More about Lin - 美國職棒

這是在Globe的留言版看到有關林哲瑄的comment:

What I think is awesome is "Lin reportedly turned down a greater offer
from the Mariners because he wanted to play for Boston. Several other teams
were also interested in Lin, who is generally considered the top prospect
out of Taiwan this season." Two things stand out about this statement.
The first being that young players around the World like the approach to
baseball that the Red Sox have. {Be it the loose atmosphere, i.e. Ramirez
and Damon's hair style}. The other being that the Red Sox as an organization
is reaching out to promote a very positive image. Unlike the past
administrations where players left on very sour notes, {see Roger Clemens}.

I wonder what's Sheffield's take on Taiwanese players in MLB?

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Lin has been a big name on the Taiwanese scene since at least 2000, when
he was part of the Bronco League (11-12 year old) World Championship club
(where he also hit a Grand Slam). He has followed that up with various stints
on Taiwanese national teams. In last year's Junior World Baseball
Championships, Lin batted .353 with a double, HR [Slugging .471], 2 RBI, 2
SBs and 7 runs scored in 34 at bats. In February, Lin led his High School
to the Elite High School title, in a tournament where he batted .533. That
included going 2/4 in the semi-finals and 4/4 with an intentional walk
against 16-year old phenom Rong-Hao Hsieh in the Finals.

From the various videos on the Taiwan Baseball site, it appears that Lin
has a good approach at the plate, with gap power that could become HR power,
good defensive instincts and excellent speed. Of course, it isn't very likely
that the site is going to put up video of him striking out or making a
really stupid play (although, to be fair, there is a video where he does
throw a ball wildly… but still gets a double play). He is reported to run
a 10.78 100 meter dash. His reported bonus is $400 thousand,
and his signing with the Red Sox appears to come with an immediate trip to
the states to begin his career. Apparently, the Seattle Mariners offered a
bigger bonus, but he signed with the Sox anyway.

The Sox returned in a big way to the Taiwanese scene last year, when they
had four Taiwanese players debut in the states.

Chih-Hsien Chiang is the most advanced of the three, as he is currently
starting with the Greenville Drive. In 30 games this season, Chiang is
batting .289/.310/.471 with 11 doubles and 3 HRs. If there are any current
concerns, it is his complete lack of walks (10 total in his professional
career), but he is still young at 19 years old. Considering his age, his
power potential (especially if he can stay in the middle infield) is
impressive.

Chih-Hsiang Huang had a rough start to his career in the GCL last season,
batting .125/.190/.208 over 26 games. The Shortstop, however, batted .370
in the fall instructional league, so there is hope beyond that poor line.
He, like Chiang, is also 19 years old and should begin the season in Lowell.

Wang-Yi Lin is an 18 year old Right Handed pitcher, who went 2-1 with a
1.31 ERA in 20 innings for the GCL Red Sox last season. Considering that
he does not turn 19 until the end of June, and that he apparently now
possesses a fastball that reaches the low 90s (10 mph more than when he
signed), he is also someone to watch. He should begin the season in Lowell.






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