TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Chang Hung-leng (張弘稜), a pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates, made his debut at the Chinese Taipei baseball team's training camp for the World Baseball Classic (WBC) on Thursday (Jan. 15). The manager Tseng Hao-chu (曾豪駒) remarked that Chang's impressive spirit and willingness to face challenges head-on stood out during the session.
Chang, known for his fastball reaching speeds of up to 158 kph, is considered a dark horse among the team's pitchers. Bullpen coach Wang Chien-ming (王建民) expressed surprise at Chang's performance, praising the movement of his pitches. Chang graduated from Kaohsiung Municipal Sanmin Senior High School (三民高中) and joined the Pirates in 2022 with a USD$500,000 signing bonus. Last season, he appeared in 25 games for the Pirates' High-A team, recording a 5-7 win-loss record with a 4.82 earned run average (ERA).
Despite initially feeling disappointed about not being promoted to Double-A, Chang said he told himself to be better this year than last. He aims to play in the WBC during the offseason and avoid injuries. Meanwhile, Wang also commented on CTBC Brothers' (中信兄弟) pitcher Cheng Hao-Chun (鄭浩均), noting the WBC's pitch limit of 85 per game. Wang said they currently consider Cheng for longer innings, though he has yet to participate in bullpen work and will require further evaluation.