Ni Fu-Te Signs With Detroit Tigers http://eastwindupchronicle.com/ni-fu-te-signs-with-detroit-tigers/ January 10th, 2009 Jackson After what is probably the most ado ever about a fringy left-handed relief specialist, Ni Fu-Te has declined his option to join the CPBL’s Brother Elephants and will sign with the Detroit Tigers (translation tool required). Ni becomes the first CPBL player ever to sign with an MLB team. Details are as yet undisclosed, and will be announced next week in a press conference in Taiwan. According to Yahoo!, the deal consists of a 150,000 signing bonus, 60,000 yearly salary, and a AAA start (translation tool required). The signing ends weeks of speculation as to whether or not Ni would remain in Taiwan or try his hand overseas. Before signing on with Detroit, Ni received interest from several MLB teams– most notably the Mariners–after his CPBL club, the Chinatrust Whales, dissolved in the wake of a gambling scandal. As discussed in a previous post, Ni exhibits good movement on his pitches but his lack of velocity might be a significant obstacle in MLB. He is billed in Taiwan as the “Taiwanese Okajima”, although he doesn’t have the command Okajima does (or the violent head snap). Ni is the second Taiwanese sign by the Detroit Tigers in the last year, the first being outfielder Tang Chao-Ting. He is also the second player signing for Tigers Taiwan area scout Allen Lin, and the first Taiwan signing for his boss, newly hired international director Kevin Hooker. Regardless of his performance, it is encouraging to see Ni take a chance in the states rather than opt for the the CPBL. It will be interesting to see how this signing affects player movement between the CPBL and MLB, and hopefully will serve as a portent to CPBL officials that future defections may occur if their league doesn’t get its house in order. --

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