Position: RHP
Height: 6’3”
Weight: 159 lbs
Bats/Throws: R/R
Born: 10/07/2001
Country: Taiwan
How Acquired: International Free Agent, 2022
Bonus: $500,000
40-man Roster: No
Rule 5 Eligible: 2025
Minor League Free Agency: 2028
Options Left: 3
Overview
Chang was 20 when he signed and was considered advanced for his age. He throws five pitches, with a fastball that has reached 94, and he still has a lot of projection.
2022-24
Cheng had an interesting debut in the FCL. Some of the time he seemed unhittable, at others he got hit around quite a bit. In his four best appearances, he threw shutout ball and allowed only four hits and two walks over 12 innings, with 16 strikeouts. In his other four, he gave up 12 earned runs and 16 hits over 10.2 IP.
In 2023, Chang started off in the FCL and pitched well, with a 3.20 ERA and 1.22 WHIP. In late July, the Pirates moved him up to Bradenton, where he pitched mainly as a starter. He got hit hard; opponents batted .327 against him, with seven home runs in just 25.1 IP. His K rate was very low, at 5.0 K/9.
Chang spent the 2024 season at Bradenton, mostly in the rotation, although he missed several weeks in August with an injury. He got off to a strong start, with an 0.85 ERA in his first five games. After that, though, his ERA was 6.07. He got hit fairly hard, with an opponents’ OPS of .773, which was nearly 100 points above the league average. Left-handed hitters put up an .862 OPS against him.
Stats
Transactions
January 17, 2022: Signed by the Pittsburgh Pirates as an international free agent.