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List of Major League Baseball players from Taiwan

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This is a list of players from Taiwan who have played in Major League Baseball (MLB). There have been a total of 19 players who were born in Taiwan that have appeared in an MLB game.[1]

in September 2002, Chin-Feng Chen, seen here in 2005, became the first player born in Taiwan to appear in a Major League Baseball game.

Background

All Taiwanese players who have appeared in Major League Baseball (MLB) began their professional baseball careers in the United States by signing with teams as an international free agent. The first Taiwanese baseball player to be selected and signed via the Major League Baseball draft process was Lyle Lin, who was drafted in the fourteenth round of the 2019 MLB draft, and signed with the Arizona Diamondbacks.[2][3]

Taiwan-born MLB players, especially star pitcher Chien-Ming Wang, became household names of Taiwanese people and induced huge followings for their games during MLB seasons. In November 2011, the inaugural MLB Taiwan All-Star Series was played in five games at three ballparks across Taiwan during the postseason. Wang and Fu-Te Ni were called up by the Chinese Taipei national baseball team against the MLB All-Star team.[4]

Players

Listed below are Taiwanese players who have played in MLB,[1] ordered by the date of their major-league debut.

More information No., Name ...
No. Name[a] MLB debut MLB final game[b] Games[c] Position MLB team(s) Ref.
1Chin-Feng ChenSeptember 14, 2002July 23, 200519OutfielderLos Angeles Dodgers (2002–2005)[5]
2Chin-Hui TsaoJuly 25, 2003May 21, 201657PitcherColorado Rockies (2003–2005)
Los Angeles Dodgers (2007, 2015–2016)		[6]
3Chien-Ming WangApril 30, 2005August 30, 2016174PitcherNew York Yankees (2005–2009)
Washington Nationals (2011–2012)
Toronto Blue Jays (2013)
Kansas City Royals (2016)		[7]
4Hong-Chih KuoSeptember 2, 2005September 24, 2011218PitcherLos Angeles Dodgers (2005–2011)[8]
5Chin-Lung HuSeptember 1, 2007May 16, 2011118InfielderLos Angeles Dodgers (2007–2010)
New York Mets (2011)		[9]
6Fu-Te NiJune 28, 2009June 29, 201058PitcherDetroit Tigers (2009–2010)[10]
7Wei-Yin ChenApril 10, 2012September 28, 2019219PitcherBaltimore Orioles (2012–2015)
Miami Marlins (2016–2019)		[11]
8Che-Hsuan LinApril 14, 2012October 1, 20129OutfielderBoston Red Sox (2012)[12]
9C. C. LeeJuly 14, 2013September 30, 201547PitcherCleveland Indians (2013–2015)[13]
10Chia-Jen LoJuly 31, 2013September 28, 201319PitcherHouston Astros (2013)[14]
11Wei-Chung WangApril 14, 2014September 17, 201947PitcherMilwaukee Brewers (2014, 2017)
Oakland Athletics (2019)
Pittsburgh Pirates (2019)		[15]
12Chih-Wei HuApril 24, 2017September 27, 201811PitcherTampa Bay Rays (2017–2018)[16]
13Tzu-Wei LinJune 24, 2017April 26, 2021102InfielderBoston Red Sox (2017–2020)
Minnesota Twins (2021)		[17]
14Jen-Ho TsengSeptember 14, 2017May 8, 20183PitcherChicago Cubs (2017–2018)[18]
15Wei-Chieh HuangApril 23, 2019May 14, 20194PitcherTexas Rangers (2019)[19]
16Yu ChangJune 28, 2019August 6, 2023235InfielderCleveland Guardians (2019–2022)
Pittsburgh Pirates (2022)
Tampa Bay Rays (2022)
Boston Red Sox (2022–2023)		[20]
17Kai-Wei TengMarch 31, 2024—12PitcherSan Francisco Giants (2024–2025)
Houston Astros (2026–)		[21]
18Tsung-Che ChengApril 9, 2025—3InfielderPittsburgh Pirates (2025)
Boston Red Sox (2026–)		[22]
19Hao-Yu LeeApril 17, 2026——InfielderDetroit Tigers (2026–)[23]
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All-Star Game selections

Hong-Chih Kuo with the 2010 Los Angeles Dodgers

To date, one Taiwanese player has been selected to a Major League Baseball All-Star Game.

More information Player, League ...
Player League Selections Year(s) Notes
Hong-Chih Kuo NL 1 2010 Selected in place of injured Jason Heyward.[24]
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Postseason appearances

The below listed Taiwanese players have played in the Major League Baseball postseason.

More information Player, Seasons ...
Player Seasons Position WC DS CS World Series Refs
Series
won		 Games
played		 Series
won		 Games
played		 Series
won		 Games
played		 Series
won		 Games
played
Wei-Yin Chen 2012 Baltimore Orioles
2014 Baltimore Orioles		 P L
W		1
1
L
1		 [25]
[26][27]
Hong-Chih Kuo 2006 Los Angeles Dodgers
2008 Los Angeles Dodgers
2009 Los Angeles Dodgers		 P L

W		1

1
L
L
3
4		 [28]
[29]
[30][31]
Chien-Ming Wang 2005 New York Yankees
2006 New York Yankees
2007 New York Yankees		 P L
L
L		1
1
2		 [32]
[33]
[34]
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Notes

  1. [a]
    This article uses Western name order when mentioning individuals.
  2. [b]
    A dash (—) indicates the player is still active.
  3. [c]
    Games played through the 2025 regular season.

References

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