Kai-Wen Cheng

From BR Bullpen

Note: This page is for former CPBL and NPB pitcher Kai-Wen Cheng; for the CPBL outfielder of the same name, click here.

Kai-Wen Cheng (鄭凱文)

  • Bats Right, Throws Right
  • Height 5' 9", Weight 163 lb.

BR register page

Biographical Information[edit]

Kai-Wen Cheng has played in the CPBL, NPB and for the Taiwan national baseball team.

Cheng was on the winning team in the 2000 Pony League World Series. He helped Taiwan in the 2003 World Youth Championship and was on their team for the 2005 Asian Junior Championship. In the 2006 World Junior Championship, he went 2-0 and allowed only one walk and one run in 18 innings, beating both the United States and Canada. Against Cuba, he threw a 12-inning complete game, allowing only one run for the win; he was clocked at 90-92 mph even in the 12th inning.

At age 19, Cheng pitched for Taiwan's senior team in the 2008 Final Olympic Qualification Tournament. He pitched 4 2/3 innings, allowing no runs and 6 hits while striking out four and walked one to help Taiwan lock up a slot in the 2008 Olympics. In the 2008 World University Championship, Cheng was 2-0 with a 3.60 ERA and 11 strikeouts in 10 innings for the Bronze Medal winners. Cheng was one of three amateurs on Taiwan's squad for the 2008 Olympics. He allowed 3 runs, 2 walks and 2 runs in 2 2/3 IP. He tossed two scoreless innings to close up a win over the Dutch national team but was horrid against Japan.

Cheng was much better in the 2009 World Baseball Classic. Relieving an ineffective Chen-Chang Lee in the first inning against South Korea, he gave up a single to Kyung-wan Park but then retired Ki-hyuk Park, Jong-wook Lee, Keun-woo Jeong and Hyun-soo Kim in order. Yu-Cheng Liao relieved him in the third. The Hanshin Tigers of Japan signed him in 2009. He started out on the farm but was quickly promoted, debuting on April 26 with six shutout innings against the Hiroshima Carp, but he got a no-decision when reliever Scott Atchison blew the 1-0 lead Cheng left with. He had a 5.46 ERA in 13 games in the 2009 season. He spent his 2010 season in the NPB Farm Leagues, and he had a 5.20 ERA in 38 appearances there.

The Tainan native improved to a 1.22 ERA in 22 appearances in 2011, and he pitched 3 games with a 3.38 ERA with the big club. He played 10 games in the major league in 2012, and he had a 2.45 ERA. However, the Tigers still released him. Cheng then represented Taiwan in the 2013 World Baseball Classic Qualifiers, and he pitched 3 shutout innings with 5 strikeouts to help Taiwan advance to the 2013 World Baseball Classic. He also pitched 5 2/3 shutout innings in the 2012 Asian Championship. The Yokohama BayStars signed him, but Cheng had a 7.29 ERA in 6 games, and he was released.

The Brother Elephants selected Cheng in the first round of the 2013 CPBL Draft, and he soon became their ace. He had a 11-3 record with a 2.48 ERA, and he led the league in wins, ERA and WHIP. He ranked 3rd in strikeouts (11 behind Sheng-Hsiung Huang, and won the Best Nine as the top pitcher. Cheng also attended the 2014 CPBL All-Star Game, but he allowed 2 runs in 2 innings. He was the starter of 2014 Taiwan Series Game 2, and he allowed 4 runs in 3 2/3 innings. The Brothers were beaten by the Lamigo Monkeys in 5 games. He also represented Taiwan in the 2014 Asian Games.

Cheng was selected into the 2015 CPBL All-Star Game, and he pitched a shutout inning. He had a 10-4 record with a 3.50 ERA in 2015, and he led the league in shutouts (2) and complete games (3). He ranked 4th in wins (6 behind Mike Loree) and 9th in strikeouts (67 behind Loree). He slumped to 9-8 with a 4.53 ERA in 2016, and he allowed a solo shot to Chun-Hsiu Chen as the starter of the 2016 CPBL All-Star Game. He ranked 2nd in ERA (.55 behind Loree), 5th in wins (4 behind Loree) and 6th in strikeouts (58 behind Bruce Billings). In the 2016 Taiwan Series, Cheng allowed 3 runs in 2/3 of an inning in Game 1, then pitched a shutout inning in Game 2. He continued struggling, allowing 2 runs in 1 2/3 innings in Game 3, then pitched 2/3 of an inning with 3 runs allowed in Game 4. He collected a hold with a shutout inning in Game 6, and the CTBC Brothers were still beaten by the EDA Rhinos in 6 games.

The Brothers used Cheng as a swingman in 2017, and he 5-8 with a 4.58 ERA in 35 games (15 starts). He ranked 9th in ERA (2.40 behind Loree) and he also pitched 2 innings in the 2017 CPBL All-Star Game. Cheng appeared in 3 games of the 2017 Taiwan Series and he pitched 3 2/3 innings with 2 runs allowed, but the Monkeys still beat the Brothers in 5 games. He became a full-time reliever in 2018, and he had a 4.18 ERA in 56 games while notching 16 holds. Cheng ranked 4th in appearances (10 behind Cheng-Che Wu) and 5th in holds (7 behind Hao-Chun Chiu). In the 2018 CPBL All-Star Game, he pitched a shutout inning and struck out two.

Cheng set several records in 2019. He pitched a league-leading 65 games with 11 wins and 14 holds, and became the first reliever to collect 10 wins and 10 holds in a season. (Ching-Ming Wang]] had done it before, but he got some wins as a starter). He also became the first reliever to win a CPBL Gold Glove, and he tied Ta-Yuan Kuan's CPBL record for 11 relief wins in a season. However, he struggled in the 2019 Taiwan Series, and he gave up a run in 1/3 of an inning in Game 1 before he gave up 4 runs in 1/3 inning in Game 4. He pitched a shutout inning in Game 5, but the Brothers were still beaten by the Monkeys in 5 games.

The veteran reliever was still solid in 2020, and he notched 15 holds with a 3.11 ERA in 54 games. He ranked 8th in appearances (9 behind Chun-Jen Cheng) and 4th in holds (9 behind Chun-Wei Wu). Cheng went 2 2/3 innings in 2 games in the 2020 Taiwan Series, but he allowed 4 runs and the Brothers were beaten by the Uni-President Lions in 7 games. He was turned back into a starter in 2021, and he was 12-7 with a 4.08 ERA in 21 starts. He ranked 7th in ERA (2.31 behind Jose De Paula), 3rd in ERA (5 behind Brock Dykxhoorn) and 8th in Ks (90 behind De Paula). He started in 2021 Taiwan Series Game 3, and he got the win as he pitched 6 innings with 2 runs allowed. The Brothers swept the Lions, and Cheng finally won his first Taiwan Series title.

Cheng was 8-3 with a 2.32 ERA in 2022, and he ranked 9th in wins (6 behind De Paula). He pitched 7 innings as the starter of the 2022 Taiwan Series Game 3, and he only allowed 2 runs. The Brothers swept the Monkeys to win the title. Cheng slumped to 5-7 with a 4.93 ERA in 2023.

Cheng's repertoire included a fastball (peak 95 mph), a slider, curve and changeup.

Sources[edit]

Retrieved from "https://www.baseball-reference.com/bpv/index.php?title=Kai-Wen_Cheng&oldid=1338574"