BASEBALL/Two Taiwanese pitchers to play in MLB fall league

Taipei, Sept. 26 (CNA) Two young Taiwanese pitching phenoms are set to take the mound in Major League Baseball's (MLB) six-week fall league, which features prospects from various franchises.

According to the full rosters announced by the MLB on Wednesday, left-handed pitcher Lin Yu-min (林昱珉) and righty fireballer Pan Wen-hui (潘文輝) will play for the Salt River Rafters and the Glendale Desert Dogs in the six-team Arizona Fall League.

The fall league, set to run from Oct. 7 to Nov. 16, is an off-season developmental league primarily for talented minor leaguers, with each Major League organization sending at least eight top prospects to participate.

Over 200 players will compete in the 2024 fall league, six of whom are on MLB 40-man rosters, according to the MLB official website. In addition, 14 players ranking among the MLB Pipeline's Top 100 prospects will also participate, led by the Kansas City Royals' top prospect, Jac Caglianone, who is ranked No. 15.

This announcement means Lin and Pan, who were teammates at Kainan University before playing in the United States, will become the 12th and 13th Taiwanese players to participate in the short-term league.

Lin, who recently received the green light from the Arizona Diamondbacks to play for Team Taiwan at the 2024 WBSC Premier12 starting in mid-November, was a top-10 prospect in the franchise's farm system.

In his third year in the U.S., the 21-year-old was promoted to the Diamondbacks' Triple-A affiliate on Sunday and made his debut for the Reno Aces the same day. He struck out two and walked three, allowing one run over 4 2/3 innings pitched for a no-decision.

Lin, who made one start during the Diamondbacks' spring training, began the 2024 season in Double-A and recorded three wins and six losses over 19 starts, with a 4.28 ERA and 90 strikeouts in 94 2/3 innings.

His recent promotion makes him the only Taiwanese pitcher in Triple-A, aside from Teng Kai-wei (鄧愷威).

Meanwhile, the 22-year-old Pan of the Philadelphia Phillies spent most of his 2024 season in High-A after returning from an injury in late June. He struck out 22 batters over 21 innings while allowing three earned runs.

Pan recorded a fastball at 161 kilometers per hour (100.1 miles per hour) during the 2023 season. The Phillies have not yet confirmed whether he can play for Team Taiwan at the Premier12.