Previewing the Roster for Team Taiwan in the 2026 World Baseball Classic
Building an underdog team in the post-Corbin Carroll era
There never actually was a Corbin Carroll era for Team Taiwan. But for as long as they could, the whole country and the Taiwanese baseball commissioner Tsai Chi-chang held out hope that the Arizona Diamondbacks star outfielder, whose mother is from Taiwan, would anchor their national team roster in the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC). That dream was dashed after Carroll told Tsai in person he was set on joining Team USA and officially announced his joining at the MLB Awards.
Coming off the Premier12 championship in 2024, Taiwan’s first ever major international title at the adult level, fans have lofty expectations for their national team’s performance in the upcoming WBC. Taiwan’s deepest WBC run was in 2013, when they finished in 8th place.
With heavy reliance on Taiwanese players abroad expected in March, a look at potential MLB or NPB players or prospects who are likely to put on Team Taiwan uniforms is timely at this stage.
Top Major League and international prospects
Hao-Yu Lee, 2B/3B (Triple-A, Detroit Tigers), is the Tigers’ No. 6 prospect1 and a top 2B prospect in the league. The Tigers added him to their 40-man roster this month to protect him from the Rule 5 draft. Lee batted .243/.342/.406 and hit a career-high 14 home runs with Toledo.
Jonathon Long, 1B (Triple-A, Chicago Cubs), is the Cubs’ No. 7 prospect and a top 1B prospect in the league. He had an excellent season, slashing .305/.404/.479 and hitting 20 home runs for Iowa, and was named the 2025 Cubs Minor League Player of the Year. Long’s mother is from Taiwan, and he expressed strong interest in representing Taiwan in the WBC during his meeting with CPBL officials in July.
Ruei-Yang Gu Lin, RHP (NPB, Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters), had a shortened season due to injury, recording a 2-2 record and 34 strikeouts over 32.1 innings in his first NPB season. Prior to signing with the Fighters, Gu Lin was the 2024 CPBL MVP, recording a 1.66 ERA in 21 starts and 125 innings for the Uni-President Lions. He tops out at 97-98 mph with his four-seam fastball and has been developing a two-seamer in the past year. He has a decent forkball, but his effective curveball has gotten more usage this year.
Kai-Wei Teng, RHP (MLB, San Francisco Giants), was called up to the majors twice in the 2025 season and had some bright moments but also struggles on the mound. His above-average sweeper has gotten a lot more usage to become his primary and most effective pitch, but his 93-94 mph four-seamer still generates decent whiffs. He also features a curveball, sinker, and changeup in his repertoire. Teng struck out Shohei Ohtani twice in their first meeting in September.
Jo-Hsi Hsu, RHP (free agent), former Wei Chuan Dragons starter who filed for international free agency this offseason, is perhaps the most hyped Taiwanese pitcher currently. Unlike his home for next year, which is a hotly debated topic,2 his spot in Team Taiwan’s starting rotation is all but certain.
An-Ko Lin, OF (free agent), recently signed with the Saitama Seibu Lions to a two-year deal (with club option), becoming the third CPBL player in history to be posted to NPB. In 2025, he was No. 2 in batting average and No. 3 in home runs in Taiwan, and he will look to continue his success in Japan.
Yu-Min Lin, LHP (Triple-A, Arizona Diamondbacks), is the D-backs’ No. 20 prospect. His claim to fame was his start against Japan in the 2024 Premier12 title game, striking out three over four scoreless innings and giving up just a hit. He has a curveball that averages above 3,000 rpm.
Tsung-Che Cheng, SS (Triple-A, Pittsburgh Pirates), made a brief MLB stint in 2025 but was hitless in three games. His return to Triple-A was underwhelming offensively, hitting .209/.307/.271. Nonetheless, his speed and defense, plus experience at a high level of play, will most likely earn him a roster spot in March.
Stuart Fairchild, OF (free agent), played 28 games for the Atlanta Braves before being acquired by the Tampa Bay Rays in July. Fairchild, whose mother is from Taiwan, was one of three Taiwanese-American players targeted by the Taiwanese visiting delegation in July (the other two being Corbin Carroll and Jonathon Long) and has expressed his interest in representing Taiwan.
Po-Yu Chen, RHP (Triple-A, Pittsburgh Pirates) made some buzz early in the season at Double-A and was promoted to Triple-A, where he made three starts and held a 0.66 ERA. Prior to the season, he pitched for Team Taiwan and struck out four over three scoreless frames against South Africa in the WBC qualifiers.
Likely candidates and returners
Zhong-Ao Zhuang Chen, RHP (Double-A, Athletics). Registered as “Chen Zhong-Ao Zhuang” in the MLB system, Zhuang Chen is the Athletics’ No. 29 prospect. He was added to the A’s 40-man roster earlier this month. He has confirmed his intention to play for Team Taiwan in the WBC.
Wei-En Lin, LHP (Double-A, Athletics), is the A’s No. 20 prospect. He rose through the ranks in his first season in the U.S., going from Single-A in April, to High-A in June, then finally to Double-A in September. At all three levels, he maintained a 10+ K/9. Earlier this year, he represented Taiwan in the WBC qualifiers and saw limited action against Spain and Nicaragua.
Chen-Wei Lin, RHP (Double-A, St. Louis Cardinals), is the Cardinals’ No. 17 prospect. He recorded the fastest pitch by a Taiwanese pitcher ever, clocked at 101 mph.
Tzu-Chen Sha, RHP (High-A, Athletics), is the A’s No. 30 prospect. After an underwhelming 2024 Single-A season with Stockton, Sha came back in 2025 with a fastball that gets up to 95 mph and confidence he gathered in the WBC qualifiers. He was promoted to High-A in June and continues to develop a more effective changeup, in addition to his fastball, two-seamer, and slider.
Yi-Lei Sun, RHP (NPB, Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters), made his NPB major league debut this May and spent most of the season in the minor league or in a reliever role. He made two starts but struggled early in both, posting a 0-2 record for the year. Sun rose to the occasion in Taiwan’s pivotal WBC qualifier win over Spain, striking out two batters back-to-back to get out of a bases-loaded, one-out jam.
Lyle Lin, C (free agent), split his season between the A’s Double-A affiliate and the Atlantic League.
Interesting players to watch in MiLB
Other prospects that are eligible to play for Team Taiwan include:
Wen-Hui Pan, RHP (Double-A, Philadelphia Phillies), Phillies’ No. 16 prospect3
Hung-Leng Chang, RHP (High-A, Pittsburgh Pirates)
Tyler Wilson, OF (High-A, New York Yankees)4
Ching-Hsien Ko, OF (Single-A, Los Angeles Dodgers), Dodgers’ No. 10 prospect
Sheng-En Lin, RHP/DH (Single-A, Cincinnati Reds), Reds’ No. 14 prospect
Chia-Shi Shen, RHP (Single-A, Seattle Mariners), M’s No. 24 prospect
The top prospect rankings referenced in this article are as presented by MLB Pipeline in the latest 2025 lists.
There is a recent report that Hsu has already decided to sign with NPB’s SoftBank Hawks, but it has yet to be confirmed. [UPDATE: Hsu’s deal with the Hawks, a three-year contract worth USD 9.6 million including incentives, seems to have been confirmed by Japanese media and CPBL reporter.]
Pan missed the entire 2025 season following his Tommy John surgery.
Wilson was born in Taiwan, where his father played pro baseball. His brother Liam currently plays for Harvard.