SF Giants sign hard-throwing 18 year old pitching prospect out of Taiwan

The SF Giants have been pretty quiet signing big league talent this offseason outside of their massive contract for shortstop Willy Adames. They have made some interesting minor league signings though, including 18 year old Nien-Hsi Yang out of Taiwan.

According to the team's transaction log, the Giants signed Yang to a minor league deal on December 16th. Taiwan News reports the deal is for $500,000.

There are not a ton of statistics on the young pitcher, but he has an interesting scouting report. Standing at six-foot-two and weighing in at 195 pounds, he throws a fastball that averages 92.4 MPH, a slider in the low-80's and a changeup in the high-70's. It stands to reason that he may add some more velocity to that fastball as he ages and gains more strength.

He has a fairly orthodox delivery and has a slight rocking movement before he starts his motion towards the plate. His arm slot comes more over the top rather than from a three-quarter release which means his stuff is more likely to drop straight down rather than move side-to-side.

SF Giants sign hard-throwing young Taiwanese pitcher to minor league deal

Yang pitched against Team USA in the 2022 U-18 Baseball World Cup. He pitched all seven innings of the game and only allowed two earned runs in the contest, courtesy of a two-run blast by the top prospect in the Giants organization, first baseman Bryce Eldridge.

Taiwan News reports that Yang has wanted to pitch in MLB for a long time and did not pursue opportunities to play in Japan because it was his goal to come to the United States to play.

Yang is not the only player from Taiwan currently in the Giants organization. Pitcher Kai-Wei Teng made his MLB debut with the Giants last season. He did not do great, recording a 9.82 ERA in 4 appearances. Yet, he is only 26-years-old so if he gets another chance in the big leagues perhaps it will go better.

It will be interesting to see how Yang develops for the Giants. He certainly has some upside with his already impressive velocity and pitch mix. If he can refine his skills in the minors, perhaps we will one day see him in the big leagues.