Taiwanese pitcher Lin Po-chun, who led Taiwan to its long-awaited Under-18 Asian Baseball Championship title last year, has officially signed a US$550,000 minor league deal with the Seattle Mariners.
Details of the contract were unveiled at an introductory news conference in Taipei on Tuesday. The deal includes a US$85,000 scholarship, bringing the total to US$200,000 more than previously reported.
With this agreement, the 18-year-old Lin becomes the 13th Taiwanese player to join the Mariners’ organization. The right-handed pitcher expressed excitement at being part of the team’s player development pipeline.
Photo: CNA
“The Mariners’ farm system ranks among the top three for pitchers. I want to see how their training can help elevate my pitching to a higher level,” Lin said.
Standing 180cm tall, Lin was a two-way player in high school and can throw a fastball that tops 153km per hour.
He was named Most Valuable Player at the U18 Asian Baseball Championship in September last year after throwing 4 1/3 scoreless innings against Japan out of the bullpen, leading Team Taiwan to its first tournament title since 2007.
On Tuesday, Lin credited his high-school coach for taking good care of his pitching arm and expressed confidence in his conditioning.
“My arm is fresh,” he said. “My goal is to stay healthy in my first year and make it to Single-A.”
Mariners scout Chiang Yi-chang praised Lin’s fastball and “excellent changeup,” but added that he needs to work on his slider if he wants to become a starting pitcher.
“[His slider] isn’t bad now, but it’s not as filthy as his changeup,” Chiang said.
Having known Lin for years, Chiang said the Mariners sent multiple scouts to evaluate him and all were impressed.
He also spoke highly of Lin’s personality, describing him as being eager to exchange opinions with coaches and willing to crack jokes.
“Sometimes you might think this kid is a bit dorky, but I think that’s a great trait for a pitcher. He’s fearless on the field but polite off it,” Chiang said.
College basketballer Kaitlyn Chen has become the first female player of Taiwanese descent to be drafted by a WNBA team, after the Golden State Valkyries selected her in the third and final round of the league’s draft on Monday. Chen, a point guard who played her first three seasons in college for Princeton University, transferred to the University of Connecticut (UConn) for her final season, which culminated in a national championship earlier this month. While at Princeton, Chen was named the Ivy League tournament’s most outstanding player three times from 2022 to last year. Prior to the draft, ESPN described Chen as
College basketballer Kaitlyn Chen (陳凱玲) has become the first player of Taiwanese descent to be drafted by a WNBA team, after being selected by the Golden State Valkyries in the third and final round of the league's draft yesterday. Chen, a point guard who played her first three seasons in college for Princeton University, transferred to the University of Connecticut (UConn) for her final season, which culminated in a national championship on April 6. While at Princeton, Chen was named the Ivy League tournament's most outstanding player three times from 2022 to last year. Prior to the draft, ESPN described Chen as a
Robinson Cano spent 17 seasons playing in the MLB in front of all kinds of baseball fans, but he said there is something special about his stint with the Mexican Baseball League’s Diablos Rojos. He is not alone. The league last week opened its 100th season, aiming to keep an impressive growth in attendance that began after the national team’s surprise run at the 2023 World Baseball Classic, and is already surpassing some first-division soccer clubs. After finishing third in the 2023 tournament, many casual fans, some of them soccer enthusiasts disappointed after Mexico were eliminated in the first round in the 2022
Kumar Rocker, a first-round pick in both the 2021 and 2022 drafts, on Thursday won for the first time in the major leagues. Rocker struck out a career-best eight in a career-best seven innings as the Texas Rangers beat the Los Angeles Angels 5-3 to complete a three-game sweep. Rocker (1-2) threw a career-high 78 pitches and allowed three runs on five hits without a walk. The 25-year-old right-hander was drafted third overall by Texas in 2022, a year after concerns over a physical led to him going unsigned by the New York Mets as the 10th overall pick. He made his major