Taiwan Steel Group (TSG) Hawks from Taiwan’s Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL) officially welcomed three time league all-star Wang Po-jung (王柏融) to the team at a press conference held yesterday.
TSG Hawks team chairman Wang Chiung-fen (王炯 棻) revealed that Wang Po-jung has signed a three-year contract to play for the TSG Hawks.
The athlete’s contract stipulates that he could receive as much as NT$36 million (US$1.1 million) over the three years.
Photo: Lin Cheng-kung, Taipei Times
“(We) hope that Po-jung will feel assured playing in Taiwan with a level of insurance,” Wang Chiung-fen said. “Moreover, it comes as no surprise that Po-jung will receive an incentive given his prowess. (We) look forward to another three-year contract after the current one is fulfilled.”
Wang Chiung-fen went on to further praise the baseball player’s athleticism and devotion to his career, adding that he could be an inspiration to younger members of the team as well as an anchor who unites the Hawks.
On Wednesday, Wang reclaimed nine as his number, which he previously wore when playing in the CPBL.
By signing to the Hawk’s Wang also unites with team manager Hung Yi-chung (洪一中), who he played for at the then Lamigo Monkeys (now Rakuten Monkeys).
Last month, Wang Po-jung announced that he had decided to end his uneven five-year stint in Japan with the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters of the Nippon Professional Baseball league.
Wang signed a three-year US$2 million contract with the Hokkaido franchise in December 2018 after a promising start as a pro in Taiwan’s CPBL with the then Lamigo Monkeys from 2015-2018.
Although he played with the big league Hokkaido club from 2019-2022, he was sent to the minors twice in 2022 and then given a minor league contract by the Hokkaido club in December 2022.
As of August this year, the TSG Hawks acquired the right to negotiate with Wang Po-jung
in a 1-for-4 trade with the Rakuten Monkeys, with the Hawks announcing at the Wednesday presser that in September, it secured the rights to the walk-on music used for Wang Po-jung.
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