Yi-Jie Hsiao

From BR Bullpen

YiJieHsiao.jpg

Yi-Jie Hsiao(蕭一傑)
known as Ikketsu Sho in Japan

  • Bats Right, Throws Right
  • Height 5' 11", Weight 190 lb.

BR register page

Biographical Information[edit]

Yi-Jie Hsiao pitched in the NPB and the CPBL for 5 years. He is the cousin of Po-Ting Hsiao.

Hsiao pitched for his native Taiwan in the 2001 World Youth Championship. He came to Japan at age 16 after seeing the Koshien Tournament on TV and helped his new high school play at Koshien a couple times. Continuing in Japan for college, he allowed no runs in 34 innings as a senior. The Hanshin Tigers picked him in the first round of the 2008 NPB draft. He signed for a 90 million yen bonus (almost $1 million), the largest bonus for a Taiwan native since Ching-Lung Lo and Chih-Chia Chang.

The Pingtung native was on Taiwan's preliminary roster for the 2009 World Baseball Classic but was injured shortly before the Classic began. He spent the season in the Japanese minors, going 7-1 with a 2.26 ERA. He remained in ni-gun for 2010 and most of 2011. He pitched for Taiwan in the 2010 Haarlem Baseball Week (0-2, 8.31, fading in the 5th after decent starts against both Cuba and the USA) and 2010 Asian Games (1 H, 0 R in 4 IP vs. Pakistan).

Hsiao finally made his Nippon Pro Baseball debut on August 11 in a start against the Chunichi Dragons. He allowed three hits, two walks and one run in five innings while fanning three in losing a 1-0 duel to Enyelbert Soto. Hsiao only had 2 appearances with the big club, and the Tigers released him. The Fukuoka Softbank Hawks then signed him, but Hsiao stayed in the NPB Farm Leagues, and he became a free agent and went back to his hometown Taiwan.

The EDA Rhinos drafted him in the third round of the 2013 CPBL Draft. Hsiao attended the 2014 CPBL All-Star Game, and he pitched 1 2/3 shutout innings. He ended up 5-7 with a 4.63 ERA in 33 appearances in 2014. He struggled in the next two seasons, having a 5.19 ERA in 10 games in 2015 and a 5.68 ERA in 21 games in 2016. Hsiao bounced back in 2017, and his ERA was 3.86 in 18 games. However, he stayed in the minors for the entire 2018 season, and he announced his retirement. Hsiao then worked as a translator for the Nippon Ham Fighters in 2019, and he started to coach the Wei Chuan Dragons in 2020.

Overall, Hsiao was 6-9 with a 4.80 ERA, struck out 102 and pitched 155 2/3 innings in 4 seasons in the CPBL.

Hsiao throws a curveball, slider, forkball and fastball (peak time of 92 mph).

Sources[edit]