TSG Hawks Select 5 Players via 2023 Expansion Draft

TSG Hawks 2023 CPBL Expansion Draft Result

On November 28, the TSG Hawks announced the five players they selected from the 2023 expansion draft.

• Brothers 陳文杰 (Chen Wun-Jie) – CF – 26
• Dragons 王躍霖 (Wang Yao-Lin) – RHP – 32
• Uni-Lions 施子謙 (Shih Tzu-Chien) – RHP – 28
• Guardians 郭俊麟 (Kuo Chun-Lin) – RHP – 31
• Monkeys 許峻暘 (Hsu Chun-Yang) – RHP – 25

As per CPBL expansion draft regulations, the Hawks can pick one player outside of each team’s 18-man protection list for a transfer fee of 250,000 USD per player, which will be paid to the player’s former team as compensation.

What TSG GM and Manager Think

After the expansion draft, both the TSG Hawks general manager Liu Dong-Yang and manager Hong I-Chung spoke with the media.

“Our main focus for this year’s expansion draft is to strengthen our pitching depth with players with previous first-team experience,” said the Hawks GM to ETtoday.

The Hawks’ general manager went on to reveal that out of all five teams, the list provided by CTBC Brothers was the most eye-opening, as it contained decent starting pitchers and relievers.

“Although quantity-wise, we have enough pitchers within our organisation, but there are only a few that are considered first team ready,” said the Hawks manager, Hong I-Chung, to Liberty Sports.

Hong continued and said the team hopes that Kuo Chun-Lin and Shih Tzu-Chieh can take up the starting role again, but ultimately, it all depends on their conditions at the spring training next year.

As for Wang Yao-Lin and Hsu Chun-Yang, the Hawks manager said both players will stick with the reliever roles as the team will rely on their previous experience pitching out of the bullpen.

For Chen Wun-Jie, the only position player selected in the 2023 expansion draft, manager Hong told the media the reason they picked him was that he is quite balanced in speed, hitting, and fielding ability.

Chen Wun-Jie (CF) – 26 Years Old

“In the management meeting, we reached the consensus very quickly regarding picking Chen Wun-Jie,” said the Hawks GM to Merit Times. “He had a great 2022 season but was in a little slump this year, and we believe he will be able to fill in our gap in centre field.”

What we think: Chen Wun-Jie would be a perfect addition to the Hawks’ outfield with him being a balanced player in terms of speed, hitting and fielding. Despite experiencing a slump this season, he still exhibited above-average ISO and BB%.

Wang Yao-Lin (RHP) – 32 Years Old

“We lack experience in the bullpen. We need a leader to guide the young Hawks relievers. A player like Wang Yao-Lin is a perfect fit for the job,” said the Hawks GM to ETtoday.

What we think: Wang Yao-Lin is a highly experienced reliever and was frequently utilised by the Dragons in high-leverage situations this season. He is expected to carry the Hawks’ bullpen and provide much-needed stability in the next few years.

Shih Tzu-Chien (RHP) – 28 Years Old

What we think: Solid gamble pick by the Hawks, as Shih Tzu-Chien has the potential to become a starting pitcher again. The former rookie of the year has lost his starter role in recent years, but in 2023 he still has decent FIP, K% and BB%. In the worst-case scenario, he would still be able to eat innings and contribute as one of the core relievers.

Kuo Chun-Lin (RHP) 31 Years Old

“It took us a while to settle on the decision to pick Kuo Chun-Lin in the expansion draft. Ultimately, it all came down to both our manager and pitching coach having enough understanding about him and believing he will be beneficial to the Hawks team configuration,” said the Hawks GM to UDN.

What we think: This is still a reasonable gamble pick by the Hawks, as the team hope to turn Kuo Chun-Lin back to a starting pitcher. In my opinion, Kuo has a higher risk of not panning out as a starter, but due to his NPB experience and in various international tournaments, the potential reward simply outweighs the risk. Just like Shih Tzu-Chien, in the worst-case scenario, he would still be able to eat innings and contribute as a reliever.

Hsu Chun-Yang (RHP) – 25 Years Old

What I think: Yeah, I don’t really understand this pick, as I believe it’s probably better to select a position player from the Monkeys. Despite suffering from the sophomore slump, it is worth pointing out that Hsu Chun-Yang in 2023 still has a very decent Whiff% and K% in the first team. There is also some promising sign in the minor league with him logging 19.1 scoreless innings across 20 outings.