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SF Giants scout in attendance to watch Taiwanese pitching prospect Chen-Hsun Lee

The SF Giants were one of nine MLB teams with scouts in attendance to watch 20-year-old right-handed pitcher Chen-Hsun Lee.

Marc Delucchi

SF Giants scout in attendance to watch Taiwanese pitching prospect Chen-Hsun Lee
SF Giants scout in attendance to watch Taiwanese pitching prospect Chen-Hsun Lee /
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The SF Giants were one of nine MLB teams with scouts in attendance when Taiwan faced Mexico in the 23-and-under Baseball World Cup on Saturday, according to a report by ET Today. While there were presumably many players to watch, Taiwanese 20-year-old right-handed pitcher Chen-Hsun Lee is expected to be the focus of the trip. Lee is currently in college and is expected to sign with an NPB or MLB team.

Lee has been on scouts radars for a long time, first appearing on the international stage at the Little League World Series in the Summer of 2013. He has since made headlines at several points in his amateur career. Most notably, Lee turned heads as a 17-year-old in 2019 when he was clocked throwing 95 mph during the Palomino World Series.

Only 20 years old, Lee is considered an amateur International Free Agent (IFA) and would be subject to the strict cap on International Amateurs if he were to sign with an MLB team. Since the Giants are already expected to sign the top power-hitting prospect in this upcoming IFA window, it seems unlikely that they will have the remaining space to sign Lee.

However, Lee could turn pro with the NPB in Japan before being posted to MLB teams sometime down the line. While he could head stateside sooner, Lee would be able to avoid the cap on IFA players if he spends six years in the NPB.

The Giants have not been one of the more aggressive MLB organizations pursuing amateur talent in Asia. Taiwanese righty Kai-Wei Teng, who the Giants acquired in a trade with the Twins back in 2019, is currently the only prospect in their minor league system who was signed as an amateur free agent out of Asia.

The SF Giants have pursued professional talent from Asia quite aggressively, though. They were a finalist to sign Shohei Ohtani back in 2017 and were rumored to be interested in Seiya Suzuki last winter. Under president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi, the Giants also signed Darin Ruf after three years in the KBO (although Ruf had reached the majors prior to heading to Korea).

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Marc Delucchi
MARC DELUCCHI

Marc Delucchi (he/they/she) serves as the Managing Editor at Giants Baseball Insider, leading their SF Giants coverage. As a freelance journalist, he has previously covered the San Francisco Giants at Around the Foghorn and McCovey Chronicles. He also currently contributes to Niners Nation, Golden State of Mind, and Baseball Prospectus. He has previously been featured in several other publications, including SFGate, ProFootballRumors, Niners Wire, GrandStand Central, Call to the Pen, and Just Baseball. Over his journalistic career, Marc has conducted investigations into how one prep baseball player lost a college opportunity during the pandemic (Baseball Prospectus) and the rampant mistreatment of players at the University of Hawaii football program under former head coach Todd Graham (SFGate). He has also broken dozens of news stories around professional baseball, primarily around the SF Giants organization, including the draft signing of Kyle Harrison, injuries and promotions to top prospects like Heliot Ramos, and trade details in the Kris Bryant deal. Marc received a Bachelor's degree from Kenyon College with a major in economics and a minor in Spanish. During his time in college, he conducted a summer research project attempting to predict the future minor-league performance of NCAA hitters, worked as a data analyst for the school's Women's basketball team, and worked as a play-by-play announcer/color commentator for the basketball, baseball, softball, and soccer teams. He also worked as an amateur baseball scout with the Collegiate Baseball Scouting Network (later renamed Evolution Metrix), scouting high school and college players for three draft cycles. For tips and inquiries, feel free to reach out to Marc directly on Twitter or via email (delucchimarc@gmail.com).

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