Supervised by the Baseball Federation of Asia (BFA) and the Chinese Baseball Association (CBA), baseball in China is welcoming the newest attempt at professionalisation, Chinese Professional Baseball (CPB) with Shenzhen, Guangdong, hosting the inaugural draft to mark the league’s official launch on Wednesday.
CBA Vice President Xie Bin said: “The CPB was established at the right time, benefiting from the favoured policies, the momentum carried over from the National Games, and the shared expectation from baseball enthusiasts, as we expect the CPB will professionalise and industrialise the sport in the long run.”
The Founding Five
The new league is composed of five franchises that identify with their home field cities. Changsha Want Want Happy, based in Changsha City of Hunan Province, is sponsored by one of the largest food corporations in China, Want Want Group. Shenzhen Bluesox is in one of the four First-Tier Cities, Shenzhen, and is backed by the Shenzhen Bluesox Culture & Tourism Inc. The Fuzhou Sea Knights make Fuzhou, the capital of Fujian Province, their home and are sponsored by Han Yuan Investment. Xiamen Dolphins, another franchise in Fujian Province, is based in Xiamen, one of China’s most important port cities, and is sponsored by Xiamen Sports Properties. The Shanghai Dragons, the franchise based in China’s largest city, is sponsored by the internationally renowned enterprise Charoen Pokphand Group.
The managers of the five teams also feature a range of international baseball experience with the Dragons boasting former KBO/NPB/MLB pitcher Dae-Sung Koo from Korea; the Sea Knights led by former CPBL Uni-President 7-Eleven Lions manager Wen-Sheng Lu (managerial record 280-220 with four Taiwan Series titles in five seasons); Want Want Happy have former CPBL Uni-President 7-Eleven Lions pitcher Chun-Liang Wu (50-31, 3.37 ERA); Xiamen Dolphins will be managed by former CPBL Sinon Bulls pitcher Tung-Yen Tsai, and Shenzhen Bluesox have invited Ray Chang – a former Minor League Baseball (MiLB) infielder (with San Diego Padres, Pittsburgh Pirates, Boston Red Sox, Minnesota Twins and Cincinnati Reds Farm Systems) and current Major League Baseball (MLB) China Baseball Operations Head – to manage the team. Chang, born in Kansas City, Missouri, USA in 1983, represented China as a player at the 2009, 2013, and 2017 World Baseball Classics.
Player Draft
According to information released by CPB, tryouts have been held in Shenzhen, Shanghai, Beijing, Chengdu, and Xiamen since October, with more than 500 players signed up to pursue their dream of becoming future professional baseball stars.
The players entering the draft are split into two groups based on skill level and experience. The Super Round class featured players with international and national tournament experience, while the Talent Round class featured players with bright potential.