The SF Giants signed an interesting international pitcher to a minor-league deal.
The SF Giants have been relatively low-key in acquiring major league talent this offseason, apart from their substantial contract offer to shortstop Willy Adames. However, they’ve made some intriguing minor league signings, including 18-year-old pitcher Nien-Hsi Yang from Taiwan.
As per the team’s transaction log, the Giants brought Yang on board with a minor league contract on December 16th, with reports from Taiwan News stating that the deal is worth $ 500,000.
While there isn’t a wealth of statistics available for the young pitcher, his scouting report is quite promising. At six feet two inches tall and weighing 195 pounds, he averages a fastball speed of 92.4 MPH, with a slider in the low 80s and a changeup in the high 70s. It’s likely that he could add more velocity to his fastball as he matures and builds strength.
His pitching mechanics are fairly traditional, featuring a slight rocking motion before he delivers the ball. He utilizes a more over-the-top arm slot rather than a three-quarter release, which suggests his pitches are more inclined to drop straight down rather than exhibit side-to-side movement.
๐ฃ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฝ ๐๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐ฏ๐ฎ๐น๐น ๐ง๐ฎ๐ถ๐๐ฎ๐ป ๐ฆ๐ฒ๐น๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ ๐ฆ๐ต๐ผ๐๐ฐ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ
Nien-Hsi Yang ้ฝๅฟตๅธ
Class: 2024, Position: RHP
School: University of Taipei๐ง๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ธ๐ ๐ฎ๐ป ๐๐ฎ๐๐ฎ
Max Fastball Velocity – 92.4 mph
Fastball Range – 90.2-92.4 mph
Avg. Fastball Spin – 1999 rpmSliderโฆ pic.twitter.com/KCRu7AcpIT
— prepbaseballint (@prepbaseballint) December 8, 2024
SF Giants sign hard-throwing young Taiwanese pitcher to minor league deal
Yang pitched against Team USA in the 2022 U-18 Baseball World Cup. He pitched all seven innings of the game and only allowed two earned runs in the contest, courtesy of a two-run blast by the top prospect in the Giants organization, first baseman Bryce Eldridge.
Taiwan News reports that Yang has wanted to pitch in MLB for a long time and did not pursue opportunities to play in Japan because it was his goal to come to the United States to play.
Yang is not the only player from Taiwan currently in the Giants organization. Pitcher Kai-Wei Teng made his MLB debut with the Giants last season. He did not do great, recording a 9.82 ERA in 4 appearances. Yet, he is only 26-years-old so if he gets another chance in the big leagues perhaps it will go better.
It will be interesting to see how Yang develops for the Giants. He certainly has some upside with his already impressive velocity and pitch mix. If he can refine his skills in the minors, perhaps we will one day see him in the big leagues.
Leave a Reply