Chinese Taipei announced their 26-man official roster on Thursday for the 2023 Asia Professional Baseball Championship, which will be held from November 16-19 at the Tokyo Dome. The Asia Professional Baseball Championship will have Japan, Chinese Taipei, and Australia participate in the U-24 event.
According to CPBLstats.com, as of Monday, ”Chinese Taipei shortstop Chiang Kun-Yu and third baseman Lin Tzu-Hao were expected to withdraw from the APBC event.”
Free agent infielder Yu Cheng-Chang and Hsin Yuan-Hsu from the Fubon Guardians will replace Kun-Yu and Tzu-Hao on the APBC roster.
Fubon Guardians outfielder Kung Nien-En will not be on the APBC roster for Chinese Taipei.
Chinese Taipei outfielder Lin Hsiao-Cheng from the Wei Chuan Dragons was also added to the APBC roster.
Chinese Taipei did not have any pitchers removed from the roster for the APBC.
Cheng-Chang, Chen Chieh-Hsien, Chiu Chih-Cheng, Kuo Tien-Hsin, and Tseng Jyun-Yue are the only players from Chinese Taipei returning from the 2023 World Baseball Classic roster.
The APBC is a U-24 event and is also considered an international senior tournament, as each team can carry three players on the roster between the ages of 24 and 29. The APBC roster eligibility requires that players have three years or less of service time in professional baseball.
This is the only U-24 event that is sanctioned by the World Baseball Softball Confederation.
The APBC will not affect the World Baseball Rankings from the WBSC during the 2023 international baseball calendar cycle. The Chinese Professional Baseball League in Taiwan, the Korean Baseball Organization, Nippon Professional Baseball, and the Australia Baseball League also are operators of the APBC U-24 event.
Japan is ranked No. 1 in the world and South Korea is ranked No. 4 in the World Baseball Rankings.
Australia is ranked No. 11 and is in the World Baseball Softball Confederation Oceania sector.
Chinese Taipei lost in the gold medal game of the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, to No. 4-ranked South Korea 2-0 during the beginning of October.
Chinese Taipei went 2-2 during the 2023 World Baseball Classic and will have to qualify for the next tournament in 2026 due to the Total Quality Balance tie-breaking criteria used by the World Baseball Softball Confederation. Chinese Taipei hosted Pool A of the 2023 World Baseball Classic with Italy, Cuba, Panama, and the Netherlands participating during the early round of the tournament.
This the second APBC event to be held. The first was in 2017, with Japan taking the gold medal over South Korea 7-0. Seibu Lions utility player Shuta Tonosaki was named the MVP of the first APBC.
Chinese Taipei will participate in the event for the second time in the APBC and finished in third place during the 2017 tournament when it was three teams.
Chinese Taipei will also host at the Asia Baseball Championship at the start of December. This will be their fourth international senior event tournament during the 2023 international baseball calendar, played from December 3-10 at the Asia Baseball Championship at the Taipei Dome and Taichung Intercontinental Stadium in Taiwan. The Asia Baseball Championship will also be the first event at the Taipei Dome.
South Korea, Pakistan, Palestine, Japan, and China will participate in the Asia Baseball Championship.
The Chinese Taipei roster at the APBC will consist of players at the Chinese Professional Baseball League farm level of all six teams and one player from Nippon Professional Baseball.
The Chinese Taipei coaching staff for the APBC will consist of coaches from the Chinese Professional Baseball League minor league system.
2023 Asia Professional Baseball Championship Schedule
All Games Will Be Played At The Tokyo Dome
Wednesday, November 15
11 p.m. EST – Korea vs. Australia
Thursday, November 16
6 a.m. EST – Chinese Taipei vs. Japan
11 p.m. EST – Australia vs. Chinese Taipei
Friday, November 17
6 a.m. EST – Japan vs. Korea
11 p.m. EST – Australia vs. Japan
Saturday, November 18
6 a.m. EST – Korea vs. Chinese Taipei
10 p.m. EST – Bronze Medal Game
Sunday, November 19
5 a.m. EST – Gold Medal Game
2023 Chinese Taipei APBC Roster
NPB – Nippon Professional Baseball
Pitchers (Team)
Tseng Jyun-Yue (Fubon Guardians)
Li Tzu-Chiang (Fubon Guardians)
Chen Po-Ching (TSG Hawks)
Gu Lin Ruei-Yang (Uni-President 7-Eleven Lions)
Lin Shao-En (Uni-President 7-Eleven Lions)
Chen Ke-Yi (Rakuten Monkeys)
Chiu Chun-Wei (Rakuten Monkeys)
Wang Chih-Hsuan (Rakuten Monkeys)
Wang Yan-Cheng (Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles-NPB)
Lin Kai-Wei (Wei Chuan Dragons)
Chiang Kuo-Hao (Fubon Guardians)
Catchers (Team)
Dai Pei-Fong (Fubon Guardians)
Chiang Shao-Hung (Wei Chuan Dragons)
Lin Wu Chin-Wei (CTBC Brothers)
Infielders (Team)
Yeh Tzu-Ting (Fubon Guardians)
Hsin Yuan-Hsu (Fubon Guardians)
Ho Heng-Yu (Uni-President 7-Eleven Lions)
Lin Ching-Kai (Uni-President 7-Eleven Lions)
Liu Ji-Hong (Wei Chuan Dragons)
Chang Cheng-Yu (CFA)
Ma Chieh-Sen (Rakuten Monkeys)
Outfielders (Team)
Chiu Chih-Cheng (Uni-President 7-Eleven Lions)
Kuo Tien-Hsin (Wei Chuan Dragons)
Lin Hsiao-Cheng (Wei Chuan Dragons)
Yueh Cheng-Hua (CTBC Brothers)
Chen Chieh-Hsien (Uni-President 7-Eleven Lions)
2023 Chinese Taipei APBC Coaching Staff
Manager – Chen Jinfeng
Bench Coach/Third Base Coach – Guo Jianlin
Hitting Coach/First Base Coach – Chen Lianhong
Pitching Coach – Hui Mingjie
Bullpen Coach – Xiao Yijie
