New york: The New York Yankees have signed 18-year-old right-hander Lai Chien-fan, marking him as the third Taiwanese player in the Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise's history, the team announced Tuesday (U.S. time). The Yankees extended a warm welcome to Lai with a Chinese-language message: "Lai Chien-fan, welcome to the New York Yankees!" He follows in the footsteps of former ace Wang Chien-ming and infielder Kuo Fu-lin as the third Taiwanese player to join the club.
According to Focus Taiwan, Lai's signing bonus is expected to reach US$850,000, placing him among the highest-paid pitching prospects in this year's international signing class. A graduate of Taoyuan Municipal Daxi Senior High School, Lai is recognized as one of Taiwan's top international prospects in 2026. His pitching arsenal includes a heavy fastball clocked at speeds up to 154 kilometers per hour, an above-average curveball, and a slider.
Lai gained international recognition during last September's U18 Baseball World Cup, where he played a pivotal role in helping Taiwan secure a bronze medal. In three appearances over seven innings, he struck out 14 batters, allowing just three hits, one run, and a single walk. The Yankees have scheduled an introductory news conference for Lai in Taipei on Friday, after which he will report to the club's Dominican Summer League academy to begin his professional career, according to MLB.com.
In a statement, Yankees Director of International Scouting Mario Garza emphasized the club's renewed commitment to recruiting players from Taiwan and across Asia. "From a scouting lens, he [Lai] has an impressive multi-pitch mix, including a heavy fastball and quality off-speed pitches with solid command," Garza said. "This combination of traits allows us to believe that he will acclimate himself well in our development system, maximize his on-field potential, and eventually become a productive Major League pitcher," he added.
Lai was introduced to baseball by his father, Lai Shih-shan, an Indigenous Amis baseball coach and former elementary school teacher who dedicated decades to developing grassroots youth baseball in Taitung. During his high school years, Lai earned the nickname "Daxi's Yoshinobu Yamamoto" for modeling his training routines and pitching mechanics after the Dodgers' Japanese star in an effort to improve his coordination and pitching efficiency.