2008 Olympics: Chinese Taipei Team Breakdown

Chinese Taipei (Taiwan) is kind’ve like that guy in your fantasy football league who’s been in the league since the beginning, who loves the sport more than anybody else, devotes more time to his team than half the other guys, but always seems to finish last. And deep down you have to admire that sort of dedication I guess, the Sisyphean task of devoting so much work to something that, in the end, he’s just not all that great at.

That's Taiwan’s National Team, in a nutshell. All the outlandish expectations of their devoted fan base, and their frenzied, highly-critical media, sort of remind me of the hyperbolic circus that surrounds the Chicago Cubs each year (that’s 100 years and counting folks, without a win).

Historically, Taiwan always seems to hang around without ever being truly dominant. The national team made its first Olympic appearance in 1992 and steamrolled through the tournament, eventually taking the silver medal. They didn’t appear again until 2004, when they finished a disappointing fifth. Chinese Taipei also appeared in the 2006 WBC, but failed to get out of the first round. Despite their relatively long infatuation with the sport, they seems to fall short more often than not; their only gold medals have come in the Asian Games (four golds in twenty appearances).

Apparently baseball games in Taiwan are more like college basketball games in the States, with fans dressing up in crazy costumes, banging on drums, chanting together, yelling into blowhorns, or setting off air horns. Which sounds like an absolute blast (no pun intended). I hope we get some camera shots of the crowd during the Olympic games.

But Taiwan’s passion for baseball truly resonates on a national level. I can’t possibly sum it up better than this article can, so go ahead and follow the link and I’ll be here when you get back.

As you see, even something as seemingly straightforward as a team name can have international ramifications. Anyway, here’s my projected starting lineup for Chinese Taipei (Taiwan):

MANAGER: Yi-Chung Hung, La New Bears. Hung took the reins of the Taiwan National Team in December of 2007 and immediately passed his first test by guiding them through the qualification round and into the Olympics. They were underdogs then, and they’re underdogs now. Beneath the microscope of the Taiwan fans and media, he’s basically been given the Kansas City Royals for his roster and George Steinbrenner for his owner. Think he’s feeling pressure? Anything short of a medal will be a disappointment.

CATCHER: Chih-Kang Kao, Uni-President Lions. Taiwan witnessed the passing of the guard during the Qualification Tournament when Kao earned more playing time than longtime national team veteran Chun-Chang Yeh. This arrangement is likely to stay the same in Beijing. Kao hit only .182/.357/.273 in the Qualification Tournament (how’s that for a crazy batting line?), but he threw out 60% of would-be basestealers. Taiwan seems content to have the younger, more agile Kao behind the plate, even if it has to sacrifice some offense in order to do so.

FIRST BASE: Cheng-Min Peng, Brother Elephants. This guy is a monster—not just a Brother Elephant, but one of Hanibal’s War Elephants. His career batting average is .348, and he’s led the league in batting average twice. He hit 286/.483/.524 in the 2004 Olympics and even led the tournament in steals (3). He led the way to Beijing by putting up a line of 364/.400/.500 in the 2008 Qualification Tournament. A perennial 20-homer guy, he’ll anchor the heart of Taiwan’s batting order.

SECOND BASE: Chih-Hsien Chiang, Lancaster Jethawks. The “Lebron of Taiwan” is an offensive-minded second baseman in the Boston Red Sox’ farm system who’s still working on his plate discipline. Twenty-years old, he’s repeating A-ball, where he’s hitting .303 with 9 home runs and a good-for-him 52/18 K/BB ratio. His OPS stands currently at .797. Acquired as an international free agent in 2005, he was a 2008 Red Sox Pre-Season All-Star. The Taiwanese have pinned a lot of expectations on him ever since he was sixteen and mashing his way through the World Junior Championships; it’s time for Chiang to take another cue from Lebron James and earn his nickname.

THIRD BASE: Tai-Shan Chang, Sinon Bulls. The career homerun leader of the CPBL, Chang is also (apparently) a real stand up guy, donating NT$3000 to the Children Are Us Foundation every time he hits a home run; filming commercials for pesticides with his gorgeous wife; even marrying said wife on a baseball field. Basically, he’s that guy from your high school who was ridiculously good looking, friendly, multi-talented but also (you had to admit even then) incredibly cool. Only 172cm and 84kg (don’t ask me to convert those numbers—it’s small, ok?) Chang was also the youngest player to reach 100 homeruns in CPBL history.

SHORTSTOP: Chih-Sheng Lin, La New Bears. Lin is quickly developing a reputation as Mr. Clutch, the Derek Jeter of international play. His double in the seventh inning led Taiwan past the German National Team and qualified the Taiwanese for Beijing. His ninth-inning RBI single led Taiwan past Italy in the 2007 Baseball World Cup, and as a junior leaguer he led his World Youth Team to three consecutive silver medals (1997-1999). He was suspended for a month and fined NT$10,000 in April for his actions during an on-field brawl. A true team player!

LEFT FIELD: Chin-Feng Chen, La New Bears. In 2002, Chen became the first Taiwanese player to ever appear in an MLB game. In 2006 he returned home and promptly led the Bears to a World Championship, also garnering the 2006 MVP by hitting 47 bombs, driving in 147, and hitting .343. Chen is known for his post-season heroics—the media refers to him as Mr. October. He hit the first grand slam in Kanapi Cup history in 2006. A righty, he’ll hit either right ahead of or right behind third baseman Chang.

CENTER FIELD: Che-Hsuan Lin, Greenville Drive. Here’s the scouting report on this nineteen-year-old Boston Red Sox prospect:

Spectacularly athletic centerfielder… Incredible speed with a cannon arm. Makes good contact - quick, strong wrists. Decent gap power, hits well to all fields… Exceptional glove and range in CF, and his arm is both very strong and accurate….(plays centerfield) “like gliding on roller skates.”

Currently hitting .249/.342/.359 in Class A, Lin was the MVP of the World Futures Game in July, when he accepted the MVP trophy to a chorus of boos from Yankee fans. After the game he said, “Maybe one day I’ll be a big leaguer and they won’t do it anymore.” How can you not love that starry-eyed optimism? Keep dreaming, kid.

RIGHT FIELD: Kuo-Hui Lo, High Desert Mavericks. Currently at.257/.310/.419 for the High Class A Mavericks, Lo generates plus power with his quick wrists and strong hips. John Sickels says he runs well, has good opposite field power, and decent discipline. He’s stolen a base in four consecutive games twice now for his career. He is the nephew of former Colorado Rockies closer Chin-Hui Tsao. Lo will likely split time between RF and DH with Chien-Ming Chang.

STARTING PITCHERS: Likely Wei-Lun Pan , Chih-Chia Chang, Chien-Fu Yang

RELIEF PITCHERS: Chin-Hui Tsao, Wen-Hsiung Hsu, and Kai-Wen Cheng.

In the end, Taiwan will have trouble staying competitive in the 2008 Olympics. And as a national team, they’re really in a tough place. They don’t have any developed prospects in the States, and they don’t have strong enough players in the Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL) to help them compete on the international stage.

Maybe that Cubs comparison wasn’t so bad after all. But I’m sure fans of the Cubbies will attest: a hundred years ain’t so long in a quest for a World Championship. Right?