Rakuten Monkeys sign Adam Walker, whose Chinese name "Wei Ke" echoes past foreign player

The Rakuten Monkeys baseball team has officially announced the signing of two foreign players, outfielder Ronnie Dawson and outfielder Adam Walker, bolstering their lineup for the upcoming season. Their Chinese names have been tentatively set as "Dao Weisheng" and "Wei Ke," respectively.

Adam Walker, a 34-year-old American outfielder, brings experience from Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). In 2022, he played for the Yomiuri Giants, appearing in 124 games and recording a batting average of .271 with 23 home runs and 52 RBIs. After leaving the Giants, Walker played for the Oisix Niigata Albirex of the NPB's Eastern League this year.

The Chinese name "Wei Ke" assigned to Adam Walker carries a historical echo in Taiwanese baseball. It was the first Chinese name used for American pitcher Lincoln Mikkelsen, who played for the Uni-President Lions during the 1994 season. Mikkelsen had a notable career in Taiwan, playing across different leagues and teams over several years.

Mikkelsen, who first came to Taiwan in 1994, used "Wei Ke" as his initial Chinese name. He later played for the Taipei Gogo of the Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL) and the Taiwan Beer Leopards in the semi-professional league. His career in Taiwan spanned multiple stints, including playing for the then-Taiwan Major League's Sun Devils and later the First Financial Holdings Lions after the leagues merged.