Former US Major League baseball stars Barry Larkin and Joseph Logan said yesterday they were impressed with the development of youth baseball in Taiwan and they encouraged young players to work hard on the fundamentals of the game and “dream big.”
Larkin and Logan are visiting as part of the Sports Envoy Program sponsored by the US Department of State and the American Institute in Taiwan.
They have been coaching high school players at clinics in northern Taiwan for the past three days, and will visit Kaohsiung and Pingtung today and tomorrow. Larkin, a former All-Star shortstop, focused on infielders’ training, while Logan coached pitchers.
PHOTO: CNA
Logan praised the enthusiasm of Taiwanese players and their “above-average velocity and potential,” at a press conference in Taipei yesterday.
Larkin said one of his surprises was that while young players in the US are not receiving enough training and attention because of the economic downturn, this was not the case in Taiwan. He said he has seen “a lot of voluntarism, hard work and attention from coaches, who have been doing a phenomenal job.”
Citing his own history as an example of persistence, Larkin said when he was a boy his feet were turned inward and had to be treated by doctors. However, his love of the game, dedication to baseball and perseverance helped him to reach Major League stardom, he said.
He also paid respect to all the foreign players, including Taiwanese, who chase their dreams of playing in the Major League. There are many obstacles to the dream of playing in the US, including language, culture and skill levels, he said.
“You have to be a special talent, a special person and then the skills, work ethic ... all of these are important” to get into the Major League, Larkin said.
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