CPBL Foreign Players Updates Volume #422
Fubon Guardians News: Luis Liberato
On January 6, LIDOM journalist David Alcántara reported on social media that Luis Liberato would be departing the Toros del Este after signing with a team in Taiwan. Shortly after, UDN confirmed that the Fubon Guardians had signed the 30-year-old Dominican outfielder for the 2026 CPBL season.
Luis Liberato began his professional career in 2013 in the Seattle Mariners’ system. Over the years, he spent much of his time in Triple-A before eventually making his MLB debut with the San Diego Padres in 2022. During his brief stint in the majors, he went hitless in five plate appearances.
Luis Liberato’s final season in affiliated baseball came in 2024, when he played for the Atlanta Braves’ Triple-A team. In over 280 plate appearances, he slashed .265/.321/.385 (.707 OPS) with four home runs. For context, the International League’s average OPS in 2024 was .763.
In 2025, Luis Liberato left the MLB system and joined the Diablos Rojos del México of the Mexican League (LMB), where he posted an impressive .373/.448/.690 slash line over 141 plate appearances.
Around midseason, the KBO came calling, and Luis Liberato signed with the Hanwha Eagles. He finished the remainder of the 2025 KBO season with a solid .313/.366/.524 slash line, hitting 10 home runs over 273 plate appearances.
Leading up to his signing with the Fubon Guardians, Luis Liberato was active in the Dominican Winter League (LIDOM). He hit .321/.367/.500 over seven games as a member of the Toros del Este.
With the signing of Luis Liberato, the Fubon Guardians currently have Suzuki Shunsuke, Shawn Morimando, Aaron Wilkerson and Erick Leal as their group of foreign players for the 2026 season.
Foreign Hitters in Taiwan: Tough Road Ahead
It’s not easy to be a foreign hitter in Taiwan’s CPBL, since teams are not required to carry a foreign position player on the active roster. Due to the lack of overall pitching depth, as a result, most CPBL teams prefer to use their valuable foreign player slots on pitchers rather than hitters.
By the way, this isn’t the first time the Guardians have tried to sign foreign hitters in hopes of boosting their offensive firepower. Unfortunately, none of those attempts have worked out in the end for various reasons, ranging from family issues to difficulties adjusting to life and baseball in Taiwan, or the more common scenario of the team not giving them enough meaningful playing time before replacing them with a foreign pitcher instead.
- Eduardo Núñez (2021): .320/.346/.480 over 26 PA — Left the Guardians early due to a family illness back home.
- Xavier Batista (2022): .157/.250/.255 over 60 PA — Struggled to adjust to playing in Taiwan, and the team didn’t show much patience.
- Carlos Franco (2022): .143/.231/.229 over 39 PA — Also struggled to adjust, and again did not receive much game time to prove himself.
It will be very interesting to see whether the Guardians’ new front office and management take a different approach with foreign hitters this time around. Will they give Luis Liberato a real opportunity and enough time to adjust to playing in Taiwan? Or will it be business as usual, with the foreign hitter kept on a very short leash before being replaced by a pitcher?
Further Readings
Foreign players come and go. Therefore, we have compiled a foreign player tracker, and I’ll be updating that list regularly to keep pace with the ever-changing roster shuffle throughout the 2026 CPBL season.