“I dare not show my paintings to my dad. He’s a traditional guy and would probably think, ‘Why would a baseball player be doing this?’”
Athletics Triple-A pitcher Zhuang Chen Zhong-ao speaks of his “side project” — even though drawing is something he first learned from his father.
At 185cm and 89kg, the 25-year-old Taiwanese baseball player can throw a 155kph fastball.
Photo: CNA
However, not many would guess from that description that he can paint.
That talent was known to only a few until Zhuang Chen suited up for Team Taiwan at the World Baseball Classic (WBC) qualifiers in February last year, when he drew national attention not only to his performance on the mound but to his social media posts.
Zhuang Chen, who shares his drawings on social media, has been called by Internet users “a painter held back by baseball.”
His artwork made headlines again early last month during this year’s WBC Pool C event in Japan, when a local newspaper published his social media post showing an illustration of teammate Wu Nien-ting at a roadside noodle stall.
In an interview in Arizona, Zhuang Chen spoke about how he took up painting and how it became a connection that transcends space and time.
Zhuang Chen recalled looking through his father’s drawings before he started playing baseball and tried to sketch whatever came to mind using the tools available at home.
The Hualien local said his father, a plumber and electrician, used to make wiring and plumbing drawings for his work during the evening.
“Sometimes I drew on his drawings and got scolded,” he said.
Zhuang Chen said his father also drew to relax, which influenced his passion for painting, although he mainly draws on a tablet instead of using a brush and canvas.
“I’ve had that habit for a long time, and it’s really convenient to draw digitally. I bring the tablet with me when I move around.”
Drawing helps him relax and maintain a balance between training and life, Zhuang Chen said.
“It’s my hobby, so I feel less stressed when I’m drawing,” he said.
He signed with the Athletics in November 2021 on a US$500,000 contract and began his professional career in the US in 2022.
However, an operation to remove an elbow spur in his pitching arm inadvertently allowed the pitcher more time for his artistic pursuits.
“I started using a tablet in 2023 when I was doing rehab. That was the year I had more time to myself,” Zhuang Chen said, recalling spending numerous afternoons after rehabilitation sessions drawing.
Throughout the WBC, from pre-tournament training to after Taiwan’s elimination, Zhuang Chen continued to create and share his work.
Among them was a piece capturing a moment that shaped his impression of the journey: captain Chen Chieh-hsien roaring after diving safely into third base as a pinch runner despite a broken index finger, set against the jerseys of Lee Hao-yu and Jonathon Long, two teammates who had withdrawn before the games began in Japan.
“Everyone has photos, but drawing them feels different,” he said. “It takes time, and in that process I relived everything from the first day we gathered to the last game.”
Ready to Show?
Zhuang Chen completed his first full season last year, posting a 4.08 ERA over 145-2/3 innings with 145 strikeouts.
In mid-November, the Athletics added him to their 40-man roster, protecting him from selection in the MLB Rule 5 Draft — a move that suggested the team valued him.
Shortly after tossing a scoreless 2-2/3 innings at the WBC against the Czech Republic on March 7, he was promoted to the Las Vegas Aviators, the Athletics’ Triple-A affiliate.
His goal this year, Zhuang Chen said, is to pitch well and earn a call-up to the majors.
“I think having a certain level of stuff is a prerequisite for the major leagues. Your pitches have to be sharp and precise enough to give you a shot at ‘The Show,’ but I still have a way to go,” he said.
Even as he looks forward to pitching in “The Show,” Zhuang Chen is still hesitant to take another step forward: showing his own artwork to the person who first introduced him to it.
For Zhuang Chen, just having his father’s work with him is a reminder of his roots, keeping him grounded on the mound and happy his father is along for the ride.
“Sometimes when I look at it, it feels like he is drawing right in front of me,” he said.
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