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

Some Bad Breaks...

Some not so new news.....
*Chin-Lung Hu is out 6-8 weeks with a broken thumb.

*Fu-Te Ni was demoted.




And something you may not have heard yet.....
*Rumor has it that RHP Min-Tzu Chen was signed by the Mariners for $350K but he did not pass his physical.

Tourney Updates....

*Regarding the 2010 World Junior Championships in July/August:  the schedule has been set.   Taiwan is grouped with Australia, France, Italy, USA, and Venezuela. (The TEAM)
7/24 - vs. France
7/25 - vs. Australia
7/26 - vs. USA
7/27 - vs. Italy
7/28 - vs. Venezuela



*The Asia-Pacific regionals for Little League baseball will go on in Indonesia July 10th-15th.
Taiwan is grouped with Indonesia, Guam, CNMI, Thailand, and South Korea. (The TEAM)
7/10 - vs. CNMI
7/11 - vs. Thailand
7/12 - vs. Indonesia
7/13 - vs. Guam
7/14 - vs. South Korea
The championship game will take place on 7/15 with the winner of both groups facing off for the right to head to Williamsport.



*The Asia-Pacific zone for Bronco baseball (Pony) will take place July 18th - 22nd in Taipei, Taiwan.
Taiwan is grouped with Japan, Indonesia, and Vietnam.   Taiwan will have to finish in the top 2 of its pool to play in the semifinals on the 21st.  The championship game will take place on the 22nd. (The TEAM)

-The Asia-Pacific zone for Pony baseball will take place the 18th-23rd of July in the Philippines. (The TEAM)

-Taipei, Taiwan will host the Asia-Pacific zone for Palomino baseball 7/18-7/23. (The TEAM)



*The 2010 Haarlem Honkbal Tourney is right around the corner 7/9 - 7/18.   (The TEAM)
7/9 - vs. USA
7/10 - vs. Netherlands
7/12 - vs. Cuba
7/13 - vs. Venezuela
7/16 - vs. Japan

The team will then head home and play a 4 game set against team USA 7/25 - 7/28 in preparation for the WUBC.

They will then head to Japan for the WUBC 7/30 - 8/7.  Taiwan is grouped with Canada, USA, and Sri Lanka.
7/30 - vs. Canada
8/1 - vs. USA
8/2 - vs. Sri Lanka



*Nan-Ying HS won the Golden Dragon Cup in the HS division, defeating Cheng-Kung HS 6-2 in the championship game.  Chia-Hao Sung picked up the W in the championship game and led the tourney with 2 W's and a 1.125 ERA - he was the all-tourney selection as the top pitcher.  Teammate Wei-Hao Chen was the tourney MVP. 
Ku-Pao HS earned 3rd place by defeating Chang-Hua HS 11-1.  Fielder Huang-Yi Lin of Chang-Hua HS led the tourney with a .478 BA.

Twins Sign RHP Hung-Yi Chen

The Twins inked their second signee from Taiwan (OF Wang-Wei Lin was the first):  Shi-Yuan HS RHP Hung-Yi Chen. The 2010 junior NT member is a HS teammate of recent Indians signee Chia-Ching Lin. He was the 2010 Yu-Shan Cup MVP.

Chen stands ~ 5'10" and weighs ~ 190 lbs. The 17 year old (9/25/92) righty tops out at 90 mph and throws a fastball/sinker/slider/forkball mix. He has a good delivery and is physically mature for his age.

His signing bonus is rumored to be in the ~$100 K range (comprehensive).

Indians Sign OF Chia-Ching Lin.....

The Cleveland Indians signed Shi-Yuan OF Chia-Ching Lin.   The 2010 junior NT member received ~ $150 K + additional money for tuition.   (Vitals)
Lin is represented by Shi-Yuan coach Peng-Po Lee.
Here's the kid's wiki page in Chinese (with pic).



*Taichung City won the Sadaharu Oh Cup and will represent Taiwan in the Palomino Division of the PWS.
The kids are from Shi-Yuan and Gao-Nong HS.  Roster (in Chinese)


*The Pirates signed IF Yung-Chi Chen.


*Hung-Wen Chen was named pitcher of the week (14th-20th) in the Southern League.

Congrats to Chen!

Chun-Hsiu Chen was 1-2 in the MWL All-Star game, throwing out a would-be base stealer. 

The young Indians slugger was recently named to the 2010 All-Star Futures Game International roster. 

News Briefs....

*News regarding Chun-Hsiu Chen at the MWL All-Star break.

WD Su

*Former heralded baseball players, Rong-Hao Hsieh (Jung-Hao Hsieh) and Wei-Da Su (Wei-Ta Su)  - represented by Octagon, are now playing for the Anchorage Bucs in the ABL.  


*Hu joins Kuo in LA.

Cheng-Han Tsai News..

*Nan-Ying HS P Cheng-Han Tsai has signed an agent contract with Octagon.  Tsai is a 6'2", 190 lb righty.   He has a fastball that sits 84-86 (flashed an 88 mph fb in the national HS tourney in December of '09), throws a slow curveball and mixes in a changeup.   He has good size and command but has slow arm action.   A couple of teams seemed to have some interest in him (in the $50 to $100 K range).   The kid will represent the country in Canada later this summer on the junior NT.

*The senior NT preliminary roster has been trimmed down to 30. Check this previous post for the 411. Players demarcated in blue are on the 30 man NT roster.




*A couple of amateur tourney updates:

-The Sadaharu Oh Cup (HS tourney) is going on right now.

-In the recently completed Golden Dragon Cup (for Little League aged kids), Tainan Municipal Chongsyue Elementary School won the championship.  Famous school alumni include Chien-Ming Wang and Chin-Lung Hu.   For the winning team, Chin Cheng (RHP/OF) led the tourney with a .705 BA while teammate Chi-Jung Liu (RHP/IF) was the tourney MVP.

-Taipei City (from Chongcing Junior HS) won the recently completed Association Cup.   The team will represent Taiwan in the Pony Division of the PWS at the Asia-Pacific Regionals.   Reppin' Taipei City, RHP Wei-Cheng Liao earned the top pitcher award 1 W, 0.00 ERA).  Teammate Che-Wei Lin was the tourney MVP.

Tsao Update...

*Former ML pitcher Chin-Hui Tsao has been spotted in the US.   He's been working out in the presence of a few ML clubs.  Currently banned from the CPBL for his role in fixing games (see this PDF file from the Taipei - Banchiao court statement regarding Tsao's involvement in the scandal - in Chinese), Tsao was earlier rumored to be seeking employment in Mexico.   That rumor was refuted by his reps.



*We've got 2 All-Star reps in the minor leagues this year: 1)C/DH Chun-Hsiu Chen is a MWL All-Star    2)RHP Sheng-An Kuo was selected to the SAL All-Star roster

This year's Futures All-Star game roster as usual, will be selected by Baseball America.  Make your voice heard and contact the publication to get Chun-Hsiu Chen on the international roster.



*There's some bad news regarding injured players:  Braves RHP Wei-Chen Huang had elbow surgery.
Taiwan PE College RHP Min-Tzu Chen has an ulnar collateral ligament tear.



*NPB:  Chih-Lung Huang may start on the 9th for the Giants.