(November 7, 2008)--Houston Astros announced today that the club has signed right-handed pitcher Chia-Jen Lo to a minor league contract. The announcement was made by General Manager Ed Wade.
Lo will be available to the media today at 2:00 p.m. in the press conference room at Minute Maid Park.
Lo, 22, is the first Taiwanese player in Astros history and the first player signed under the Director of Pacific Rim Scouting Glen Barker. Primarly a closer, Lo is currently fnishing his education at the Chinese Cultural University and will join the Astros at Spring Training in Kissimmee, FL.
“A year ago, we talked about the importance of establishing a presence on the Pacific Rim in order to take advantage of another significant talent stream,” Wade said. “At that time, we tasked Glen Barker with overseeing our scouting in Taiwan, China, Japan, Korea and Australia. Glen has worked tirelessly to get us up and running on the Pacific Rim, and today’s signing of Chia-Jen Lo is a very significant indication of the work that Glen has done.
“Glen had seen Lo a number of times in Taiwan, and he and East Coast Scouting Supervisor Clarence Johns both saw him pitch in the 2008 Olympics. Their reports indicated that if he had been eligible for the Rule 4 Draft in the United States, Lo would have gone in the top 3-5 rounds. We are extremely excited to add another quality arm to our development mix and to be on the board as a team that’s serious about its Pacific Rim presence.”
A participant in the 2008 Olympics for the Chinese Taipei team, Lo allowed one earned run in 2.0 innings of relief against the China team in Beijing. He also played in the 2008 World University Championship, 2007 World Port Tournament, 2006 World University Championship, 2006 Haarlem Baseball Week, 2005 Asian Championship and 2004 World Junior Championship.
Videos of Lo pitching are available at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KczjxHvMKYE and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xd3GGxZE8Vo.
Save
Email
Print
0 comments
Terms of Use -
Privacy Policy -
EEO Statement
-
FCC Form 388