Has the MLB just signed its Yao Ming? Milwaukee Brewers sign three Chinese youngsters

The Milwaukee Brewers announced the signing of three Chinese prospects at a signing ceremony in Beijing on Wednesday. Right-handed pitchers Jolon Zhao and Ian Yi alongside infielder Coco Kou have all come through the MLB’s China Development Centres. The trio were all born in 2001. This triple signing marks the first time that a Major League Baseball club has signed three players at the same time. Jolon Lun, 16yr old from China, T95mph (Cal Ripken Collegiate League/@alexandria_aces). From: https://t.co/ldLgo6AiWr @cgibbaseball pic.twitter.com/2HWuRKbERx — Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) 9 June 2018 Zhao, who has a 155km/h fastball, has rejoined with the Brewers after spending some of last summer with one of their affiliates before spending the off-season in China. He was with Helena Brewers in the Newcomer League and then the instructional league in Arizona after impressing with his pitching for the Alexandria Aces in the Cal Ripken Collegiate League in Washington. The highly rated prospect has also played for China in the Little League World Cup. The MLB arrived in China in 2007 and there are now three development centres on the mainland in Wuzi, Changzhou and Nanjing. Approaching 40 players have graduated from them. In addition the MLB has introduced baseball to more than a million primary schoolchildren through its PlayBall scheme, including those graduates. Why is baseball a hit in Japan, but striking out in China? Hint: it’s to do with the PLA and Cultural Revolution Three @MLB China Development Center players have signed for the @Brewers #MLB #China pic.twitter.com/VtcQ65nhlo — Mailman Group (@MailmanGroup) 28 February 2019 The signing of the trio can be seen as proof that the MLB centres are working, much like the number of graduates who have gone on to play college ball in the US, gone pro in the China Baseball League or represented China internationally. That deal came ahead of the Beijing Olympics in 2008 when baseball was part of the programme and China were intent on impressing in every event, even sending a China team to participate in the amateur Arizona Fall League in 2007. Beijing’s Wukesong Baseball Stadium held the baseball but, in perhaps another omen of the work to be done, it was knocked down to create a shopping mall. Several of that generation of Chinese players signed deals with MLB clubs. Pitcher Liu Kai and catcher Zhang Zhenwang both signed with the New York Yankees as 19-year-olds in the summer of 2007. They had followed in the footsteps of China teammate Wang Chao was signed to the Seattle Mariners in 2001. The Hong Kong baseball fan whose home run catch went viral, and scored teen dinner with his beloved Los Angeles Angels All three returned to China without making the grade but baseball clubs continue to look to China. Since 2015, MLB development graduates “Itchy” Xu Guiyuan (Baltimore Orioles) “Sea” Gong Haicheng (Pittsburgh Pirates), Justin Qiangba Renzeng (Boston Red Sox) and Bruce Wang Yang at the Philadelphia Phillies have all earned MLB contracts. In the meantime, China has also started to look to the States. Last season, the Texas AirHogs, an American Association of Independent Professional Baseball club based in Grand Prairie, signed a pioneering deal to allow the Chinese national team to play regular season professional baseball with them. The team, known as the AirHogs powered by the Beijing Shougang Eagles, had 30 Chinese players and several coaches on the roster for the season. In the final game before the Asian Games in Jakarta, the AirHogs played with an all-Chinese team, losing to Sioux City. While 20 of the team left for Indonesia, others stayed on to finish the season, with the AirHogs ending with a league worst 25-75 record. In Jakarta, China lost 1-0 to Taiwan and 10-1 to South Korea in the Super Round before they were then beaten again by Taiwan in the bronze medal game. While the AirHogs experiment was in part to prepare them for the Asian Games it also had one eye on the upcoming Olympics in Tokyo in 2020. Baseball’s Olympic future might pose a problem for developing the game long-term – Paris Games organisers have indicated that it will be cut from the 2024 programme – the game continues to grow in China. How Chinese baseball hit a home run in America, with hopes of hitting the big league at home and away The #Reds have added RHP Austin Brice to the roster as the 26th player for tonight’s doubleheader. pic.twitter.com/0R9R5HAcks — Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) 4 August 2018 The number of universities offering the game increased to upwards of 80 by 2017, more than doubling in six years, and the number of diamonds is also on the rise. In late 2017, the MLB signed a deal with the Beijing Enterprises Real Estate Group to build 20 new development facilities across the country. Until now the only China-born player in the MLB has long faded into obscurity as it was over a century ago. Harry Kingman, born to Western missionaries in Tianjin back in the 19th century, went on to play for the New York Yankees in 1914. Field of dreams: why Hong Kong’s baseball chief longs for the day his sport is given room to grow The #AirHogs are proud to announce an exciting and historic partnership with the Chinese Baseball Association (CBA) and Shougang Sports for the 2018 season. Read more: https://t.co/1vspeTKY8D pic.twitter.com/QSu0r7QvJp — Texas AirHogs - Powered by Beijing Shougang Eagles (@TXAirHogs) 19 May 2018 Hong Kong-born pitcher Austin Brice has just been picked up by the Miami Marlins, where he began his MLB career in 2016. He has made 70 career appearances in the MLB all as a relief pitcher. While China has no one in the big show, the number of foreigners in the MLB has grown to record numbers. The percentage of foreigners on rosters ahead of the 2017-18 season was 29.8 per cent, up on 29.2 per cent in 2005, with a record nations represented, beating the 18 of 1998. Those included four from the Caribbean island of Curacao and two from Australia. Aruba, Germany, the Netherlands and the US Virgin Islands all had one player each, as did Taiwan. How the Brewers and the MLB will hope that one of their new trio becomes the first Chinese player to make it to that list. ‘We simply didn’t rise to the occasion,’ says Hong Kong baseball coach after Chinese Taipei slump

Has the MLB just signed its Yao Ming? Milwaukee Brewers sign three Chinese youngsters

.css-1mniedq{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;}There are now seven players from MLB development centres in China contracted to pro ball clubs

There are now seven players from MLB development centres in China contracted to pro ball clubs