For the second time this season, Brother Elephants' slugger Peng Cheng-ming (彭政閔) was the unanimous choice of the Chinese Baseball Writers Association (CBWA) for Offensive Player of Month.
PHOTO: FILE PHOTO: TAIPEI TIMES
Peng dazzled fans last month with his exceptional power and tenacity, becoming one of the most feared hitters in the league.
PHOTO: FILE PHOTO, TAIPEI TIMES
With a batting average of .408, six homer runs and a league-high 17 RBIs in July, Peng outshined fellow teammate Chen Chih-yuan (
Peng's "sticky bat," as often referred to by opposing pitchers for his ability to fight off inside throws, also makes him one of the toughest hitters in the league to strike out.
"Not counting his first couple of months, Chia-Chia [Peng's nickname] has one of the stickiest bats in the league," teammate Jonathan Hurst said.
"It's always a struggle to strike him out. I'm just glad that he's on my team, because I wouldn't want to face him in a game."
Peng's contribution to his team goes beyond his incredible offensive production -- he protects the hitter batting before him (usually Chen Chih-yuan), because opposing pitchers are forced to pitch to the hitter that bats before him.
"Not taking anything away from Chen Chih-yuan's success, but there is no doubt that Chia-Chia plays a part in it because pitchers usually have to give Chih-yuan something decent to hit," Elephant skipper Lin Yi-tseng (
The CBWA had a tougher time in making Bulls rookie right-hander Yang Chien-fu (陽建福) their selection for the league's Most Valuable Pitcher of the Month. Yang received six votes out of 15 to beat out Elephants standouts Jonathan Hurst (three votes) and Wang Ching-li (王勁力), who also got three votes.
In two starts and three relief appearances, Yang went 3-0 with a 1.50 ERA during last month.
The 24-year-old graduate of the Taipei Physical Education College struck out 16 and walked four in 18 innings of work to net a spectacular 4-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
Yang joined the Bulls in late June via the CPBL's mid-season draft with a NT$3.7 million signing bonus to sweeten the deal. He immediately had an impact by turning in three solid relief outings that earned him a place on the starting rotation.
"It looks like we've gotten ourselves a gem here." Bulls manager Chen Wei-cheng (
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