17-year-old Taiwanese outfielder signed by the Dodgers..
TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball announced on Monday, June 17, that they had signed Ko Ching-hsien (柯敬賢), a 17-year-old Taiwanese outfielder. According to John Deeble, director of Pacific Rim scouting for the Dodgers, Ko will be able to play for Taiwan’s national team with the Dodgers’ full consent, barring an injury. Ko is a graduate of Taoyuan’s Pingjen Senior High School, where the coaches there have developed many exceptional players, many of whom may be able to follow Ko’s path into professional baseball in the United States.
In truth, Taiwan has recently produced a number of players who play professionally in foreign leagues. In addition to Ko joining the Dodgers, pitchers Huang Chin-hao (黃錦豪) and Hsu Hsiang-sheng (徐翔聖) are both in the professional baseball league in Japan. Pitcher Lin Wei-en (林維恩) joined the Oakland Athletics.
According to Deeble, the current generation of baseball players from Taiwan is the best he has ever seen. He complimented Taiwan’s national baseball organization for developing young talent and mentioned how well-run the U-18 Baseball World Cup was in Taiwan last year, which provided much-needed exposure to international competition for local players.
SportingNews reports that Ko will get a signing bonus worth US$700,000 (NT$22.6 million). The source added that Ko’s performance in the U-18 World Baseball Cup delighted the Dodgers, where, as He batted as a left-handed hitter.550 and recorded one double, one home run, and seven walks in his 20 plate appearances.
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