USA-BASEBALL/CHINESE PROSPECTS Chinese baseball players vie for spot in American big leagues

Record ID: 146383

  • Title: USA-BASEBALL/CHINESE PROSPECTS Chinese baseball players vie for spot in American big leagues
  • Date: 25th July 2015
  • Summary: COMPTON, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES (JULY 24, 2015) (REUTERS) CATCHER CATCHING BALL AND THROWING BACK TO PITCHER BATTER HITS BALL PLAYER FIST BUMP EACH OTHER SCORE BOARD (SOUNDBITE) (English) ROB PALMER, HEAD COACH OF WUXI, JIANGSU, CHINA DEVELOPMENT CENTER, SAYING: "Baseball is very very big all through Asia, Japan and Korea and Taiwan, so a lot of our players grew up watc
  • Embargoed: 9th August 2015 13:00
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  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVA13ABIW59N06YQ0PXYWEO9IYV7
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Many of the world's biggest sports organizations are looking to as part of the key to their global expansion plans. But whether it's the search for a new superstar or selling caps to 1.3 billion people, most find cracking the Chinese market a whole new ball game.
    While America's favorite pastime has been losing homegrown participants and viewers within the U.S. to newer sports and video games, Major League Baseball, the professional league for the sport, has sought out other geographical areas for expansion.
    While pitchers from Japan, South Korea and Taiwan have been flying the flag for Asia in Major League Baseball, there were few players for Chinese fans to connect with until recently when Xu Guiyuan became the first player from MLB's development centers in China to sign with a Major League club. On Monday (July 20) the Baltimore Orioles signed the 19-year-old outfielder/first baseman to a minor league contract for next year and a chance to report to annual spring training.
    Xu is a product of the MLB Development Center in Wuxi, in the province of Jiangu.
    On Friday (July 24) four Chinese baseball players from the very same Development Center in Wuxi, visited the Urban Youth Academy in Compton for a chance to practice with American players and get some face time in front of U.S scouts.
    One of MLB's goals of opening Development Centers in China is to bring U.S baseball to a bigger market. Rob Palmer, the head coach of Wuxi, Jiangsu, China Development Center said, "Baseball is very, very big all through Asia, Japan and Korea and Taiwan, so a lot of our players grew up watching a lot of Japanese baseball. They watch a lot of baseball from Taiwan, so they grew up looking at those players as role models, and we start to expose them a little more to baseball in United States as well. And they started to learn more about Major League Baseball teams and starts to become fans of the game."
    The potential of the Chinese market has become a center of focus for the MLB. "China has a great potential. It has a big population and big market. Sooner or later MLB will enter China. It's a big trend. The problem is how can we enter this market? The three MLB development centers in China are the keys. We hope MLB can enter the Chinese market by educating and training Chinese players," said Zhang Xiaotian, the assistant coach of Wuxi, Jiangsu, China Development Center.
    Many of the young Chinese players now dream of an MLB contract as their ultimate goal. "A lot of young Chinese player are very willing to play baseball, especially play baseball in America. I believe this is the dream of every baseball players in China, because America has the biggest baseball league in the world. Baseball players around the world all would like to play here," said coach Zhang.
    Huang Liwei, 18 years old, originally from Shenzhen, Guangdong, now training at Wuxi Development Center, has set his career goal as a major league player."Of course I want to play in the Major League. I want to start with the minor league, sign with them. Then work hard and fight to play in the Major League." Huang once played in the U.S for ABD (Amateur Baseball Development) and revels in being back. "I've been to America once. I feel the baseball environment and the people around is very good. Everything feels good here."
    Both of the coaches with the tem speak highly of their recruits and as a matter of course expect them to become professional players, while respecting their career choices. Coach Palmer says, "That's our goal in the development center to produce professional prospects. That being said, we would also like them to be successful in the universities in China if professional baseball is not an optional." Coach Zhang talks about the Chinese players' attraction to MLB and uses basketball player Yao Ming as a successful example of a Chinese athlete popularizing an American sport in China. "Maybe Chinese players would be the fresh faces to American audience. They could be the fresh blood to the league," said Zhang.
    Playing in U.S might be provides these young players more opportunities and choices in their career development. "Play in front of U.S scouts to get that exposure. But also to get them some experience here in the United States, to be around English everyday, to kind of understand what the coaches like, prepare them for professional baseball in the future," said Palmer.
    MLB now has three China Development Centers in Wuxi, Changzhou and Nanjing, which opens this year. The development centers have enrolled 85 local players so far.
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