TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Major League Baseball’s Los Angeles Dodgers announced the signing of 17-year-old Taiwanese outfielder, Ko Ching-hsien (柯敬賢), on Monday (June 17).
John Deeble, director of Pacific Rim scouting for the Dodgers, said Taiwan’s amateur ranks contain some of Asia’s best pitchers and outfielders. He said that, barring future injury, Ko will be able to play for Taiwan’s national team with the full consent of the Dodgers, per CNA.
Ko is a graduate of Taoyuan’s Pingjen Senior High School. Deeble praised the coaches of the high school team for cultivating many outstanding players, many of whom may be able to follow Ko’s path into professional baseball in the U.S.
Taiwan has, in fact, produced several players competing professionally in overseas leagues in recent years. Besides Ko joining the Dodgers, pitcher Lin Wei-en (林維恩) joined the Oakland Athletics, and pitchers Huang Chin-hao (黃錦豪) and Hsu Hsiang-sheng (徐翔聖) are both in Japan's professional baseball league.
Deeble said the current crop of Taiwanese baseball players is the best that he has ever seen. He expressed thanks to Taiwan's national baseball organization for cultivating young talent and noted that last year’s U-18 Baseball World Cup in Taiwan was well organized and gave domestic players much-needed international exposure.
According to SportingNews, Ko is set to receive a US$700,000 (NT$22.6 million) signing bonus. The outlet also reported that the Dodgers were impressed by Ko’s performance at the U-18 World Baseball Cup, where, as a left-handed hitter, he batted .550 and in his 20 plate appearances posted one double, one home run, and seven walks.
