As a Taiwanese Major Leaguer, Chen in rare group

Wei-Yin Chen, LHP, Orioles
Hometown: Kaohsiung City, Taiwan

As Asian baseball continues to grow, Taiwan is still an overlooked area. When Chen debuted in 2012, he became only the sixth player from the country to play in the Majors.

Since his debut, Chen has seen four more Taiwanese players join in the Major Leagues. His county and vocational school, though, have a history of baseball success. Chin-Hui Tsao, one of the few other MLB players from Taiwan, also attended the Kaoyuan Vocational School several years before Chen, as did a handful of other former Minor League players.

Earlier this season, tragedy struck Chen's hometown when a gas leak caused an explosion that killed dozens in Kaohsiung City. Chen dedicated his next start, a win against the Mariners, to his home.

"Today, this win I would like to give out to my home people," Chen said through an interpreter on Aug. 1, "and I would like to send out my best wishes to them and hope everybody is all right there."