The Chinese Professional Baseball League announced the winners of several awards for the 2024 season on November 4. The CPBL Awards Ceremony allowed players and fans to unite in an evening of celebration and praise of the league’s best performers from the past year.
The three major awards announced were Most Valuable Player, Rookie of the Year, and Most Improved Player of the Year.
MVP: Gu Lin Ruei-Yang, SP, Uni-President 7-Eleven Lions
Gu Lin became the first Taiwanese pitcher to win the CPBL MVP award since 2006. In 21 starts for the Lions, the 24-year-old posted a 1.66 ERA with 150 strikeouts. He led CPBL pitchers in multiple statistical categories, including ERA and strikeout percentage (29.94).
Gu Lin had to withdraw from Chinese Taipei’s roster in the Premier12 due to back tightness, an injury he suffered during game one of the 2024 Taiwan Series against the CTBC Brothers. According to Focus Taiwan, Gu Lin has filed for international free agency and will begin contract negotiations with Nippon Professional Baseball’s Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters.
TSG Hawks outfielder Wang Po-jung is the last Taiwanese player to make the switch from the CPBL to NPB, moving from the Lamigo Monkeys to the Ham-Fighters in 2019.
ROTY: Tseng Tzu-Yu, SS, TSG Hawks
The first overall pick in the 2022 CPBL draft displayed excellent bat-to-ball skills in his rookie season, striking out just five more times (54) than he walked (49).
Still just 21, Tseng is a building block in the TSG Hawks’ plans. In 115 games, the shortstop recorded 123 hits, good for seventh in the CPBL. Tseng said he appreciated winning the Rookie of the Year but has set his sights on something much bigger.
“I won’t be satisfied with this award,” Tseng said at the 2024 CPBL Awards Ceremony. “What I really want is to help the TSG Hawks win their first Taiwan Series championship!”
MIP: Chen Bo-Hao, RHP, Rakuten Monkeys
Chen won the 2024 Most Improved Player award after posting a 2.39 ERA with 38 strikeouts in 52.2 innings for the Monkeys.
The Monkeys’ closer led the CPBL with 29 saves and broke the record for consecutive saves without a blown save with 22 in 2024. Chen was selected for the 2024 CPBL All-Star Game and made international tournament appearances for Chinese Taipei in the 2017 U-18 Baseball World Cup and 2018 Asian Games.
“I believe that hard work always brings good results,” Chen said at the 2024 CPBL Awards Ceremony. “I am grateful to myself for not giving up, and especially to my mother, who has always given the most encouragement and support.”
2024 CPBL Gold Glove Award Winners
- Pitcher – Drew Gagnon (Wei Chuan Dragons)
- Catcher – Dai Pei-Feng (Fubon Guardians)
- First Base – Chen Chun-Hsiu (CTBC Brothers)
- Second Base – Li Kai-Wei (Wei Chuan Dragons)
- Third Base – Liu Ji-Hong (Wei Chuan Dragons)
- Shortstop – Chiang Kun-Yu (CTBC Brothers)
- Outfield – Yueh Cheng-Hua (CTBC Brothers)
- Outfield – Chen Chieh-Hsien (Uni-President 7-Eleven Lions)
- Outfield – Chen Wun-Jie (TSG Hawks)
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