International Baseball Career
Tsao pitched for his country in five major international competitions, including the Junior World Championships , the 1999 Asia Cup and the 2004 Summer Olympics. He made two appearances at the Olympics, going 0-1 with a 1.93 and one . At the 1999 Asia Cup, he dominated: making three appearances , fanning 15 batters in his one start against .
Tsao has one of Taiwan's best pitching arms. In the 2004 Olympics at Athens, he was clocked at 162km/h at the park and 159km/h on the TV gun.
Colorado Rockies
After graduating from high school in the summer of 1999, Tsao briefly played for Taiwan Major League's Kaohsiung-Pingtung Fala before he was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Colorado Rockies on October 19, . Tsao pitched in the Rockies' farm system for the Asheville Tourists in , starting 24 games and accumulating a record of 11-8 with a 2.73 ERA with a whopping 187 strikeouts against only 40 walks. He was selected as Baseball America's 2nd team Minor League All-Star, Low A All-Star, Colorado Rockies Minor League Player of the Year, South Atlantic League All-Star, and South Atlantic League Most Valuable Pitcher.
He played in only four games in for High A before undergoing reconstructive right elbow surgery on May 23. He rejoined the team late in the season and made 9 starts .
Finally healthy, he started for Double-A , compiling a 11-4 record with a 2.46 era in 18 starts, striking out 125 against only 26 walks. He earned a spot on the Double-A All-Star team and was a Texas League All-Star.
Made his major league debut for the Rockies against the Milwaukee Brewers on July 25, 2003 as a starter. He worked 6.1 innings, allowed 3 runs, struck out 5 and walked one as he picked up his first victory in the Rockies 7-3 win. He was the first Taiwanese pitcher to ever compete in a Major League game when he took the mound that night. Tsao made history on August 18, 2003, when he became the first Taiwanese player to get a hit.
Injuries and his commitment to the Chinese Taipei Olympic team limited him to just 10 appearances in the Rockies bullpen in , but he earned his first professional save on September 29, pitching a 1-2-3 ninth inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The Rockies intended to make him their regular closer for the season, but Tsao was sidelined by a pair of right shoulder injuries that eventually required season-ending surgery. His recovery from the surgery caused him to miss the entire season and led to the Rockies letting him leave as a free agent following the season.
Los Angeles Dodgers
Tsao was picked up by the Los Angeles Dodgers and invited to compete for a roster spot out of the bullpen. He earned a spot and pitched 10 1/3 scoreless innings before faltering and allowing 5 runs in 2/3 of an inning on May 6.
He suffered from injury problems again during the season, missing the second half of the season due to injury. After the season, the Dodgers optioned him to the minors, but he refused the assignment and became a free agent.
Kansas City Royals
Tsao signed with the Kansas City Royals for the season with a minor league contract and invitation to spring training to compete for a spot in the bullpen and rotation, but did not make the team and started the season in Triple-A. On June 3, 2008, Tsao was released by the Royals.
No comments:
Post a Comment