Chi-Hung Cheng

From BR Bullpen

Chi-Hung Cheng (鄭錡鴻)

  • Bats Left, Throws Left
  • Height 6' 1", Weight 210 lb.

BR register page

Biographical Information[edit]

Chi-Hung Cheng has been among the top 10 in his league in ERA three times and has pitched for Taiwan in international competition.

Cheng was on the 1996 Little League World Series winners. Cheng pitched for Taiwan in the 2003 Asian Championship and 2003 Baseball World Cup; he was 0-1 with a 3.60 ERA in the latter event, allowing 6 hits and 4 walks in 5 innings of relief. He was signed by the Toronto Blue Jays in November 2003. He did not play for Taiwan in the 2004 Olympics, but did make his pro debut. He went 4-1 with a 2.80 ERA for Pulaski Blue Jays with 74 strikeouts, 35 walks and 47 hits allowed in 61 innings. He led the Appalachian League in starts (14) and strikeouts and was third in ERA behind Jordan Timm and Reid Santos. He also threw one game for the Auburn Doubledays.

In 2005, Cheng moved up to the Lansing Lugnuts and was 7-6 with a 3.15 ERA. He allowed 109 hits and 72 walks in 137 innings while whiffing 142. He led the Midwest League in ERA, was third in strikeouts (10 behind leader Eric Hurley) and was 6th in ERA. He was named the MWL All-Star left-handed pitcher. He was Taiwan's worst hurler in the 2005 Baseball World Cup, allowing 8 runs in 6 innings and going 0-1. He was atrocious in a start against the Nicaraguan national team, allowing hits to all five batters he faced (Marvin Benard, Ronald Garth, Jenrry Roa, Norman Cardoze and Marlon Abea) and giving up five runs before being yanked for Yi-Che Huang. Cheng took the loss.

Cheng returned to Lansing in 2006 and posted a 11-5, 2.70 record with 154 strikeouts in 143 innings. He led the league with 28 starts, was second in walks (68), third in strikeouts and 6th in ERA. He led Toronto farmhands in strikeouts. Cheng failed to repeat as the MWL All-Star left-hander as that honor went to Jake McGee, who had a worse record and ERA. He suffered a shoulder injury that sidelined him for most of 2007. He had a 0-2, 6.52 record with the GCL Blue Jays and 1-1, 2.77 for Auburn in his rehab appearances. Back with Lansing once again for 2008, Cheng went 5-9 with a 4.88 ERA and allowed 122 hits in 94 innings, struggling to recover his pre-injury form. Toronto released him and he signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates in December.

The Kaohsiung native was on the roster for Taiwan in the 2009 World Baseball Classic but did not pitch in the event. Cheng went 7-3 with a 4.16 ERA for the 2009 Lynchburg Hillcats but was released in early August. He spent 2010 in the military. The Brother Elephants took him in the second round of the 2010 CPBL Draft. He made his debut in the CPBL on June 20, 2011, with a scoreless inning; he gave up a hit to fellow minor leaguer-turner-CPBLer Yung-Chi Chen. He ended up 9-3 with a 3.84 ERA in 32 appearances. He pitched a shutout inning in the 2011 CPBL All-Star Game, and he got the win. He ranked 7th in wins, 7 behind his teammate Orlando Roman.

Cheng had a 8-7 record with a 4.30 ERA in 32 games (18 starts) in 2012. He attended the 2012 CPBL All-Star Game, but he allowed 2 runs in an inning this time. Cheng slumped to a 6.71 ERA in 24 games in 2013, and he got 10 losses. He had a 5.44 ERA in 19 games in 2014, and his ERA rose to 9.22 in 2015. Cheng mainly stayed in the minors in the 2015 season, and he led that league in wins and strikeouts while having a 9-4 record with a 3.29 ERA.

The veteran pitcher continued struggling in 2016, and he had a 5-3 record with a 6.69 ERA. He pitched a shutout inning in the 2016 Taiwan Series, and the Brothers were beaten by the EDA Rhinos in 6 games. Cheng had a 5.11 ERA in 13 games in 2017 before he missed the rest of the season due to a left hand injury in June. He bounced back in 2018, and he had a 4.66 ERA in 51 appearances. He was the first pitcher in CPBL history to pitch more than 50 games without having any wins. Cheng didn't reach the major league in 2019, and he announced his retirement. He started to coach the Brothers in 2020.

Overall, Cheng was 28-30 with a 5.27 ERA, struck out 292 and pitched 484 2/3 innings in 8 seasons in the CPBL.

Primary Sources[edit]

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