Chih-Hsien Chiang
From BR Bullpen
Chih-Hsien Chiang
- Bats Left, Throws Right
- Height 6' 2", Weight 170 lb.
- Born February 21, 1988 in Taitung Taiwan
[edit] Biographical Information
Chih-Hsien Chiang is a Boston Red Sox farmhand. He is the brother of CPBL infielder Chih-Tsung Chiang.
Chiang was a star in the 2003 World Youth Championship, leading the event in RBI and cracking a key homer against Cuba. In the 2004 World Junior Championship, he hit .267/.267/.467 while facing pitchers up to a couple years older than him. Chiang was signed by the Boston Red Sox in October 2005, having been scouted by Jon Deeble. In 2006, he made his US debut, hitting .287/.318/.410 in 33 games for the GCL Red Sox and .278/.308/.472 in 9 games for the Lowell Spinners. His 10 errors with the Sox tied for the Gulf Coast League lead among second basemen.
Chiang spent all of 2007 in full-season A ball at age 18. He batted .262/.310/.392 with 27 doubles. After 12 errors in 42 games in 2006, he only made 12 in 97 contests in 2007. One negative was his relatively high strikeout rate, with 81 Ks in 355 AB. On May 31, he fell a double shy of a cycle against the Hickory Crawdads. Chiang joined the senior national team for the 2007 Baseball World Cup and was 4 for 10 with 2 walks as the backup 2B to Chao-Hang Cheng.
In the 2008 Final Olympic Qualification Tournament, Chiang hit .278/.286/.500 as Taiwan's starting second baseman but made three errors in six games (a .889 fielding percentage). He tied for third on the team on slugging as Taiwan qualified for a slot in the 2008 Olympics. Chiang began 2008 with the Lancaster JetHawks.
In the 2008 Olympics, the 20-year-old hit .290/.313/.355 as the starting second baseman for Taiwan. During the 2009 World Baseball Classic, Chiang was 2 for 7 to finish 5th on a weak offense in OPS (661).
[edit] Sources
- 2007-2008 Baseball Almanac
- Defunct IBAF site
- Taiwan Baseball Blog
- 2008 Olympics
- World Baseball Classic
