Quick guide to CPBL 2016 season & fun facts (2nd-half season) last updated 24-June
The 2nd-half of the 2016 Taiwanese baseball season will start 1st July. Yes, we do split season here in Taiwan. We’re also on twitter now! Follow us on twitter @GOCPBL
2016 1st half season review
After acquired several major free-agents during off-season from Lamigo Monkeys and EDA Rhinos. Chinatrust Brothers have been dominating the league. They secured the 1st half season championship with 0.600 win-percentage. However, their team ERA is also the worst in the league. Will that be an issue for them in the 2nd-half season?
- Video of Brothers winning the 1st half championship
- Here’s a reddit post on how Taiwanese teams celebrate championship
- CPBL Graphical Standings Graph 22-June
- CPBL Run Differential Graph 22-June
Ways to watch CPBL games (Paid service or Free online streaming)
ONLINE STREAMING
- CPBL.TV (Paid service, including Live stream & VOD archived games)
- Lamigo.TV (Free – Only available during the game)
- Lions.TV (Free – Only available during the game)
- Brothers.TV (Taiwan residents only – Free – Only available during the game)
- Rhinos.TV (Free – Only available during the game)
TV
- FOX Sports (Monkeys & Lions Home Games)
- VL Sports (Brothers & Rhinos Home Games)
- ELTA Sports (All teams)
- FTV Four Season (Monkeys Home Games)
Quick fun facts for this season:
- Chinatrust Brothers acquired several major free-agents during the off-season from the Lamigo Monkeys and EDA Rhinos. These free-agent signings Included CPBL 2015 MVP Lin Chih-Sheng, who put up impressive 30/30 stats last season. Lin finished the 1st half season hitting 0.384/ 0.457/ 0.714 and 17 HRs. He also extended his on-base record to 109 games this season.
- Lamigo Monkeys’ Chen Chin-Feng, an extremely popular player, has been the cleanup batter for the past 10+ years for the Taiwanese national team. Chen has announced 2016 will be his last professional season. He is currently hitting 0.315/ 0.401/ 0.614 with 11 Hrs.
- Lamigo Monkeys’ bat-flipping rookie Wang Po-Jung is now hitting 0.401/ 0.464/ 0.623 with 12 HRs. Will he be the first CPBL player to break .400 batting average this season? While on the bat-flip side, here’s an article on Deadspin about it. Also the original Reddit post
- EDA Rhinos’ Kao Kuo-Hui who hit 39 homers last year. Will he break the magical #40 this year? He finished 1st half season with 17 HRs
- Chinatrust Brothers veteran and CPBL poster child Peng Cheng-Min managed to achieved 0.300+ AVG and 0.400+ OBP for 15 consecutive seasons. He finished the first half season with 0.327/ 0.408/ 0.407
Ex-MLB players playing in Taiwan
Taiwan has been one of the place where ex-MLB players come to extend their professional career, including some high profile names like:
- Manny Ramirez (2013)
- Freddy Garcia (2014)
- Jose Contreras (2015)
- Carney Lansford (2015) Batting coach for Lamigo Monkeys and his son Jared Lansford as a starting pitcher for the organisation.
Or going back even further with:
- Don August (1995)
- Pascual Perez (1996)
- Melvin Mora (1998)
This season CPBL will have the following well known MLB players
- Jair Jurrjens (Lions, here’s a video of him making a behind-the-back grab )
- Felix Pie (Lions, but released after suffering a fractured ankle The organisation had a farewell ceremony for him)
Ex-CPBL players in USA media
- Mark Grant – Color commentator for the San Diego Padres’ television broadcasts.
- Nelson Figueroa – Pre/post-game analyst for SNY Mets broadcasts
Foreign players in Taiwan
For the last few years the League’s policy has allowed each each team to have up to 3 foreigners. Foreign players are mostly from the AAA level, some with MLB experience.
Here’s the complete 2016 foreign players update thread
Below are the stats of the foreign players based on ERA+
EDA Rhinos (19/March ~ 20/June)
| Name | IP | GS | GR | W | L | ERA | H/9 | HR/9 | BABIP | BB/9 | K/9 | WHIP | ERA+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mike Loree | 103 | 17 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 4.19 | 10.31 | 1.22 | 0.325 | 2.62 | 6.99 | 1.44 | 141.9 |
| Scott Richmond | 67.1 | 12 | 0 | 6 | 3 | 4.41 | 8.29 | 0.67 | 0.29 | 3.74 | 7.35 | 1.34 | 135 |
| Jared Lansford | 44.1 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 5.68 | 11.17 | 1.83 | 0.35 | 2.03 | 8.12 | 1.47 | 104.7 |
| 6.1 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 12.79 | 19.89 | 2.84 | 0.485 | 2.84 | 7.11 | 2.53 | x | |
| Rhinos Avg | x | x | x | x | x | 5.36 | 10.44 | 1.45 | 0.32 | 3.52 | 6.5 | 1.55 | 111.1 |
| League Avg | x | x | x | x | x | 5.95 | 11.35 | 1.25 | 0.348 | 3.66 | 7.02 | 1.67 | 100 |
Chinatrust Brothers (19/March ~ 20/June)
| Name | IP | GS | GR | W | L | ERA | H/9 | HR/9 | BABIP | BB/9 | K/9 | WHIP | ERA+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nate Long | 27.1 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2.96 | 9.22 | 0.33 | 0.325 | 4.28 | 7.57 | 1.5 | x |
| Robert Morey | 51.1 | 7 | 9 | 4 | 2 | 4.73 | 10.17 | 0.18 | 0.352 | 4.21 | 7.89 | 1.6 | 125.8 |
| 57.1 | 10 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 6.59 | 11.15 | 1.1 | 0.36 | 2.35 | 8.16 | 1.5 | 90.3 | |
| Andrew Sisco | 49.1 | 10 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 7.66 | 12.95 | 0.73 | 0.449 | 4.93 | 10.22 | 1.99 | 77.7 |
| 17 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 18.53 | 1.59 | 0.443 | 2.65 | 5.82 | 2.35 | 66.1 | |
| Brothers Avg | x | x | x | x | x | 6.51 | 12.21 | 1.07 | 0.375 | 3.44 | 7.4 | 1.74 | 91.5 |
| League Avg | x | x | x | x | x | 5.95 | 11.35 | 1.25 | 0.348 | 3.66 | 7.02 | 1.67 | 100 |
Lamigo Monkeys (19/March ~ 20/June)
| Name | IP | GS | GR | W | L | ERA | H/9 | HR/9 | BABIP | BB/9 | K/9 | WHIP | ERA+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Orlando Roman | 74 | 11 | 9 | 6 | 3 | 4.5 | 9.61 | 1.09 | 0.315 | 3.28 | 7.78 | 1.43 | 132.3 |
| Ryan Searle | 66.1 | 10 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 6.38 | 11.8 | 1.09 | 0.362 | 3.66 | 7.46 | 1.72 | 93.4 |
| Efrain Nieves | 15.1 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 7.04 | 12.91 | 2.35 | 0.325 | 2.93 | 4.7 | 1.76 | 84.5 |
| 44.2 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 8.46 | 13.1 | 1.81 | 0.363 | 3.02 | 6.25 | 1.79 | 70.3 | |
| Mitch Talbot | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6.75 | 0 | 0.276 | 6.75 | 4.5 | 1.5 | x |
| Monkeys Avg | x | x | x | x | x | 5.91 | 11.58 | 1.11 | 0.355 | 3.75 | 6.95 | 1.7 | 100.8 |
| League Avg | x | x | x | x | x | 5.95 | 11.35 | 1.25 | 0.348 | 3.66 | 7.02 | 1.67 | 100 |
Uni-Lions (19/March ~ 20/June)
| Name | IP | GS | GR | W | L | ERA | H/9 | HR/9 | BABIP | BB/9 | K/9 | WHIP | ERA+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19.1 | 0 | 15 | 2 | 2 | 4.19 | 9.78 | 1.86 | 0.319 | 1.86 | 9.31 | 1.29 | x | |
| Bruce Billings | 77 | 13 | 0 | 7 | 4 | 4.91 | 9.94 | 1.05 | 0.34 | 4.44 | 9 | 1.6 | 121.3 |
| Jair Jurrjens | 79.1 | 14 | 0 | 6 | 5 | 5.22 | 11 | 1.36 | 0.324 | 2.84 | 6.58 | 1.54 | 114.1 |
| Lions Avg | x | x | x | x | x | 6.04 | 11.18 | 1.38 | 0.343 | 3.92 | 7.24 | 1.68 | 98.5 |
| League Avg | x | x | x | x | x | 5.95 | 11.35 | 1.25 | 0.348 | 3.66 | 7.02 | 1.67 | 100 |
| Name | G | PA | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS | BABIP | IsoP | AB/HR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 21 | 0.3 | 0.333 | 0.55 | 0.883 | 0.263 | 0.25 | 20 |
2016 Schedule
CPBL Brief History/ Structure
Click here for CPBL league structure
Baseball Stadiums in Taiwan
There are currently 18 professional baseball stadiums around the island of Taiwan.
Full listing of all professional stadiums in Taiwan. There’s pictures if you click on it.
Historic Stadium
- Tainan Stadium Built during the Japan Era back in 1930, is one of the oldest still active professional stadium in Taiwan. Currently the home for Uni-President Lions, it is probably the best stadium to watch if you’re watching a TV broadcast, as it has cameras mounted on the roof of the stadium, able to see every single play without the safety net blocking the view.
- If you like to look at Lions’ players up close and personal, Tainan stadium probably has the best seating zones in the whole league.
- The famous “Gold Zone” – with only 12 seats – is behind the home plate on the ground level next to the player dugout. Fans are basically sitting on the field.
- The “Diamond Zone”, with 180 seats, is along the first base line next to the Lions bullpen.
Newer, Trendier Stadium
- Taoyuan International Stadium Home for the Lamigo Monkeys. They’re the only team that plays all 60 home games in one stadium. Because of that, the team is able to invest heavily into the stadium. This has included improvements such as the sound system, DJ booth, restaurant area, and an LED system that rings the stadium. The organisation is very fan-focused in the stadium and in their marketing strategy. There’s concerts after the game and plenty of special themed events throughout the season. Here’s a video of what going to a game in Taoyuan stadium feels like
Great Environment Stadium
- Hualien Stadium Tiny simple stadium located on Taiwan’s east coast (the majority of the population lives on the West coast). Hualien Stadium is probably the best stadium in Taiwan in terms of the scenery, with the Central Mountain Range literally in the background..
CPBL Merchandise
The Lions and Brothers probably have the best online stores.
The Monkeys have the best fan merchandise in the entire league. However, their strategy is built around their physical retail shops around the country, which are amazing, but their online store is mainly for end-of-season clearance sales.
The Rhinos are not very good at either online and retail sales.