Indigenous Taiwanese aims for stardom in US baseball

Cincinnati Reds player seen as the island's best prospect in decades

Taiwanese baseball phenom Lin Sheng-en, right, and his father at Lin's signing to the Cincinnati Reds Major League Baseball team in June 2023. (Courtesy of Jamey Storvick)

JOHN KRICH

July 3, 2025 08:00 JST

TAIPEI -- Jamey Storvick remembers the exact moment when he first laid eyes on Taiwanese baseball prospect Lin Sheng-en. Drawing on local contacts cultivated over 25 years as the island state's only full-time scout for the U.S. major leagues, Storvick had been tipped off about a workout on New Year's Day 2020 -- and a 14-year-old with a muscular build who could hit home runs and throw pitches at up to 140 kilometers an hour.