Yankees land premier RHP prospect from Taiwan as part of '26 int'l class
The quest for adding as much talent to an organization is one that never rests. Which is why the Yankees tapped into an under-the-radar market Tuesday, coming to terms with right-hander Chien-Fan Lai, one of the premier Taiwanese prospects in the 2026 international class.
The 18-year-old has been clocked as high as 95 mph with his fastball but traditionally sits in the 91-94 range. His curveball is his premier secondary offering, a pitch Yankees evaluators project to be plus in time, which will pair nicely with what should be an above-average slider that dives away from right-handed batters. Lai also utilizes a changeup that has shown some promise but its present effectiveness has been inconsistent.
Lai made three appearances for Chinese Taipei at the U18 Baseball World Cup in Japan last September and struck out 14 batters across seven innings, allowing just three hits and one run. Maybe most impressively, he walked just one hitter in that span, helping lead the club to a bronze medal. With a signing bonus expected to run as high as $850,000, the 6-foot righty will receive one of the highest commitments for a pitcher in his class.
“The signing of Chien-Fan represents our renewed commitment to players in Taiwan, and in Asia as a whole,” said Yankees director of international scouting Mario Garza, in a statement. “As I have gotten to know Chien-Fan, I have seen a focused and self-assured individual with great aptitude and a desire to improve. Through a scouting lens, he has an impressive multi-pitch mix, including a heavy fastball and quality off-speed pitches with solid command. This combination of traits allows us to believe that he will acclimate himself well in our development system, maximize his on-field potential and eventually become a productive Major League pitcher.”
The Yankees have had a unique 2026 international signing period, largely due to it being the first under Garza, who is now in his 16th year with the organization. A former collegiate standout at Florida who played four seasons in the Minors, Garza has been a veritable Swiss-army knife for the organization over the past decade and a half, serving as the club’s director of Latin American operations (2017-19), assistant director of international player development (2015-16) and in other various on-field posts. The signing of Lai is a major win, as the right-hander is regarded as one of Taiwan’s premier talents in the current class.
“He’s a great evaluator of talent,” general manager Brian Cashman said back in January of Garza. “He knows our systems. He already knows all the personnel that we want to have. You want evaluation, you want fire hoses connecting to performance science and analytics.”
Even with a bonus pool tied for the lowest amount in the league ($5.44 million), the Yankees have been able to make shrewd moves to bring talent aboard. Lai will soon join many of those prospects that signed Jan. 15 in the Rookie-level Dominican Summer League, the first step in his pro journey.
“We are thrilled to welcome Chien-Fan to the New York Yankees family as we continue to expand our global footprint,” said global player acquisitions supervisor Matt Slater, in a statement. “The Yankees are continually scouting all areas of the world for talented players who can impact and bring value to our organization. Chien-Fan has intriguing upside with the ability to develop into a successful Major League pitcher.”
If Lai is able to ascend the ranks and reach the Majors, he would become the second Taiwanese player in franchise history, joining right-hander Chien-Ming Wang, who won 55 games in The Bronx and finished second in American League Cy Young Award voting in 2006.