It is that time of the year where Taiwan’s amateur pitchers get picked up by all the MLB and NPB teams before the CPBL Draft.
According to several Taiwanese media, the Seattle Mariners have signed 18-year-old left handed pitcher 張景淯 (Chang Jing-Yu, Chang Ching-Yu) for $728,000 USD.
Regarding to Chang’s signing bonus, at this stage there is no official number yet, but we will stay close to this and update it as it develop.
- ETToday reported the signing bonus is $700,000 USD.
- TSNA is saying above $550,000 plus education expenses, total package might exceed 宋文華 (Sung Wen-Hua)’s $675,000, who was signed by the San Diego Padres back in 2016.
- ETToday amend the initial figures and changed it to $728,000 USD.
張景淯 (Chang Jing-Yu): All You Need to Know
Chang, the 191cm tall lefty came into the mainstream media spotlight last year when he struck out nine batters consecutively in a national tournament.
A months later, he represented Kao-Yuan High School and pitched a 14 strikeouts complete game against Japan’s Wakayama All-Star team.
[Taiwanese high school prospect] 17 years old 張景淯 (Chang Ching-Yu) 191cm, 80kg. Pitched a 14K complete game against Japan's Wakayama All-Star. #TWHSBaseball pic.twitter.com/H4vY3TIlod
— CPBL STATS (@GOCPBL) December 28, 2017
With his 191cm height advantage, 張景淯 (Chang Jing-Yu)’s delivery can be a little unorthodox within the Taiwanese student baseball scene. He throws a curve, changeup, forkball and with his fastball tops at 148kph (92mph).
During the high school tournament in March 2018, Chang attracted more than 20 scouts from the MLB (Dodgers, Red Sox, Phillies, Mariners just to named a few) and the CPBL scouts just to get another glimpse of Chang in action.
More than 20 scouts including MLB's Dodgers, Mariners, Red Sox and Phillies at the high school tournament to watch 張景淯 (Chang Ching-Yu) and 陳柏毓 (Chen Po-Yu). #TWHSBaseball pic.twitter.com/KaynC3M5fk
— CPBL STATS (@GOCPBL) March 4, 2018
If the signing bonus is indeed $700,000 USD, this will put Chang on the sixth place in the signing bonus ranking as an amateur from Taiwan.
- 曹錦輝 (Tsao Chin-Hui) – $2.20 million – Rockies (1999).
- 林子偉 (Lin Tzu-Wei) $2.09 million – Red Sox (2012).
- 王建民 (Wang Chien-Ming) $2.01 million – Yankees (2000).
- 羅錦龍 (Lo Ching-Lung) $1.40 million – Rockies (2002).
- 郭泓志 (Kuo Hong-Chih) $1.25 million – Dodgers (1999).
- 張景淯 (Chang Jing-Yu) $700,000? – Mariners (2018).
The Tenth Taiwanese Played for the Mariners
With the signing of 張景淯 (Chang Jing-Yu), he will becomes the tenth Taiwanese baseball players that played for the Seattle Mariners organisation.
For this list below, we will use the year they were signed by the Mariners as reference and their highest level (Which can be with other organisation)
- 2003 – 武昭關 (Wu Chao-Kuan) C – Rookie
- 2004 – 陳鏞基 (Chen Yung-Chi) IF – Triple-A
- 2005 – 黃佳安 (Huang Chia-An) P – High-A
- 2006 – 羅國輝 (Lo Kuo-Hui) OF – Double-A
- 2008 – 張耀文 (Chang Yao-Wen) P – Rookie
- 2008 – 蔣智賢 (Chiang Chih-Hsien) IF – Triple-A
- 2010 – 陳敏賜 (Chen Min-Sih) P – High-A
- 2012 – 郭泓志 (Kuo Hong-Chih) P – MLB
- 2015 – 王建民 Wang Chien-Ming P – MLB
- 2018 – 張景淯 (Chang Jing-Yu) P – ?