2019 Team Taiwan U-18 Roster Announced
Team Taiwan has announced the U-18 roster for the 2019 WBSC U-18 Baseball World Cup. Twelve countries set to gather in Korea to compete for the title of World Champion from August 30 to September 8.
Taiwan will be in Group B along with Japan, USA, Panama, South Africa and Spain. The top three teams from each group will advance to the super round for cross-play. After that, the top four teams will head to the final round to determine the final ranking.
| NAME | POS | Age | School |
|---|---|---|---|
| 王彥程 (Wang Yan-Cheng) | LHP | 18 | Gubao High School |
| 林子崴 (Lin Tzu-Wei) | LHP | 17 | Gubao High School |
| 李晨薰 (Lee Chen-Hsun) | RHP | 17 | Pingzhen High School |
| 陳柏毓 (Chen Po-Yu) | RHP | 17 | Taoyuan Agricultural High School |
| 潘文輝 (Pan Wen-Hui) | RHP | 16 | Gubao High School |
| 陳志杰 (Chen Chih-Chieh) | RHP | 16 | Pingzhen High School |
| 林昱珉 (Lin Yu-Min) | LHP | 16 | Gubao High School |
| 余謙 (Yu Chien) | RHP | 17 | Taitung Physical Education High School |
| 林辰勳 (Lin Chen-Hsun) | C | 17 | Gubao High School |
| 羅暐捷 (Lo Wei-Chieh) | C | 18 | Kaoyuan High School |
| 何恆佑 (Ho Heng-Yu) | INF | 17 | Gubao High School |
| 林吳晉瑋 (Lin Wu Chin-Wei) | INF | 17 | Gubao High School |
| 王順和 (Wang Shun-Ho) | INF | 17 | Gubao High School |
| 林子豪 (Lin Tzu-Hao) | INF | 17 | Pingzhen High School |
| 鄭宗哲 (Cheng Tsung-Che) | INF | 18 | Pumen High School |
| 李灝宇 (Lee Hao-Yu) | INF | 16 | Pingzhen High School |
| 林瑞鈞 (Lin Jui-Chun) | INF | 18 | Xiyuan High School |
| 蔡佳諺 (Tsai Chia-Yen) | OF | 17 | Gubao High School |
| 林政華 (Lin Cheng-Hua) | OF | 17 | Taitung Physical Education High School |
| 岳政華 (Yueh Cheng-Hua) | OF | 18 | Gubao High School |
Players Turning Pro After U-18 Tournament
For five players, this U-18 Baseball World Cup could be their final international tournament before turning professional.
- 岳政華 (Yueh Cheng-Hua): 2019 1st round pick by Chinatrust Brothers.
- 羅暐捷 (Lo Wei-Chieh): 2019 2nd round pick by Uni-Lions.
- 林瑞鈞 (Lin Jui-Chun): 2019 7th round pick by Chinatrust Brothers.
- 鄭宗哲 (Cheng Tsung-Che): Signed by MLB’s Pittsburgh Pirates for $380,000 USD.
- 王彥程 (Wang Yan-Cheng): Signed by NPB’s Rakuten Eagles for $200,000 USD.
Key Players to Watch For
Below are several players that are worth taking a look. A few of them are being scouted by MLB and NPB scouts and is highly likely to head overseas in 2020.
18-year-old left-hander 王彥程 (Wang Yan-Cheng): He tossed a two-hit complete game against the Japanese national team during the 2018 Asian Baseball Championship. He signed with the NPB’s Rakuten Eagles on August 20.
Team Taiwan's 王彥程 (Wang Yan-Cheng) pitched a complete game against Japan in the 2018 Asian U-18 Baseball Championship. (9 IP, 2H, 1ER, 2K, 102 pitches). Taiwan to face Korea in the gold medal game. #TWHSBaseball pic.twitter.com/jth6BnI7pQ
— CPBL STATS (@GOCPBL) September 8, 2018
17-year-old right-hander 李晨薰 (Lee Chen-Hsun): Lee stands 198 cm and is best known for his fastball. He was recently clocked throwing 153kph and is currently heavily scouted by the MLB teams.
[Taiwan High School Baseball] 17-year-old RHP 李晨薰 (Lee Chen-Hsun) struck out 8 across 5 scoreless innings in 2019 Palomino World Series. Lee's fastball topped out at 153kph (95mph) from that game. #TWHSBaseball pic.twitter.com/8caHNlQIMm
— CPBL STATS (@GOCPBL) August 6, 2019
17-year-old right-hander 陳柏毓 (Chen Po-Yu): Another young pitcher that is heavily scouted by the MLB teams and is likely to head overseas in 2020. Here is a quote about Chen Po-Yu from Fangraphs. “Doesn’t have a deal but multiple teams have seven figures of uncommitted pool money, and some teams think he’ll get $1 million or more.”
[Taiwan High School Baseball] 17-year-old RHP 陳柏毓 (Chen Po-Yu). 147kph fastball, 131kph changeup, 119kph curveball. Chen's fastball tops at 148kph. #TWHSBaseball pic.twitter.com/qyYpj6KfCA
— CPBL STATS (@GOCPBL) December 24, 2018
18-year-old outfielder 岳政華 (Yueh Cheng-Hua): 2019 first-round draft pick by the Chinatrust Brothers in the CPBL. The team signed him for a total package of $198,000 USD along with $50,000 USD as performance incentives.
16-year-old infielder 李灝宇 (Li Hao-Yu): Plenty of raw power despite being only 16. He will be most likely to bat in the middle of the lineup in this tournament.
18-year-old shortstop 鄭宗哲 (Cheng Tsung-Che): The Pittsburgh Pirates signed the young middle infielder in July for $380,000 USD.
Hitting and fielding highlight of 17-year-old 鄭宗哲 (Zheng Zong-Zhe) who's reportedly close to signing with the Pirates. #MLBTW #TWHSBaseball (?via CPBL Analyst) pic.twitter.com/IgKRrLk0ea
— CPBL STATS (@GOCPBL) June 29, 2019
- 16-year-old right-hander 潘文輝 (Pan Wen-Hui): Another hard-throwing youngster who was clocked 155kph at the high school baseball tournament back in June 2019.
