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The Brewers historically have not been major players in the Asian market, but it’s not for a lack of trying. They hope that begins to change after landing two new prospects from Taiwan last month.
Taylor Green, the club’s special assistant for scouting and international player development, confirmed that the Brewers have signed 19-year-old right-hander Chang Tzu-Chun Lin and 17-year-old third baseman Yu-Lin Liao, who are believed to be Milwaukee’s first two signings from Taiwan.
“Over the past many years, we’ve tried to sign Taiwanese players,” said Green, a former infielder who played for the Brewers in 2011 and ‘12 before joining the front office. “We actually had a few mainland Chinese players – [pitcher] Jolon Zhao and a couple of other players we signed a few years ago who are no longer with us.
“But with regards to Taiwanese players, it’s an excellent baseball country. … We’ve been so active in Latin America, and that’s still obviously our number one focus, but we always have been trying to expand.”
To that end, several years ago, the Brewers hired a scout in Taiwan, Josh Bateman, who has made offers over the years. A Milwaukee-based international scout, Zorian Schiffman, was also intricately involved in the background work that led to the club signing Tzu-Chun and Liao.
Here is some background on both players:
RHP Chang Tzu-Chun Lin
Born: Oct. 6, 2005
Height/weight: 6-foot-0, 165 pounds
Green’s report: “He pitched in a college program in Taiwan. Up to 94 with his fastball with an excellent split-finger [fastball] and changeup that really intrigued us, as well as an assortment of other pitches. The changeup and split-finger is what we really loved, along with some projection in the body."
3B Yu-Lin Liao
Born: July 29, 2007
Height/weight: 5-foot-11, 185 pounds
Green’s report: “He’s one of the best amateur hitters in the country right now. It looks like he can hit. The competition level is obviously going to take a jump forward for him as he gets stateside, but we believe there are some qualities in there that should be able to translate. He seems like a confident kid even though he is young.”
The players signed last week in Arizona and then traveled to the club’s complex in the Dominican Republic to await work visas and the standard age verification check. There is less urgency for Liao, who is rehabbing a knee injury and expected to be ready to play by the fall.
Bateman, the Brewers’ scout, is staying with them in the Dominican Republic to provide translation when necessary, but Green witnessed that process beginning organically once the players met their new Latin American teammates, thanks in part to the power of smartphones and translation apps.
“We already noticed that our players, they gravitate towards these guys,” Green said. “They’ll learn some Mandarin, and there’s a chance these [newly signed] guys will learn Spanish just as fast as they learn English. It’s quite an interesting dynamic.”
The Brewers’ new Dominican academy, which opened in January 2024 after a years-long development project led by former assistant GM Gord Ash, played a significant role in the club’s successful pursuit of Tzu-Chun and Liao, according to Green, because the players knew they would begin their careers at a first-class facility. They have already begun English language classes and leadership classes alongside the other players living there.
It’s another way in which the Brewers hope the investment in that complex pays off in the coming years.
“There are great players all over the world,” Green said.