The San Diego Padres have signed Taiwanese pitcher Su Lan-Hong, hoping he will become a future Major League star.

The San Diego Padres announced yesterday that they have signed Taiwanese pitcher Su Lan-Hong. Team General Manager A.J. Preller and Japanese star Yu Darvish warmly welcomed him at their home stadium, Petco Park. The Padres held a high-profile reception for Su’s arrival, and the team’s official website also shared photos of him with Preller and Darvish.

Eighteen-year-old Su Lan-Hong graduated from Kaohsiung Sanmin High School in June and is currently attending the National Taiwan University of Sport. In September, he represented Chinese Taipei in the U18 Baseball World Cup and helped the team secure a bronze medal. During the tournament, Su pitched 7.1 innings with an ERA of 2.46, faced batters with a batting average of just .192, and recorded 14 strikeouts alongside 3 walks.

In a press release, Padres scouting director Chris Kemp stated, “We are very excited to welcome Su Lan-Hong to the Padres and look forward to helping him achieve his dream of becoming a Major League pitcher.” Kemp mentioned that the team has closely followed Su’s progress in recent years, and reports submitted by scouts Geng Boxuan (a former player in the U.S. and now with CPBL’s Taoyuan Lamigo Monkeys and Brothers), Trevor Schumm, and Dave Post have strengthened the team’s confidence in his pitching skills and team spirit.

Su Lan-Hong is the first Taiwanese player the Padres have signed since 2016, when they signed Song Wen-Hua (currently with the Uni-President 7-ELEVEn Lions). He is expected to begin his career in the United States next year.