INTERVIEW / For A's prospect Zhuang Chen, painting forms bond bigger than baseball

By Hans Lin and Chao Yen-hsiang, CNA staff reporters

"I dare not show my paintings to my dad. He's a traditional guy and would probably think, 'Why would a baseball player be doing this?'"

Athletics Triple-A pitcher Zhuang Chen Zhong-ao (莊陳仲敖) said this of his "side project" -- even though drawing is something he first learned from his father.

Standing 185 centimeters tall and weighing 89 kilograms, the 25-year-old Taiwanese baseball player has what it takes to throw a 155-kilometer-per-hour (96.3-mph) fastball.

However, not many would guess from that build that he can also paint.

That talent was known to only a few until Zhuang Chen suited up for Team Taiwan at the World Baseball Classic (WBC) qualifiers in February 2025, when he drew national attention not only to his performance on the mound but also to his social media posts.

Zhuang Chen, who shares his drawings on Threads, has been dubbed by some netizens "a painter held back by baseball."

His artwork made headlines again in early March during the 2026 WBC Pool C event in Japan, when a local newspaper printed an entire Threads post showing his depiction of teammate Wu Nien-ting (吳念庭) at a roadside noodle stall.

In a recent interview with CNA in Phoenix, Arizona, Zhuang Chen spoke about how he took up painting and how it became a connection that transcends space and time.

Like father -- in secret

Zhuang Chen recalled looking through his father's drawings before he started playing baseball and tried to sketch whatever came to mind using the tools available at home.

The Hualien native said his father, a plumber/electrician, used to make wiring and plumbing drawings for his work late at night.

"Sometimes I drew on his drawings and got scolded," he said.

Zhuang Chen said his father also made drawings for leisure, which had a great influence on his passion for painting, though he now mainly creates on an iPad instead of using a brush and canvas.

"I've had that habit for a long time, and it's really convenient to draw digitally. I bring the tablet with me when I move around."

Drawing the game

According to Zhuang Chen, drawing helps him relax and maintain a balance between training and life.

"It's my hobby, so I feel less stressed when I'm drawing," he said.

He signed with the Athletics in November 2021 on a US$500,000 contract and began his professional career in the United States in 2022.

However, an operation to remove an elbow spur in his pitching arm in May 2023 accidentally allowed the pitcher more time for his artistic pursuits.

"I started using a tablet in 2023 when I was doing rehab. That was the year I had more time to myself," he said, recalling spending numerous afternoons after rehabilitation sessions drawing on his tablet.

Throughout the WBC, from pre-tournament training to after Taiwan's elimination, Zhuang Chen continued to create and share his work.

Among them was a piece capturing a moment that shaped his impression of the journey: captain Chen Chieh-hsien (陳傑憲) roaring after diving safely into third base as a pinch runner despite a broken index finger, set against the jerseys of Lee Hao-yu (李灝宇) and Jonathon Long, two teammates who had withdrawn before the games began in Japan.

"Everyone has photos, but drawing them feels different," he said. "It takes time, and in that process I relived everything from the first day we gathered to the last game."

Ready to Show?

Zhuang Chen completed his first full season in 2025, posting a 4.08 ERA over 145 2/3 innings with 145 strikeouts.

In mid-November, the Athletics added him to their 40-man roster, protecting him from selection in the MLB Rule 5 Draft -- a move that suggested the team valued him.

Shortly after tossing a scoreless 2 2/3 innings at the WBC against the Czech Republic on March 7, he was promoted to the Las Vegas Aviators, the Athletics' Triple-A affiliate.

His goal this year, Zhuang Chen said, is to pitch well and earn a call-up to the majors.

"I think having a certain level of stuff is a prerequisite for the major leagues. Your pitches have to be sharp and precise enough to give you a shot at The Show, but I still have a way to go," he said.

Even as he looks forward to pitching in "The Show," Zhuang Chen is still hesitant to take another step forward: showing his own artwork to the person who first introduced him to it.

But for Zhuang Chen, just having his father's work with him is a reminder of his roots, keeping him grounded on the mound and happy his father is along for the ride.

"Sometimes when I look at it, it feels like he is drawing right in front of me," he said.

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