2017 CPBL Taiwan Series Preview

And then there were two. The Cinderella story of the Chinatrust Brothers playoff run enters its final chapter after they surprisingly defeated the Uni Lions in four games in the CPBL Playoff Series with a roster of mostly young guns experiencing postseason play for the first time. Led by veterans Chang Chih-Hao and Chou Ssu-Chi, coupled with the continued emergence of cleanup hitter Chan Tzu-Hsien and a revamped bullpen, the Brothers are flying high as they commence play in the 2017 CPBL Taiwan Series Saturday night at 5:05 pm in Taoyuan.

Awaiting them, after a 16-day layoff, are the first and second-half champs, Lamigo Monkeys. Equipped with a trio of import starters that are among the best ever in the CPBL and a potent lineup led by quadruple-crown winner Wang Po-Jung, the Monkeys are seeking to capture their third crown in the last four years and fifth championship overall.

By virtue of winning both half-seasons, the Monkeys are awarded a one-game advantage in the series and need to only win three games to clinch. The Brothers on the other hand, have to do it the traditional way and win four games to earn title No. 8 in team history. Games 1 and 2 are scheduled for 5:05 pm Saturday and Sunday in Taoyuan with Games 3 and 4 (if needed) being played in Taichung on Tuesday, October 31 and Thursday, November 2 at 6:35 pm. Games 5 and 6, should the series get that far, will be back on Monkeys turf November 4 and 5 at 5:05 pm.

Source: CPBL FB

Team Preview: Chinatrust Brothers

• With the exception of one change, the Brothers 28-man roster is identical to the one they used against the Lions. They will again carry 13 pitchers, three catchers, seven infielders, and five outfielders. But their one change could prove to be a huge boost, both on the field and in the dugout. Captain and emotional leader, Peng Cheng-Min, has jumped through all of the hoops (recovering from a wrist injury) and shown Snyder and his staff enough to convince them to add him to the roster. Peng takes the place of lightly used Chen Tzu-Hung. Not a difficult decision for the team to make.
• But after not seeing any game action in over two months, what kind of results will Peng yield?That is a key question the Brothers don’t have the luxury of finding the answer to. Peng is getting back into the swing of things, literally, in the team’s most important games of the season. To complicate matters, Peng had the worst numbers offensively against the Monkeys out of any opponent during the regular season, hitting a paltry .250 with one home run (two total last season, lowest of his career). The 39-year old, in his 17th season, is clearly in the twilight of his career and if he struggles out of the gate, does Snyder continue to give him AB’s?
• Veterans Chou Ssu-Chi and Chang Chih-Hao came up big in the Playoff Series. Each earned game MVP honors (Chou in Game 1, Chang in Game 4) and both were rock solid defensively. Chou saved Game 3 by making the throw of his life in the top of the ninth to nab Lions Kuo Fu-Lin tagging up from second. Both will have to notch it up another level and come up even bigger if the Brothers want to take four-out-of-six against the Monkeys.
• Despite playing in only his first full season, rookie Chan Tzu-Hsien is proving that he is right where he belongs. Chan has been shouldering cleanup duties for a while now and the pressures of the bright lights have not slowed him down. After going hitless in Game 1, Chan cranked out seven hits in the next three and was game MVP in Game 3 after driving in the go-ahead run. The little bend of the knees, shake of the hips, and pause of the bat will have to keep his regular season success (.337 AVG) against the Monkeys going for the Brothers to be competitive.
• Which of the Brothers youngsters step up and take the next big step in their development? C Lin Ming-Chieh had a coming out party of sorts in Game 4, socking a key three-run home run on his way to a two-for-four, four RBI night in the clincher. The Brothers will surely need one of their newcomers to come through in a key situation.
• The Brothers pitching is what concerns me. Starting pitchers Bryan Woodall and Orlando Roman will start Game 1 and 2 and have to pitch well and deep into the game with little margin for error. If one of them falters, the Brothers already uphill battle becomes steeper. Possible Game 3 and 4 starters Hung Chen-Yu and Rick Teasley inspire little confidence against the Monkeys (6.55 ERA and 1.59 WHIP for Hung, 4.72 ERA and 1.50 WHIP for Teasley). The Brothers could go with Woodall followed by Roman again in Game 4 and 5 on regular rest, providing a much better chance for winning while using Teasley out of the bullpen.
• Yes, the reconstructed Brothers bullpen pitched four scoreless innings to lock down Game 3. And yes, that same bullpen went another four scoreless (two unearned runs) innings in Game 4 to win the series. But what about the first two games? Three innings pitched, five hits, five earned runs (two HR’s), and two walks in Game 1 to go along with four innings, eight hits, another five earned runs and two walks in Game 2. They're confident but for the most part young and untested. How will they handle the added pressure of the Taiwan Series in front of 17,000+ fans rooting against them? Will the bullpen be dominant like the the last two games? Or will they more closely resemble the 12.86 ERA from Games 1 and 2? It is probably somewhere in between but one thing is for sure, Coach is going to let ‘em loose and let ‘em play.

Source: sports.ltn.com.tw

Team Preview: Lamigo Monkeys

• The Monkeys 28-man roster is largely as expected. They will carry 12 pitchers, four catchers, eight infielders, and four outfielders. The four catchers is a little misleading because Lin Hung-Yu will be used as the DH. Chu Yu-Hsien is listed as an infielder but usually plays in the outfield (always an adventure) and Yang Yao-Hsun, recovering from a foot injury, has made the final cut.
• The Monkeys set a CPBL single-season record with 78 wins this year. The primary reason for that success is the trio of import starters that they employed all season long -- Zack Segovia, Zeke Spruill, and Darin Downs. The trio combined for 41 wins this season and are only the fourth group of imports in CPBL history to each have double-digit wins (Segovia had 16, Spruill 15, and Downs 10). But beyond the stats, the three go deep into games thereby saving bullets for the bullpen and keeping their arms fresh. The domino effect doesn’t just end there. I’m sure the offense is more relaxed as well with those guys on the mound, knowing that they don’t have to score in bunches (which they do anyways) and that the game will more often than not, stay within reach if they are behind. Their fourth starter, Wang I-Cheng, is no slouch either, compiling a 9-7 record and whiffing a career high 116. And the icing on the cake, all three pitched well against the men in yellow combining for a 15-4 record and 3.36 ERA.
• If you manage to get past their starting pitching, the most dominant bullpen in the league awaits, spearheaded by none other than closer Chen Yu-Hsun, who set a CPBL single-season record with 37 saves. The bridge to Chen includes Chu Chun-Hsiang (12 holds), Wang Yueh-Lin (19 holds), and Lin Po-Yu (19 holds). Add it all up and you have a relief corps that is rested, really good, and experienced.
• In just his second full season of pro ball, Wang Po-Jung has solidified himself as Taiwan’s best hitter. He followed up a triple crown season in 2016 with a quadruple crown this year and is the front-runner for a second consecutive MVP award. The stud crushed opposing pitchers to the tune of a .407 average, 31 home runs, 101 RBI, 16 SB, a .491 OBP, and a .700 SLG. Trust me, the Brothers are fully aware, awarding Wang with 10 of his 15 intentional walks this season.
• Skirt around Wang if you wish but you still have the likes of Lin Hung-Yu (.331 AVG, 18 HR), Chen Chun-Hsiu (.321 AVG, 16 HR), and Chu Yu-Hsien (.308 AVG, 27 HR) to deal with. The lineup is well-balanced and the bench is deep. They struck out the least, led the league in every major offensive category (except for stolen bases), and can just flat out mash.

Source: sports.ltn.com.tw

Series Prediction: Monkeys 4 Brothers 0. On paper, there really is no comparison. But, I was wrong about the Brothers in the Playoff Series. I do think they were playing above their heads and the Monkeys are a more complete and stronger team than the Lions. The Brothers will keep it close in Game 1 while the Monkeys shake off some rust and then the bullpen falters late, giving the Monkeys the first game. Downs had the best numbers against the Brothers this season and locks them down before the bullpen closes the door in Game 2. Segovia, who won every big game for the Monkeys this season, puts the final touches on a magical and historic season, one for the ages, in Game 3. Feel free to comment and make your predictions below!

Source: CPBL FB