Sox have Taiwan treasure

看板Mariners作者eon4 (長田鏽一郎)時間20年前 (2004/06/22 05:07)推噓1(1推 0噓 0→)

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從陳鏞基的家族看來的 @@ 對陳鏞基除了稱讚還是稱讚還寫到他的美技 "Bret Boone couldn't have done it any better" Sox have Taiwan treasure By Larry Henry EVERETT - Ted Heid had a nice little secret. The Seattle Mariners scout had found this gem of a baseball player in Taiwan , and nobody else knew about him. Then the kid goes and plays in the National Baseball Congress World Series in Wichita, Kan., last July. Not only does his Chinese Taipei team become the first foreign squad in the 69-year history of the tournament to win the title, but he's named the all-star shortstop. Suddenly every major league team on Mother Earth knows about Yung Chi Chen. "I'll tell you what, I was on pins and needles all the time they were there ," said Heid, who directs scouting in the Pacific Rim for the M's. "My little secret and then he goes off in front of everybody." No need to worry. The morning after Taiwan wraps up the title, Chen signs a contract with the M's. "We were very fortunate to get him done," said Heid from his home in Arizona, where he had just returned from a trip to Taiwan. "We hadn't finalized anything. It would have muddied the waters if anybody else got in the picture. We didn't give them a chance." Besides, the M's upheld their end of the bargain. They promised Chen's college coach that they wouldn't interfere with him until he finished his season, and they kept their promise.As you can see, there are places where keeping one's word still means something. If Heid is not mistaken, his nice little secret is about to become a household name in the Pacific Northwest. That's because Yung Chi Chen began his pro career with the Everett AquaSox of the Northwest League Friday night. And the M's scout doesn't think he's going to be just another player. "We were very up front with him," Heid said. "We expect him to be a Bret Boone type of second baseman in the big leagues." Nothing like a little pressure to take into your first at-bat. As if it would bother Chen. He was brought up on pressure. Heid started watching Chen when he was playing in the 16-and-under world championships. Then he caught him at the 18-and-under world championships. Then there was another world tournament in Holland. And the World Cup in Cuba. And, don't forget, the NBC World Series, a 48-team extravaganza featuring college players and ex-pros. A week after he turned 20, Chen batted .405 in the NBC tournament, led all batters with 17 hits in 10 games, and tied for the lead in runs batted in with 11. He can burnish his resume a little more this summer. He's the youngest player on the 42-man Taiwan team that has qualified for the Olympic Games in Athens, Greece.When the roster is pared down, he's expected to be starting somewhere on the infield."I think they understand this is a guy they need because he can do so much," Heid said. Like play third base - which he is being considered for on the Olympic team - shortstop and second base. Hit for average. And occasionally bop a home run. From the moment he laid eyes on him, Heid was impressed with his athletic ability. "He was very sure-handed, a smooth infielder. And he's hit at every level." His work ethic, discipline and upbringing are all solid. "You meet his family, and you knowwhere he came from," Heid said. "They're special." That's a word they use to describe young Chen. "He has great aptitude," said AquaSox coach Darrin Garner. "He picks up on things real fast.He's going to be a helluva player." This is the kind of player he is. In the third inning of the season opener, Vancouver has a runner on first with one out. Gregorio Petit hits a grounder to short, but Asdrubal Cabrera drops it, then quickly picks up the ball and throws to second. Chen is there to tag the base, and that's all you figure he'll get - one out. No, he lets go with a throw to first. You visualize a wild fling. Instead, it's perfect. Beats the runner by two steps. Double play. Bret Boone couldn't have done it any better. Then Chen picks up a bat. With the bases loaded in the bottom of the third, he strokes a two-run single to right and takes second on the throw. Bryan LaHair hits a fly ball to shallow center that looks like it might be caught. Chen is halfway between second and third when the ball comes down ... on the ground. Needless to say, he scores. Did we say he's a smart player with good instincts? Like his idol, Derek Jeter. So what piece of advice would he have given the Yankee shortstop when he went through his early-season slump? "Be more selective," Chen said. He was sitting in the pavilion the other night after a barbecue for team sponsors.He was wearing a cap, on top of which were his sunglasses, an ever-present accouterment. "He admires American baseball," said his interpreter, Peter Liu, a student at Syracuse University. "Sunglasses are part of the American culture." And Yung Chi Chen is quickly becoming part of the Pacific Northwest culture. -- ※ 發信站: 批踢踢實業坊(ptt.cc) ◆ From: 211.74.150.44 ※ 編輯: eon4 來自: 211.74.150.44 (06/21 21:07)