Former MLB pitcher Wang Wei-chung has signed the biggest contract with a local team in Taiwan’s professional baseball history, the Wei Chuan Dragons said yesterday.
The 28-year-old left-hander signed a five-year US$2.08 million contract with the Dragons, team chairman Hsu Wen-fang told a news conference.
It is the biggest contract in the CPBL’s 31-year history, surpassing a three-year, US$1.36 million deal Lin Chih-sheng signed in 2016 with the CTBC Brothers.
Photo: CNA
Although the overall value of Wang’s deal set a new record, his average monthly salary of NT$990,000 (US$33,886) is lower than Lin’s pay of NT$1.2 million per month in 2017 and 2018.
Hsu said that the team were willing to offer such a big contract to Wang in the hopes of “keeping talented players in Taiwan.”
Wang, who pitched for the Pittsburgh Pirates last year and was the first player picked in the CPBL’s draft for this year, said that he was happy to join the Dragons and would do his best to help them win CPBL championships.
Taitung-born Wang, the first southpaw pitcher to be drafted at No. 1 in the league’s history, made his MLB debut for the Milwaukee Brewers on April 14, 2014, against the St Louis Cardinals.
He played four seasons in the major leagues, racking up a 3-0 record with an earned run average of 6.52 in 49.2 innings. He also played one season in the South Korean professional league in 2018.
The Dragons are an expansion team and do not compete in the CPBL until next season.
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