Sox have Taiwan treasure - 美國職棒

從陳鏞基的家族看來的 @@
對陳鏞基除了稱讚還是稱讚
還寫到他的美技 "Bret Boone couldn't have done it any better"


Sox have Taiwan treasure


By Larry Henry



EVERETT - Ted Heid had a nice little secret.

The Seattle Mariners scout had found this gem of a baseball player in Taiwan
, and nobody else knew about him.

Then the kid goes and plays in the National Baseball Congress World Series
in Wichita, Kan., last July. Not only does his Chinese Taipei team become
the first foreign squad in the 69-year history of the tournament to win the
title, but he's named the all-star shortstop.

Suddenly every major league team on Mother Earth knows about Yung Chi Chen.

"I'll tell you what, I was on pins and needles all the time they were there
," said Heid, who directs scouting in the Pacific Rim for the M's. "My little
secret and then he goes off in front of everybody."

No need to worry. The morning after Taiwan wraps up the title, Chen signs a
contract with the M's.

"We were very fortunate to get him done," said Heid from his home in Arizona,
where he had just returned from a trip to Taiwan. "We hadn't finalized
anything. It would have muddied the waters if anybody else got in the picture.
We didn't give them a chance."

Besides, the M's upheld their end of the bargain. They promised Chen's college
coach that they wouldn't interfere with him until he finished his season, and
they kept their promise.As you can see, there are places where keeping one's
word still means something.

If Heid is not mistaken, his nice little secret is about to become a household
name in the Pacific Northwest. That's because Yung Chi Chen began his pro
career with the Everett AquaSox of the Northwest League Friday night. And
the M's scout doesn't think he's going to be just another player.

"We were very up front with him," Heid said. "We expect him to be a Bret Boone
type of second baseman in the big leagues."

Nothing like a little pressure to take into your first at-bat. As if it would
bother Chen.

He was brought up on pressure.

Heid started watching Chen when he was playing in the 16-and-under world
championships. Then he caught him at the 18-and-under world championships.
Then there was another world tournament in Holland. And the World Cup in Cuba.

And, don't forget, the NBC World Series, a 48-team extravaganza featuring
college players and ex-pros.

A week after he turned 20, Chen batted .405 in the NBC tournament, led all
batters with 17 hits in 10 games, and tied for the lead in runs batted in
with 11.

He can burnish his resume a little more this summer. He's the youngest player
on the 42-man Taiwan team that has qualified for the Olympic Games in Athens,
Greece.When the roster is pared down, he's expected to be starting somewhere
on the infield."I think they understand this is a guy they need because he can
do so much," Heid said.

Like play third base - which he is being considered for on the Olympic team -
shortstop and second base. Hit for average. And occasionally bop a home run.

From the moment he laid eyes on him, Heid was impressed with his athletic
ability. "He was very sure-handed, a smooth infielder. And he's hit at every
level."

His work ethic, discipline and upbringing are all solid. "You meet his family,

and you knowwhere he came from," Heid said. "They're special."

That's a word they use to describe young Chen.

"He has great aptitude," said AquaSox coach Darrin Garner. "He picks up on
things real fast.He's going to be a helluva player."

This is the kind of player he is. In the third inning of the season opener,
Vancouver has a runner on first with one out. Gregorio Petit hits a grounder
to short, but Asdrubal Cabrera drops it, then quickly picks up the ball and
throws to second.

Chen is there to tag the base, and that's all you figure he'll get - one out.
No, he lets go with a throw to first. You visualize a wild fling. Instead,
it's perfect. Beats the runner by two steps. Double play. Bret Boone couldn't
have done it any better.

Then Chen picks up a bat. With the bases loaded in the bottom of the third,
he strokes a two-run single to right and takes second on the throw. Bryan
LaHair hits a fly ball to shallow center that looks like it might be caught.
Chen is halfway between second and third when the ball comes down ... on the
ground. Needless to say, he scores.

Did we say he's a smart player with good instincts? Like his idol, Derek Jeter.


So what piece of advice would he have given the Yankee shortstop when he went
through his early-season slump? "Be more selective," Chen said.

He was sitting in the pavilion the other night after a barbecue for team
sponsors.He was wearing a cap, on top of which were his sunglasses,
an ever-present accouterment.

"He admires American baseball," said his interpreter, Peter Liu, a student
at Syracuse University. "Sunglasses are part of the American culture."

And Yung Chi Chen is quickly becoming part of the Pacific Northwest culture.

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