The Pittsburgh Pirates announced today that it had promoted 23-year-old baseball player Cheng Tsung-che (鄭宗哲) to its Major League Baseball (MLB) squad, making Cheng the 18th Taiwanese player to play in the MLB league.
Hailing from southern Pingtung Country, Cheng is 173cm tall, very fast and has major league-level defensive skills as a shortstop, according to the MLB’s official website.
Photo: Screengrab from Pittsburgh Pirates’ Instagram account
The Pirates began a three-game home series against the St. Louis Cardinals today, with the first game being played at 6:40am Taiwan time today.
Cheng was on the bench for the game, which the Pirates won 8-4.
"I [was] really excited when I got the call. It's kind of like a dream come true," said Cheng, who is better known within the Pirates system as "Z," in an introductory video released by the franchise.
It will be the first trip to the major leagues for the Pirates' No. 17 prospect, nearly five years after he made his professional debut in the Rookie Leagues in July 2021.
Cheng was called up to the club's MLB squad early due to a series of injuries on the team at the start of the season.
MLB reporter Alex Stumpf said that although Cheng was promoted earlier than planned, he has strong development potential and can take on a versatile role.
According to MLB’s report on its official website, Cheng has major league-level defensive skills and speed.
His hitting style suits a leadoff role, as he is a left-handed hitter who can get on base and create scoring opportunities, the report said.
Cheng bats left and throws right.
In 17 at-bats over 14 spring training games, he tallied six hits, including one homer and two doubles, and hit .353.
His ability to play multiple infield positions effectively also set him apart from other potential call-up candidates, the report said.
In addition, he shows good plate discipline, pressures opponents with his speed and is skilled at hitting line drives to both left and right field, it said.
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