 9th
4)Nov. 10th vs. Spain - broadcast at 8:00 PM PST Nov. 9th
5)Nov. 11th vs. Mexico - broadcast at 8:00 PM PST Nov. 10th
6)Nov. 13th vs. Panama - broadcast at 2:00 AM PST Nov. 13th
7)Nov. 14th vs. USA - broadcast at 2:00 AM PST Nov. 14th

In other WC news, the Panamanian NT has been offered plane tickets by Taiwan. A nice gesture by the government, but when you recall this article, it makes you think that the money would be better vested in the country's youth programs.


Konami Cup:
The Chunichi Dragons won the 2007 Japan Series, defeating the defending champs 4 games to 1. I missed this earlier, but CS Yang did make one appearance in the Series, K'ing in his only AB in game 3. Box

With the K Cup field set, the President Lions will play:
1)Nov. 8th vs. the CBA All-Stars
2)Nov. 9th vs. the Chunichi Dragons
3)Nov. 10th vs. the SK Wyverns

The final will take place Nov. 11th.

Win Vs. Italian NT....

NT:

CL Huang

Preparing for the World Cup, Taiwan defeated Italy 6-0 on Wednesday. The NT was actually held scoreless until the 7th inning when it scored a run (the RBI coming from La New Bears SS Chih-Sheng Lin) - and then tacked on 5 more in the 8th inning. Chih-Lung Huang started for the NT and threw 5 scoreless innings. He allowed 3 hits, K'd 4 and allowed no walks. He was clocked at a high of 89 mph. Following Huang, MC Hsu, Yu-Chieh Shen, and Po-Hsuan Keng combined to shutout the Italian NT over the last 4 innings. CS Lin and CFC were supposed to get the night off following their draining Taiwan Series loss, however both made PH appearances and collected a hit each. Breaking the game wide open for the NT in the 8th inning, was 3B Yi-Chuan Lin's triple. The NT will play Australia tomorrow. En-Yu Lin is expected to start the game.



AFL:
YC Chen continues to smoke the ball in Arizona. Chen was 3-4 with a walk and drove in 3 runs to help lead his team to a 10-7 win Wed. Box/Recap

Chih-Lung Huang on the Mound Tomorrow.....

NT:
In final preparation for the WC, the NT will play the Italian NT tomorrow. 18 year old Chih-Lung Huang is expected to start tomorrow's game.



Other:
Prospect Insider (a tremendous site on the Seattle Mariners organization and their prospects) has a few scouts' impression on Yung-Chi Chen:

"Scout 1 - “He’s a real solid baseball player showing some strong fundamental skills, and decent speed. I like his footwork around the bag at second compared to where he was two years ago in A ball, too. I think he can manage second base and his bat, while lacking pop, holds its own.”

Scout 2 - “He’s ideal for a utility spot, especially if he can learn to play some outfield. I don’t think he’ll hit enough to play everyday, but the physical tools are there for him to be average in most areas, and average across the board can make one a regular.”

Scout 3 - “Two words: Placido Polanco. Polanco bloomed late with many of the same physical skills and Chen could follow a similar path.”"

Speaking of the Mariners, remember P Chao Wang? The kid was the first player ever signed from China. He is now a 22-year old OF playing for the Chinese NT in the AFL.

Monday Observations...

AFL:
YC Chen was 1-3 with a walk and committed his 2nd error of the season. His team crushed the Chinese NT 20-4. Box


Konami Cup:
Three of the four team participants for the upcoming Konami Cup have been determined. In addition to the President Lions and a CBA All-Star team (essentially the Chinese NT), the 2007 KBO champs have been crowned - the SK Wyverns. The representative from the NPB will be the winner of the 2007 Nippon Series between the defending champs - the Nippon Ham Fighters and the Chunichi Dragons.

CFC vs. Toot Toot....

In a battle of the league's best hitter versus the top home-grown pitcher in the league, it was a no-contest as Chen blasted two HR's off of Wei-Lun Pan in game 6 of the Taiwan Series on Saturday:

HR #1

HR #2