Taipei, March 22 (CNA) Retired pitcher Chen Wei-yin (陳偉殷) said he might have played in Taiwan if the Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL) had clearer rules for players with significant overseas achievements.
At his retirement press conference in Taipei on Friday, the former MLB pitcher revealed that he had considered joining a CPBL franchise in addition to playing abroad, but uncertainty surrounding the league’s rules and regulations ultimately deterred him.
“Since my professional career has been so long, I couldn’t accept having to enter the league through the draft,” the 39-year-old veteran said in response to a question from the host, while his career stats from nearly two decades were projected on the screen behind him.
● ‘Goodbye, my pitcher’s mound’: Chen Wei-yin calls it a career
Since 2004, Chen has played professionally in Japan and the United States.
He was an ace starter for the Chunichi Dragons, compiling a 37-33 record with a 2.60 ERA over seven seasons before signing with the Baltimore Orioles, becoming the first Taiwan-born player to join an MLB team out of Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB).
As of his last MLB appearance in 2019, Chen had recorded 1,064.2 innings pitched and 170 starts — both the most among Taiwan-born players in major league history.
Citing the CPBL clause regarding players with outstanding overseas resumes, Chen noted that its vague eligibility criteria and unclear free agency rules created uncertainty about his future in the league.
Given his priority remained playing overseas, he felt the lack of clarity made it difficult for him to commit to the CPBL.
“If I joined a local team under incomplete regulations, wouldn’t they potentially prevent me from returning to the environment I’m familiar with if an opportunity arose?” he said.
The clause Chen referenced was introduced in 2013 when former MLB pitcher Kuo Hung-chih (郭泓志) sought to play in the CPBL after being released by the Chicago Cubs in 2012.
Under the rule, only the CPBL commissioner can propose a case for discussion by the league’s Standing Council, which must approve it with a two-thirds majority vote.
Kuo eventually joined the Uni-President 7-Eleven Lions, but the team had to forfeit its picks in the first three rounds of that year’s draft. To date, Kuo remains the only player to have entered the CPBL through this clause.
Chen suggested that a player who has played three seasons in MLB or five years in NPB could join the CPBL as a free agent. Currently, CPBL players can declare free agency only after completing nine years of service.
In response, CPBL Commissioner Tsai Chi-chang (蔡其昌) noted on Saturday that the draft aims to balance competitiveness in the league, regardless of each franchise’s financial strength.
However, he acknowledged that it is “a bit weird” that players with significant overseas achievements must be drafted alongside players as young as 18 years old.
“The league is working on a clearer set of criteria based on objective factors such as the number of overseas seasons a player has and their age, without compromising the tradition and spirit of the draft,” Tsai added.
Although Chen never pitched in the CPBL, he said on Friday that he hopes to use his experience to guide and inspire local players, acknowledging that he “can never truly walk away from baseball.”
Praising Taiwanese players for their talent, Chen expressed regret that Taiwan has yet to produce another player capable of maintaining a consistent presence in MLB after Wang Chien-ming (王建民), Kuo and himself — a situation he attributed to the mindset of the younger generation.
“For me, competing against batters on the mound was always the easiest part. But I have no idea what players today are thinking. I might need to talk to them more before offering constructive advice,” he said.
Chen added that he would like to begin as a short-term visiting coach but hopes to further prepare himself by gaining more experience in Japan and the U.S.
“Coaching is different [from playing]. I want to be in the best position to help these players in the long run,” he said.
