Sunday, October 19

The Brewers historically have not been major players in the Asian market, but it’s not for a lack of trying. They hope that begins to change after landing two new prospects from Taiwan last month. 

Taylor Green, the club’s special assistant for scouting and international player development, confirmed that the Brewers have signed 19-year-old right-hander Chang Tzu-Chun Lin and 17-year-old third baseman Yu-Lin Liao, who are believed to be Milwaukee’s first two signings from Taiwan. 

“Over the past many years, we’ve tried to sign Taiwanese players,” said Green, a former infielder who played for the Brewers in 2011 and ‘12 before joining the front office. “We actually had a few mainland Chinese players – [pitcher] Jolon Zhao and a couple of other players we signed a few years ago who are no longer with us. 

“But with regards to Taiwanese players, it’s an excellent baseball country. … We’ve been so active in Latin America, and that’s still obviously our number one focus, but we always have been trying to expand.”

To that end, several years ago, the Brewers hired a scout in Taiwan, Josh Bateman, who has made offers over the years. A Milwaukee-based international scout, Zorian Schiffman, was also intricately involved in the background work that led to the club signing Tzu-Chun and Liao. 

Here is some background on both players:

RHP Chang Tzu-Chun Lin

Born: Oct. 6, 2005

Height/weight: 6-foot-0, 165 pounds

Green’s report: “He pitched in a college program in Taiwan. Up to 94 with his fastball with an excellent split-finger [fastball] and changeup that really intrigued us, as well as an assortment of other pitches. The changeup and split-finger is what we really loved, along with some projection in the body." 

3B Yu-Lin Liao

Born: July 29, 2007

Height/weight: 5-foot-11, 185 pounds

Green’s report: “He’s one of the best amateur hitters in the country right now. It looks like he can hit. The competition level is obviously going to take a jump forward for him as he gets stateside, but we believe there are some qualities in there that should be able to translate. He seems like a confident kid even though he is young.” 

The players signed last week in Arizona and then traveled to the club’s complex in the Dominican Republic to await work visas and the standard age verification check. There is less urgency for Liao, who is rehabbing a knee injury and expected to be ready to play by the fall.

Bateman, the Brewers’ scout, is staying with them in the Dominican Republic to provide translation when necessary, but Green witnessed that process beginning organically once the players met their new Latin American teammates, thanks in part to the power of smartphones and translation apps. 

“We already noticed that our players, they gravitate towards these guys,” Green said. “They’ll learn some Mandarin, and there’s a chance these [newly signed] guys will learn Spanish just as fast as they learn English. It’s quite an interesting dynamic.”

The Brewers’ new Dominican academy, which opened in January 2024 after a years-long development project led by former assistant GM Gord Ash, played a significant role in the club’s successful pursuit of Tzu-Chun and Liao, according to Green, because the players knew they would begin their careers at a first-class facility. They have already begun English language classes and leadership classes alongside the other players living there.

It’s another way in which the Brewers hope the investment in that complex pays off in the coming years. 

“There are great players all over the world,” Green said.

To say Brandon Woodruff wanted his long-awaited return to the Majors to happen in front of the home fans is a gross understatement. But after nearly two years and two last-minute setbacks just when he was on the cusp of a comeback, he’s not being picky.

Woodruff is back with the Brewers and is scheduled to rejoin the rotation on Sunday against the Marlins in Miami, meaning the the 32-year-old, longest tenured Milwaukee player will return to action on the same mound he made his last Major League start on Sept. 23, 2023 -- before shoulder surgery and a multi-year comeback tested his mettle like no opposing lineup ever could.

“That’s kind of strange,” Woodruff said. “The chances of that happening -- the last place I pitched a Major League game and was on that mound, and that’s where things started going south for me. It’s weird how this game works, and how full-circle that comes around.

“Honestly, I don’t know how I’ll feel. I don’t know the emotions. I’ll just be excited to go pitch a Major League baseball game again. Whatever happens, happens.”

Woodruff had so much more to say upon rejoining the Brewers this week in New York. If you missed it, check it out here.

Brewers officials were breathing a sigh of relief Thursday when X-rays came back negative for fast-rising infield prospect Luis Peña (Brewers No. 3 prospect, MLB Pipeline No. 39), who made the biggest jump of any player on Pipeline’s updated Top 100 prospects list on Wednesday, then promptly was hit on the left hand by a pitch in Class-A Carolina’s game in Fredericksburg, Va. 

He went down hard and was obviously in serious pain, leading to concern about a broken hand. But the X-rays showed no fractures, and Peña was diagnosed with a bruised hand and wrist. 

The Brewers were well-represented in the new Pipeline rankings, with four of the biggest jumps led by Peña:

+56 Peña, SS/3B (No. 95 to No. 39)

+43 Jacob Misiorowski, RHP (No. 64 to No. 21)

+10 Jesús Made, SS/3B (No. 18 to No. 8) 

Logan Henderson, RHP (unranked to No. 91)

The Brewers also accounted for the biggest drop on the list, with catcher Jeferson Quero falling 36 spots from No. 34 to No. 70 as he makes his comeback from shoulder and hamstring injuries. Quero missed all of last season but is back in action at Triple-A Nashville, as my colleague Ben Weinrib wrote in the previous edition of the newsletter.

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