The Kansas City Royals announced today that they have signed right-handed pitcher Chien-Ming Wang (pronounced: WONG) to a minor league contract.
Wang, 35, spent the 2015 season in Triple-A with the Atlanta Braves and Seattle Mariners' organizations and also made three starts for Southern Maryland in the independent Atlantic League. He compiled a 6-11 record with a 5.88 ERA in 22 appearances and 20 starts between Gwinnett (Atlanta) and Tacoma (Seattle), working 130.0 innings.
Originally signed by the New York Yankees as an amateur free agent in 2000, Wang spent parts of eight seasons in the Major Leagues with the Yankees (2005-09), Washington Nationals (2011-12) and Toronto Blue Jays (2013). He enjoyed an outstanding 2006 campaign in the Bronx, compiling a 19-6 record with a 3.63 ERA to finish second in the A.L. Cy Young Award balloting that season. His 19 victories that year led the American League, while his 218.0 innings that season ranked eighth. He followed that up with another 19-win season in 2007, giving him a Major League-best 38 wins over the two-year span. He's made 136 big league appearances (126 starts), posting a 62-34 record with a 4.37 ERA and 65 quality starts in his career.