Chen Zhong-Ao Zhuang was originally signed by A’s Pacific Rim coordinator Adam Hislop.
2025
Spent the entire season at Double-A Midland and was 6-11 with a 4.08 ERA and .760 opponents OPS in 28 games, including 26 starts, in his third professional season...Led the Texas League in innings pitched (145.2) and losses, tied for the lead in games started, ranked second in strikeouts (145), eighth in ERA and tied for 10th in opponents batting average (.262)...Tied for eighth in all of Minor League baseball in innings pitched and tied for 13th in losses...Led the A's farm system in strikeouts, ranked second in innings pitched and losses, tied for second in games started and tied for eighth in wins...Had career highs in every counting category except saves and wild pitches...Walked 35 batters for a career-high 2.16 walks per nine innings…however, that mark was second lowest among TL pitchers with 100 or more innings pitched…also had the second best strikeout-to-walk ratio in the TL (4.14)...His opponents batting average broke down to .252 (60-for-238) with a .740 OPS against left-handed hitters compared to .269 (91-for-338) with a .774 OPS against right-handers...Yielded a .236 batting average and 16 of his 22 home runs with the bases empty…allowed a .305 average with runners on base...Was 4-5 with a 3.68 ERA and .691 opponents OPS in 14 games at home, 2-6 with a 4.48 ERA and .828 OPS in 14 starts on the road…yielded just five home runs in 73.1 innings at home… surrendered 17 in 72.1 innings on the road...Had a 4-2 record in seven games during the day, 2-9 in 21 contests at night...Was 3-1 with a 1.95 ERA in seven games, including five starts, on four days rest compared to 3-10 with a 4.80 ERA in his other 21 appearances...The RockHounds were 12-14 (.462) in his starting assignments…tossed at least 4.0 innings in every outings, including six or more nine times.
2024
Pitched for three different teams in the A’s farm system and was a combined 6-2 with a save, a 2.09 ERA and .546 opponents OPS in 23 games, 15 starts, with Single-A Stockton, High-A Lansing and Double-A Midland...Struck out 84 batters and walked just 12 in 86 innings (1.26 per nine innings) for a strikeout-to-walk ratio of seven…had the eighth best strikeout-to-walk ratio and the eight fewest walks per nine innings among full season Minor League pitchers with 80 or more innings pitched...Tied for 10th in the A’s farm system in wins...Allowed a .201 opponents batting average, which broke down to .188 (27-for-144) with a .486 OPS against left-handed hitters compared to .213 (37-for-174) with a .595 OPS against righthanders…surrendered four of his five home runs to righties...Yielded a .225 batting average with the bases empty, .158 with runners on…opponents hit .153 with runners in scoring position...Was 4-2 with a 2.54 ERA in his 15 starts and 2-0 with a 1.05 ERA in eight relief appearances...As a starter, allowed a .190 batting average the time through the lineup and .220 the second time…opponents were 1-for-5 (.200) the third time...Did not inherit any runners in his eight relief appearances…first batters faced were 1-for-8 (.125)...Combined to go 4-1 with a 1.85 ERA in nine starts in his home ballparks…was 2-1 with a 2.30 ERA in 14 games on the road...Had a 1.80 ERA in the first inning…did not allow a run in the fifth (7.0 ip), sixth (9.0 ip) or seventh innings (7.0 ip)…walked one and struck out 26 from the fifth through seventh innings...Yielded a .124 batting average with two strikes...The opponents number nine hitter batted .071 against him...His teams were 11-4 (.733) in his starting assignments...Tossed five innings or fewer in all but one outing and fewer than five innings 17 times…logged at least 2.2 innings in all eight of his relief appearances…allowed one run or fewer in 20 of his 23 games…did not walk a batter 15 times.
