Taiwan’s Top Pitching Prospects

TAIWAN - Three amateur pitchers on the Taiwan Olympic baseball team either enhanced or hurt their stock as MLB prospects. While all are talented, each have a history of injuries and high signing bonus demands.

Below is the analysis of each player and his performance at the Olympics according to the best source for Taiwanese baseball news, Taiwan Baseball.

Chen-Chang Lee (RHP)

The side-armer reached 92 mph in his outing against the USA and flashed an above average slider to help boost his value in the tournament after living in oblivion over the past 2 years. He is currently with CSMG and has reportedly turned down a $150-175K offer ($90 K per another source) from the Indians before. Lee, who was once hyped by Keith Law as the top signable Taiwanese collegiate pitcher in 2007, has garnered little interest over the past 2 years due to poor performances but has rebounded now. His expectation is likely to reach ~ $300,000. The down-side to Lee is the fact that being a side-armer limits his potential somewhat and he hasn’t had the best track record over the past 2 years. He also has a history of a shoulder injury as reported by the Taiwanese media.

Chia-Jen Lo (RHP)

The most sought-after prospect available on the team. His value dropped as a result of his performance during the Olympics. Velocity topped out at 93 mph but he had poor command of his fastball and poor breaking pitch offerings. Throw in his rumored demand of ~$400,000 and a possible history of a shoulder injury, his chances of signing with a MLB team are lower now than before the tourney. Word is that the Red Sox and Rangers have held off in their pursuit of him. Also the Twins made an offer to Lo prior to the Olympics which was turned down. That offer is now off the table. His agent is Kenny Lin, who broke off from KDN.

Kai-Wen Cheng (RHP)

His performance against Japan significantly dropped his value; he was lacking in a few key elements: composure on the mound, command of his pitches, and velocity on his fb. He is still young but because he is undersized, has average velocity, a subpar release angle, and history of a shoulder injury, the chances of him signing anytime soon are unlikely. In addition, his signing bonus demand is ~ $300,000. The Twins and Royals likely still have some interest but the offer would be very low. He is represented by Bros Sports.