The Detroit Tigers’ first Taiwan signing is left-handed hitting outfielder Tang Chao-Ting. The 20-year old Tang Stands at 5′11 and weighs 176 pounds, and has joined the GCL Tigers’ rookie league squad. Tang marks the first MLB signing by first-year Taiwan-based area scout Allen Lin. The Director of International Scouting for the Detroit Tigers, Tom Moore, was also involved in the signing. Tang was represented by his sister, Joy Tang, and signed for approximately $60,000.

Tang received offers from at least one professional team a couple of years ago, but elected to stay in Taiwan to attend Lin-Ko (Taiwan Beer) University instead. He has an impressive resume as an amateur and clearly stood out and appeared ready for the next level while playing college ball in Taiwan.

Scouting Profile: Tang profiles as a number four outfielder. He is neither a burner in center field nor a power hitter, but has enough all-around athletic ability to field all the outfield positions. He has an average to plus bat, and is an average runner (plus if you like him) with an above average throwing arm. He is not a standout defensively but not a liability either. Tang’s ability to advance up the ranks will depend on developing strength and gap power since he lacks the speed or range of a conventional pure center-fielder.

A reasonable MLB comparison would be a left-handed hitting version of So Taguchi, with (perhaps) less range defensively.

Tang’s overall makeup is a plus makeup. He is a laid-back but focused player and clearly has a clue about what he needs to do to improve and is willing to work on it.   He is a smart, well-intentioned, mature person character-wise. At times he can get somewhat lost in his own head and overexert himself instead of letting the game come to him, especially in pressure situations. However, with maturity and increased self-confidence this should correct. According to Lin, Tang gets along well with his teammates in Florida.

So far Tang is hitting .277 with a .321 on-base percentage and only a .383 slugging. (.704 OPS). Only 3 of his 45 plate appearances thus far have resulted in extra bases, one being his first professional home run on July 7th. The stats to watch so far are his K’s/BB’s ratio and his performance against left-handers: He’s fanned ten times and walked three, and all of his extra base hits have come against righties. However, with only 53 professional plate appearances its far too early to make any assessments based on stats.

Entering camp as a 20 year-old, Tang is aware he has some catching up to do, especially in developing his power stroke. He also has the added challenges of having to learn English quickly and adjusting to a more rigorous MLB-style schedule rather than the tournament-style play found in Taiwan. However, a solid swing that’s short to the ball, good arm, and plus makeup are a good start.

EWC wishes Tang Chao-Ting luck in his adventure overseas.