New York Yankees sign 18-year-old Taiwanese pitcher Lai Chien-fan

Taipei, June 24 (CNA) The New York Yankees have signed 18-year-old right-hander Lai Chien-fan (賴謙凡), making him the third Taiwanese player in the Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise's history, the team announced Tuesday (U.S. time).

The Yankees opened their announcement with a Chinese-language message: "Lai Chien-fan, welcome to the New York Yankees!" He follows former ace Wang Chien-ming (王建民) and infielder Kuo Fu-lin (郭阜林) as the third Taiwanese player to join the club.

According to MLB.com, Lai's signing bonus is expected to reach US$850,000, putting him among the highest-paid pitching prospects in this year's international signing class.

A graduate of Taoyuan Municipal Daxi Senior High School, Lai is regarded as one of Taiwan's top international prospects in 2026. His repertoire includes a heavy fastball that has been clocked at up to 154 kilometers per hour, a curveball that scouts project to be an above-average pitch, and a slider.

He drew international attention at last September's U18 Baseball World Cup, where he helped Taiwan win bronze. Over three appearances spanning seven innings, he struck out 14 batters while allowing just three hits, one run, and a single walk.

The Yankees are scheduled to hold an introductory news conference for Lai in Taipei on Friday, after which he will report to the club's Dominican Summer League academy to begin his professional career, according to MLB.com.

In a team statement, Yankees Director of International Scouting Mario Garza said the signing reflected the club's renewed commitment to recruiting players from Taiwan and across Asia.

"From a scouting lens, he [Lai] has an impressive multi-pitch mix, including a heavy fastball and quality off-speed pitches with solid command," Garza said.

"This combination of traits allows us to believe that he will acclimate himself well in our development system, maximize his on-field potential and eventually become a productive Major League pitcher," he said.

Lai was introduced to baseball by his father, Lai Shih-shan (賴世山), an Indigenous Amis baseball coach and former elementary school teacher who spent decades developing grassroots youth baseball in Taitung.

During his high school years, Lai earned the nickname "Daxi's Yoshinobu Yamamoto" for modeling his training routines and pitching mechanics after the Dodgers' Japanese star in an effort to improve his coordination and pitching efficiency.