It may be early into the Red Sox offseason, but that hasn’t stopped their quest to improve upon a pitching staff that drastically underachieved in 2019.
Releasing Steven Wright last Friday was the first move on tap, but now they have made an addition: Chih-Jung Liu, a 20-year-old two-way player from Taiwan, signed to a $750,000 contract.
First on this report was Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe, who says that despite Liu being a two-way prospect, he will be signed as a pitcher. This is thanks in large part to his fastball that registered as high as 98 miles-per-hour.
The first time anybody got a look at Liu was in the 2018 U-17 Baseball World Cup, where he slashed .316/.519/.316 with a 1.98 earned run average in 13.2 innings pitched.
The 20-year-old switch-hitting, right-handed pitcher decided not to enter the CPBL draft, which most Taiwanese baseball players do upon graduating from high school. Instead, he opted to go to Culture University, with a plan to sign overseas after his first year. He’s got some insane athleticism, as showcased in his ability to play shortstop at a high level.
However, the Red Sox view him as more of a pitcher than a shortstop. And why wouldn’t they? The recently named MVP of the Asian Baseball Championship has a 98 mile-per-hour fastball –– which is nothing to scoff at –– and the Red Sox appear to be desperate to hit on an international free agent, particularly one that can pitch.
Culture University's switch-hitting 2-way player 劉致榮 (Liu Chih-Jung) threw 157kph (97mph) and hit a home run today. Hitting: 3-for-4 (1HR), Pitching: 1.2 IP, 5K. https://t.co/7JeHaYz7hD pic.twitter.com/znt5bCsdDr
— CPBL STATS – ♥️ #95, Mina (@GOCPBL) October 3, 2019
The offseason hasn’t even begun, and the Red Sox still don’t have a general manager. However, acting GM Eddie Romero has made a couple of moves, and this one appears to be one that Red Sox fans should be excited about.
