Bear Grab Catfish: Cubs Sign Jen-Ho Tseng

In News And Rumors by myles29 Comments

Jen+Ho+TsengEarlier in the week I wondered why the Cubs hadn't signed Jen-Ho Tseng yet, and made the case that unlike Eloy Jimenez, the team had no reason to wait on Tseng. I speculated that the club was waiting to see whether more slot space could be acquired, and that Tseng might end up with the Twins if they could. Well, now that thought can be put to rest, as Jesse Sanchez of mlb.com is reporting that the Cubs have signed the 18-year old Taiwanese righty for $1.625 million.

IFA Roundup

  BA TAM Bonus
Gleyber Torres (ss) 2 2 $1,700,000
Erling Moreno (rhp) 16 48 $800,000
Jefferson Mejia (rhp) NR* 22 $850,000
Johan Matos (c) NR NR $270,000
Jen-Ho Tseng 23 12 $1,625,000
Eloy Jimenez (of)** 1 1 $2,800,000?
*Baseball America didn't include any prospect in their top 30 who had previously been eligible to sign.
**Jimenez will officially sign next wex in the Dominican Republic

The Cubs have officially signed five under-23 international free agents, with a sixth, consensus #1 Eloy Jimenez, on to come on August 1st or 2nd. The club has not yet exceeded their bonus pool, and may still acquire more space in trade up until Jimenez officially signs. Including Jimenez and Tseng, the Cubs could technically acquire enough space to fall "merely" into the 10-15% penalty for next season, but given the market for pool space, that's not going to happen. What remains to be seen is whether the Cubs, resigned to the max penalty, will make a run at the few remaining big names on the market. Stay tuned for more on that here at OV.

土虱 Scouting Report

Tseng's nickname, which is used by default in the Taiwanese media, is Catfish. The resuscitation of this classic baseball nickname with a foreign flavor will be a welcome addition to the Cubs' farm system.

TAM:

The star of the Taiwanese Junior National Team, Tseng has a wealth of international experience and is pretty physically mature for an 18-year-old. While that might mean there isn't a whole lot of projection left in his frame, he already brings plenty of now stuff. Tseng throws his fastball in the 91-93 mph range with a peak of 95. He compliments the pitch with a hard-breaking curveball, a potentially plus changeup, and a solid slider. He throws all of his pitches from a 3/4 delivery which gives them excellent movement and life. There's also a slight hesitation in his delivery like many pitchers from Asia, which adds deception. Tseng was the only high school player picked for Taiwan's squad in the 2013 WBC. He pitched an inning of relief against New Zealand striking out two and walking 1. In the 2012 World Junior Baseball Championship he was superb going 3-0, with a 0.84era and and 22 strikeouts in 21 1/3 innings against Canada, South Korea and Colombia. Sources indicate his handlers could be looking for as much as 2mm.

BA:

At the end of last year, Tseng looked like a surefire million-dollar prospect who could have ranked No. 1 overall on this list, and some scouts felt would have been a first-round pick had he been born in the United States. But Tseng has gone backward this spring in terms of his stuff, control and game performance.

Tseng has shown he could dominate his peers and foreign professionals while pitching for Taiwan’s national team. He appeared in six of Taiwan’s eight games at the 18U World Championship last September in South Korea, with a 22-2 K-BB mark in 21 innings and an ERA of 0.84. He saw brief action in the World Baseball Classic qualifier in November. Then he threw six shutout innings in a key 7-0 win over South Korea in the Asian Championship in Taiwan in December. He pitched in the WBC in March as an 18-year-old, where he understandably struggled in a pair of relief appearances, but his stuff and control weren’t sharp.

Tseng simply hasn’t been as electric this year. At his best last year, he pitched at 89-92 mph and touched 95, and at times earned plus grades for his curveball and changeup, with some scouts grading the changeup as a potential plus-plus pitch. He showed the ability to throw his curve for strikes consistently with tight spin and mixed in an average slider. At the WBC, his fastball parked in the high 80s, his breaking ball was loose and his control was erratic. Scouts who have watched him since then have said his stuff and command are still down. Some have expressed concern about Tseng’s durability due to his frame and mechanics, and others think his usage could be the culprit and that his stuff could bounce back after he signs.

 

 

Share this Post

Comments

  3. dmick89

    Black turns 22 in a little over a week. He’s had impressive strikeout totals, but the walks are a bit concerning this year. Pretty good return for Soriano.

      Quote  Reply

    0

    0
  11. dmick89

    Here’s Black’s scouting report at the time of the 2012 draft (ranked 157):

    Black has some surface similarities to 2004 No. 1 overall pick Matt Bush, starting with his 5-foot-11, 170-pound frame. He’s slighter than Bush, who like Black first attracted attention at Mission Bay High in San Diego as a two-way player. Black wound up missing much of his junior season with Tommy John surgery and went to San Diego State, getting more time as a pitcher than a hitter. He pitched 121 innings in two seasons and went 4-5, 3.56 with 78 strikeouts and 42 walks in 73 innings as a sophomore, but he was taken off the Aztecs roster in the fall. He wound up showcasing himself at the Arizona Fall Classic and transferred to NAIA Faulkner so he would be eligible to pitch in 2012. Black has a quick arm and can run his fastball up to 94-96 mph at times, and he should sit there in a future bullpen role. Both his slider and changeup have their moments; his changeup developed into a reliable second pitch, with his breaking ball remaining inconsistent. Black’s fastball should get him in the first five rounds despite his medical history and size.

      Quote  Reply

    0

    0
  21. GBTS

    @ josh:
    The 2008 Cubs made me stop hating Yankees fans, because it turns out it’s really fucking fun to cheer for a team that you expect to win every single game. Who’d have thought?

      Quote  Reply

    0

    0
  25. srbutch5

    @ josh:
    It seemed like they came from behind a ton in 2008 and held every lead. I remember watching in 2009 and being angry when they would blow a lead that they had at any point in the game…2008 had spoiled me.

      Quote  Reply

    0

    0
  26. Author
    Myles

    All I can say is that I REALLY REALLY REALLY hope the Cubs sign Choo in the offseason. I’m not sold on Lake as anything more than a RF/3B, and if the Cubs trade DeJesus or Schierholtz, we are going to be very short on impact bats in the OF. Right now, if the Cubes don’t trade either of them, we’re looking at
    LF: Lake
    CF: DeJesus
    RF: Schierholtz
    OF: Sappelt
    OF: Borbon

    That’s not competitive, and gets much less competitive if either Dave or Nate get traded. It’s not like they have impact bats in the next year anyway, with Iowa full of Brett Jackson and Logan Watkins types (who could be a solid major leaguer, but is no sure thing and don’t have the upside of a Choo). While I myself am very hopeful that they trade DeJesus (primarily to call up Watkins to give him CF full-time; let’s see what he is), I’m really only hopeful they do that IF they plan on being players for a real OF in the off-season. I don’t need to see Sappelt or Borbon on my 25-man roster, ESPECIALLY if they are anything more than once every 12 game starters.

      Quote  Reply

    0

    0
  28. srbutch5

    @ Myles:
    We’re trying to reminisce about the “Glory Days”, don’t derail the convo for the depressing state the Cubs are in currently.

      Quote  Reply

    0

    0

Leave a Comment