Feng-Min Chen

From BR Bullpen

Feng-Min Chen (陳峰民)

  • Bats Right, Throws Right
  • Height 5' 8", Weight 176 lb.

BR register page

Biographical Information[edit]

Feng-Min Chen is a three-time Gold Glove catcher in Taiwan and has played for Taiwan's national team on and off for a decade. His brother Po-Hsun Chen played briefly in Taiwanese professional ranks.

Chen debuted as a pro with the Chianan Luka in 1999, hitting .240 in limited action. He played for Taiwan that year in the 1999 Asian Championship and 1999 World Port Tournament (1 for 7). In 2000, Chen batted .243/.281/.346. The next season, he improved to .324/.373/.390 and finished 4th in the Taiwan Major League; unfortunately, the rest of his team was not as good and they finished 13-47 that year. He made the Best Nine at catcher. In 2002, Feng-Min hit .215/.266/.314 in an off-year.

After the TML merged with the Chinese Professional Baseball League, Chen joined the First Financial Agan and hit .225/.281/.300 in 2003. In 2004, he batted .255/.331/.374 for the La New Bears. He again made the Best Nine and also claimed his first Gold Glove (having fielded .996 and thrown out 43.3% of attempted base-stealers). Chen produced at a .255/.324/.372 rate in 2005 and made his third Best Nine.

Chen rejoined the Taiwan national team for the 2006 World Baseball Classic and went 2 for 6 with two walks in that event. He would also be with Taiwan for the 2006 Asian Games. In the 2006 CPBL season, he batted .249/.319/.338, fielded .991 and threw out 45.3% of attempted base thiefs. Chen helped the Bears win the CPBL pennant and advance to the Konami Cup. He won his second CPBL Gold Glove at catcher.

In 2007, Chen hit just .213/.270/.331 and fielded .990. He threw out 22 runners while 34 stole successfully. He won his third Gold Glove. Despite his struggles, he still was with Taiwan for the 2007 Baseball World Cup, going 0 for 5 with a walk as one of two back-ups behind Chun-Chang Yeh. He also played in the 2007 Asian Championship, playing four innings as a defensive sub for Chih-Kang Kao. He did not do well in that role, allowing 3 steals in 4 tries and making one error.

Chen was on Taiwan's team in the 2008 Olympics, going 1 for 6 as Yeh's backup. He hit a 2-run double off of Jiangang Lu in the 12th inning of the China-Taiwan game but Chien-Fu Yang blew it in the bottom of the inning. In the 2008 CPBL, Chen hit .261/.321/.326 and fielded .996 while his caught stealing rate fell to 33.3%. He batted .254/.301/.338 in 2009, fielded .984 and only threw out 21 of the 85 runners who tried to steal against him. Chen was banned from Taiwanese professional baseball for his role in throwing games in March 2010.

Overall, Chen hit .249/.308/.343 with 584 hits and 128 doubles in 11 seasons in CPBL and TML.

Sources[edit]

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