Taipei, June 11 (CNA) The U.S. Major League baseball team, the Boston Red Sox, has signed 19 years-old Taiwanese outfielder Lin Che-hsuan to a minor league contract, the team announced at a press conference Monday.
"From now on it will be another new chapter in my life and a new level on the field, " said Lin, who graduated from Nan Ying Vocational High School of Business and Technology last week. Lin also said he hopes to make the major league in four years.
"We wish him well. We think he is a very special player, " Boston Red Sox's Coordinator of Pacific Rim Scouting Jon Deeble said, adding that Lin has "four pluses as a runner, a defender, a thrower and playing with great range."
Lin has all the tools to succeed, Deeble said, "but it's important not to push him too hard."
Taiwanese-born Lin will be the fourth Taiwanese player to play in the current Red Sox farm system, following in the footsteps of pitcher Lin Wang-yi and outfielders Huang Chih-hsiang and Chiang Chih-hsien.
The signing bonus was not disclosed but was estimated at around US$400,000, making it one of the highest signing bonuses for a Taiwanese baseball player in recent years, according to staff of Bros Sports, Lin's sports agency.
The highest signing bonus on record for a Taiwanese baseball player is pitcher Tsao Chin-huei's US$ 2.2 million, while the record bonus for a positional player is current La New Bears player Chen Chin-feng's US$680,000.
Lin is expected to depart for the U.S. on June 15 or 16 and begin his training with the Gulf Coast Red Sox rookie league team.