Chih-Wei Hu

From BR Bullpen

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Chih-Wei Hu (胡智為)

  • Bats Right, Throws Right
  • Height 6' 1", Weight 230 lb.

BR page

Biographical Information[edit]

Chih-Wei Hu was the 12th Taiwanese player to debut in the major leagues. He is the brother-in-law of Tu-Hsuan Lee.

Hu got 2 wins and had a 3.55 ERA among 12 2/3 innings in the 2009 World Youth Championship; both were the best on Chinese Taipei. The Minnesota Twins signed him for a $220,000 bonus in July 2012; the scouts were Ken Su and Cary Broder. He was 2-0 with a 2.45 ERA with GCL Twins in 2013, and got 7 wins and a 2.29 ERA with the Cedar Rapids Kernels the next year. He pitched 2 1/3 innings with 4 walks and 3 runs against Japan in the 2014 Asian Games, but was rescued by Kai-Wen Cheng; Taiwan win a Silver Medal. In 2015, Hu went 5-3 with 2.44 ERA in Rochester Red Wings before being traded to the Tampa Bay Rays with Alexis Tapia in July 31. He didn't pitch well with the Rays' Charlotte Stone Crabs, only got a 7.36 ERA in 5 games.

Hu bounced back in 2016, as he got 7 wins with a 2.59 ERA with Montgomery Biscuits. Hu was selected into 2016 Futures Game and pitched an inning. He strucked out Ryon Healy and Dominic Smith with no hits allowed. He did well again next year, got 4-1 with a 3.06 ERA with Durham Bulls. He made his big league debut against the Baltimore Orioles on April 24th, retired Hyun-soo Kim, Jonathan Schoop, and J.J. Hardy, ending up with a no-decision. He got his first major league win against the New York Yankees on September 28th, and became the first pair of Taiwanese rookie pitchers to win their first game on the same day (Jen-Ho Tseng was the other part of the historic duo).

In 2018, Hu only recorded a 4.66 ERA with 5 wins with the Durham Bulls and wound up being traded to the Cleveland Indians on November 20 for Gionti Turner. He spent the entire year in the minors, and was released by the Indians on July 30. Chicago Cubs signed him on August 9, but he still struggled and became free agent on the end of this year. He outdueled Dushan Ruzic of Australia in the 2019 Premier 12, working five scoreless, but the bullpen didn't hold on. He also allowed one unearned run in 3 2/3 innings against champion Japan. The only pitcher with a better ERA was teammate Yi Chang.

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Hu didn't pitch in 2020 and decided to join the CPBL next year. He was selected by the Uni-President Lions with the 4th overall pick in the 2021 CPBL Draft. In 11 starts with the Lions in that year, Hu only recorded a 4.74 ERA with 4 wins. He adapted to the league the next year, as he got 9 wins with 3.35 ERA in 26 starts. He tied Logan Ondrusek for 7th in the league in wins but also was second to Joe Van Meter with 13 losses.

Hu then made Taiwan's roster for the 2023 World Baseball Classic. He started against Panama in the first game of Chinese Taipei National Team, and shut down the opponent in the first 3 innings, but allowed 3 runs in the fourth inning and got the loss to Randall Delgado. In 2023, Hu suffered from injuries, so he was only 4-8 with a 4.70 ERA. He allowed 2 runs in 6 innings in the 2023 CPBL Playoff Series, and the Lions were eliminated by the Rakuten Monkeys.

Hu throws a fastball (peak 98 mph) and an elite changeup. He also throws a slider and knuckle-curve.

Sources[edit]

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