Chen Adapts To Many Changes

The Indians tapped into the Pacific Rim for more talent back in September 2007 when they signed catcher Chun-Hsiu Chen to a minor league contract out of Taiwan.

Chen, 20, spent the entire time in Winter Haven in 2008 playing both in extended spring training and also in the Gulf Coast League (GCL) as he worked on his transition from third base to catcher. In the limited playing time he had in the GCL he showed some good potential as a hitter as the ball jumps off his bat, and he finished the 2008 season in the GCL hitting .261 with 3 HR, 15 RBI and a .745 OPS in 38 games.

Over the course of the 2008 season Chen made a lot of strides as a catcher, and coming into the 2009 season it was thought that his bat would continue to impress. Unfortunately, that never happened as he hit just .215 with 1 HR, 19 RBI and a .635 OPS in 59 games at short-season Single-A Mahoning Valley. It was a struggle for him all season, which was surprising to the Indians.

Even still, Chen was excited to finally begin his hopeful ascent up the minor league ladder with his first stop in Mahoning Valley this year.

"Coming last year from the GCL and this year in Arizona where you don't get a lot of fans, it [felt] good being in Mahoning Valley this year,” said Chen through his translator Jason Lin. “They get good crowds [in Mahoning Valley] and it feels good to work my way up. It makes a difference as it gets you a little more amped up. Sometimes you may play a little better when there are fans and there is more on the line."

Since signing two years ago, not only has Chen had to undergo a major transition to the very demanding position of catcher, but coming from Taiwan he also had to learn to adapt to a new culture while living in the United States.

"It definitely has been a transition coming from Taiwan,” said Chen. “Some of the philosophies have been different here than they are over in Taiwan. Practices are a little bit different, not only what they teach but the duration of the practices. In America the practices are shorter but they are more specific, where in Taiwan the practices are longer and they might cover everything. Here you may practice bunt defenses one day and do something else another day, but in Taiwan you practice bunt defense, pitcher-fielding-practice (PFP), and everything every day. So that is why practices are longer. Here it is more focused."

Chen has also been taking English classes as being a catcher it is important that he be able to communicate with all of his pitchers. He has a relatively good understanding of the English language, but his vocabulary is still very limited. He often understands what people say to him in English, but he doesn't know all the English words and how to respond clearly yet.

Being thrown into the American culture and submersed in an English speaking world everyday has helped Chen pick it up very quickly. His improvement in English has been tremendous from when he first joined the Indians in 2007. For the most part, he can now handle all the pitchers on the mound on his own. He has come a long way with his communication skills, though he still has a ways to go.

Chen has even gone periods of time completely on his own as his translator Jason Lin has to bounce around between three different places to be with Chen as well as the other two Taiwanese players in the system Chen-Chang Lee (Kinston) and Sung-Wei Tseng (Arizona). Living and being on your own while still not being completely comfortable with the language can make a person feel isolated and intimidated, but he had a good support system with his teammates, coaches, and his host family.

"I got used to being by myself and ordering my own food,” chuckled Chen.

Chen’s main focus since joining the Indians has been that conversion to catcher. He was a pitcher and third baseman in Taiwan, and is still learning to pick up all of the nuances to the game at catcher.

"When I signed I was not a catcher, so when I got here I was pretty raw and I am still learning the position,” said Chen. “I am still trying to learn all the nuances and what it takes to be an everyday catcher. My defense, calling the game, and blocking has improved dramatically since Instructional League in 2007. I am just trying to get better as a catcher in every aspect from receiving, to blocking, to calling games."

With Mahoning Valley’s season wrapping up last week, Chen went right out to Arizona to participate in the Indians Instructional League. Once that concludes in mid-October, he will finally return to his home in Taiwan.

Overall, it has been a solid year of development for Chen as by the time things wrap up he will have spent almost eight months from March through the middle of October continuing to develop as a hitter and catcher. He has made big strides as a catcher, but next year hopes his bat will start producing.

"Primarily I always want to help give the team every opportunity to win no matter where I am at,” said Chen. “Secondly, I want to take care of myself and hopefully have good defensive and offensive statistics. Next year I want to continue my development and improvement as a catcher and hitter."

Posted in: Chun-Hsiu Chen