CPBL Foreign Players Updates Volume #370
Rakuten Monkeys News: Beau Sulser
On January 10, broadcaster Wang Yi-Hsuan revealed on his social media that a northern Taiwan CPBL team was close to finalising a deal with Beau Sulser.
A few weeks later, on January 21, the Rakuten Monkeys announced the signing of Beau Sulser. According to the team, the 30-year-old American right-hander is set to arrive in Taiwan around mid-February.
“He possesses a solid strikeout ability and had previous experience in the MLB and KBO. These are some of the factors why we decided to sign him,” said the Monkeys via the press release.
Beau Sulser began his professional career in 2017 with the Pittsburgh Pirates organisation and made his MLB debut in 2022, posting a 3.63 ERA and a 1.47 WHIP over 22.1 innings with the Pirates and Orioles. During the 2022 season, he primarily split his time between MLB and Triple-A.
In 2023, Beau Sulser joined the KBO, signing with the kt wiz. Unfortunately, he struggled to adjust to pitching in Korea, making just nine starts and compiling a 5.62 ERA over 49.2 innings before being released mid-season.
A few weeks after leaving the KBO, Sulser returned to the MLB system, signing a minor league deal with the Pittsburgh Pirates. He spent the rest of the 2023 season between Double-A (3.86 ERA) and Triple-A (7.36 ERA).
In 2024, Beau Sulser played primarily in Triple-A, splitting time between the Blue Jays and Pirates organisations. He recorded a 5.29 ERA over 47.2 innings with the Blue Jays system and a 6.53 ERA across 20.2 innings with the Pirates.
With the signing of Beau Sulser, the Rakuten Monkeys now have Jonathan Bermúdez and Pedro Fernández as their foreign players. According to the Rakuten Monkeys’ assistant general manager, they are nearing a deal to re-sign Marcelo Martinez for 2025, basically just waiting for his signature.
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 2025 CPBL season.