Hsiao-Yi Kao

Hsiao-Yi Kao (高孝儀)

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 5' 9", Weight 178 lb.

• School Chinese Culture University
• High School Ku Pao Home Economics & Commercial High School

• Born May 29, 1990 in Hualien County Taiwan

BR register page

Biographical Information

Hsiao-Yi Kao played in the CPBL for 8 years.

Kao represented Taiwan in the 2008 World Junior Championship, scoring the only run in a 1-0 win over Mexico. The EDA Rhinos drafted him in the ninth round of the 2014 CPBL Draft, and he was soon promoted because Kuo-Hui Kao was injured; he played 40 games in center. He hit .265/.294/.306 in his rookie year, but he was demoted immediately after Kuo-Hui Kao returned. Kao then spent the second half of the 2014 season and the entire 2015 season in the minor league. He hit .296/.377/.422 in the minors in 2015.

The Rhinos planned to released him after the 2015 season, but manager Chun-Chang Yeh insisted that he could be productive, and named him as the starter in 2016. Kao made the most of this chance, and became an All-Star. He hit .321/.370/.383 with a career-high 104 hits this season. Kao pinch-hit for Chin-Lung Hu in the 2016 CPBL All-Star Game, but he was 0-for-2. In the 2016 Taiwan Series, Kao was 5-for-19 with a clutch, game-tying 2-run single against Hung-Wen Chen in the 9th inning of Game 6, and helped the Rhinos beat the CTBC Brothers to win the Taiwan Series title.

The Hualien native attended the 2017 CPBL All-Star Game, and he was 4-for-5 with a RBI. He ended up hitting .294/.340/.412 with a career-high 6 homers in 2017. However, when Cheng-Wei Chang jumped to the Fubon Guardians (the Rhinos changed their name after the 2016 season), Kao's starting spot was taken, and he only hit .254/.297/.343 in 53 games in 2018. Since Fubon drafted some talented outfielders such as Hao-Wei Shen, Kao was mainly used as the 4th outfielder after that. He hit .264/.341/.378 in 2019, and recorded a .333/.368/.468 batting line in 2020. Kao played 57 games with a .263/.317/.287 batting line in 2021, but he slumped to .195/.233/.244 in 2022 and the Guardians released him.

Kao then signed with the Wei-Chuan Dragons in 2023. Since Wei-Chuan didn't have many solid outfielders, Kao had more chances then the prior season, and he hit .234/.312/.282 in 49 games. In the 2023 Taiwan Series, Kao was 1-for-10 in the first 6 games, then shined in the Game 7. He hit a clutch 2-run single against Jen-Ho Tseng in the first inning, and added a single in the 7th inning off Tseng. The Dragons beat the Monkeys, and Kao won his second Taiwan Series title. Kao then announced his retirement and became a coach.

Overall, Kao hit .282/.333/.361 with 429 hits and 14 homers in 9 seasons in CPBL.