Chai-An Huang

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Seattle Mariners #25 prospect in 2005
  The Mariners were excited to sign Huang to a six-figure bonus last April, even if he wasn't able to make his U.S. debut in 2004. He graduated in high school in June, but Seattle couldn't immediately get him a visa because the quota for foreign players for 2004 had been exceeded several weeks earlier. He failed to make the Taiwanese Olympic team, though he did begin college in order to get a deferment from mandatory military service. Huang has a strong frame and a quick, smooth arm action, allowing him to deliver low-90s fastballs and top out at 94 mph. He backs up his heater with a hard three-quarters breaking ball. He also throws a forkball and changeup, though those pitches are less polished. Huang should be able to come to the States in 2005, though the Mariners are cautious about where he'll start his career. As a teenager who'll have to adapt to an entirely new culture, it's likely he'll begin the season in extended spring training.