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CPBL’s Only First-Round Pick Left Off Roster, Lions Manager Says He Is Not Ready for the Majors

From Liberty Times · () Chinese

Translated from Chinese and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • Tseng Wei-che, the Uni-President Lions’ first pick in last year’s CPBL draft, is the only one of the six first-round selections excluded from this season’s 60-player roster.
  • Manager Lin Yue-ping said Tseng’s inconsistent minor-league performance, limited workload and poor control made him unready for the first team.
  • Tseng missed nearly two months after a ball struck his elbow in April and currently can pitch only about 30 stable pitches.

Tseng Wei-che became the only first-round pick from last year’s CPBL draft left outside this season’s 60-player roster, ending his hopes of making his first appearance in the league’s top division this year.

The Uni-President Lions selected Tseng first overall and gave him a signing bonus of NT$5.2 million. Strong testing results during the offseason had prompted manager Lin Yue-ping to suggest that Tseng could receive an early-season opportunity if he outperformed pitchers in the expected starting rotation.

Based on the data and content he has shown in the minors, he is not qualified to pitch in the majors.

— Lin Yue-pingThe Uni-President Lions manager explained why Tseng Wei-che was left off the 60-player roster.

Instead, Tseng’s progress stalled after a hard-hit ball struck his elbow in April. He missed almost two months and has since had to rebuild his workload. The Lions say he can currently deliver only about 30 stable pitches, while his form continues to fluctuate. “Based on the data and content he has shown in the minors, he is not qualified to pitch in the majors,” Lin said.

Poor control and poor ability to control the outcome of games. Forcing him into the majors would be meaningless.

— Lin Yue-pingLin described the problems behind Tseng’s inconsistent performance.

Lin also criticized Tseng’s control and ability to manage games, saying there would be no point forcing him into the top division. He acknowledged that the injury may have contributed to the decline, but said Tseng needed to examine why his performance fell so sharply after the incident and why he then had to start building up again.

The manager said Tseng had not maintained a consistent pitching cycle or shown steady development in the minors. Being a first-round rookie, Lin added, did not guarantee protection or promotion. “His performance fell outside what the coaching staff expected, so he was not included on the final roster because he does not yet have the ability to start in the majors,” Lin said.

It is not because you are a first-round rookie that the team must protect you within a framework or make you fit the direction it wants.

— Lin Yue-pingThe manager said draft status did not guarantee a place on the major-league roster.
About this summary

Originally published by Liberty Times in Chinese. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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