Brewers take step by signing Chinese pitcher
Like many teams in Major League Baseball, the Milwaukee Brewers have invested significant resources into scouting and developing players from Latin American countries like the Dominican Republic in recent years.
That approach has begun to
bear fruit at the major-league level in recent years for the Brewers, most notably with Orlando Arcia. Signed as a 16-yearold out of Anaco, Venezuela, Arcia has risen through the ranks and become a solid contributor at shortstop despite some major struggles at the plate this season.
Now, the organization is casting a more serious eye to amateur players from other parts of the world.
The Brewers took a big, new step earlier this summer by signing 16-year-old right-hander Jolon Zhao, a product of one of several developmental academies MLB has opened in China in recent years under the supervision of general manager of MLB Asia Rick Dell and coach Ray Chang.
Zhao, a native of Beijing who turned just 17 on Aug. 29, already has gotten a true jump-start on his professional career by spending the last two weeks with the Brewers’ rookie-league affiliate in Helena, Mont.
“With Jolon in particular, he’s got a lot of the attributes we look for and he’s demonstrated them on and off the field,” said Michael Groopman, in his first year as Milwaukee’s director of international scouting. “As we look to establish our presence internationally, that does mean a global strategy, and certainly China and the Pacific Rim is an area that we’re growing in.”
The Brewers were able to get eyes on the 5-foot-10, 180-pound Zhao in early June, when he made a couple outings for the Alexandria Aces in the Cal Ripken Collegiate League, which plays a 40- game schedule in the Maryland Washington-Virginia area.
Zhao – who also goes by the name “Lun” – pitched a total of three shutout innings in two games while striking out five of the 14 batters he faced. That’s quite an accomplishment considering he was essentially a high school junior
competing against college players that ran the gamut all the way to Division I.
“I give a lot of credit to our international scouting staff – in particular Taylor Green and Jeff Bianchi – who did a lot of work on him,” Groopman said of the two former Brewers big-leaguers who moved upstairs after their playing days ended. Green is a supervisor of pro scouting.
“You can imagine a 16-year-old kid pitching against college players and competing well above his age range, which is obviously impressive and speaks to the attributes which drew us to him. It’s kind of a unique situation, but I think it’s a combination of a lot of work by Jolon himself and credit goes to the academy in China and Ray and Rick’s work getting that program to where it is now.”
What specifically caught the Brewers’ attention?
“Classic three-pitch mix. Fastball’s 91-93. Curveball with good depth and break. Kind of a developing changeup,” Groopman said. “He’s super-intelligent. Super-athletic. He’s got aptitude. Advanced feel on the mound, does the little things that are rare to see for a player of that age — holding runners, fielding his position.”
The Brewers signed Zhao on June 14 — making him one of a handful of Chinese players to net a contract with an MLB team in recent years — and he began his transition to the professional ranks at their Maryvale complex in Phoenix.
Just as they do at the teams’ academies in the Dominican Republic, players at the MLB developmental facilities in China do regular classwork like they would in school while also learning to speak English. So Zhao did know some of the basics when he arrived.
Still, the Brewers were sensitive to the transition for such a young player to living in a foreign country. While Zhao doesn’t have a translator with him fulltime he does have access to one as he feels he needs it — which hasn’t been often.
“It’s interesting, and I think it speaks to his maturity to go from China to Alexandria, Virginia to Arizona and carry himself very well not only on the field but off the field,” said Groopman. “He mixed in great with our group there. He’s picked up the language very quickly. He had already understood some English by the time we’d added him to our organization.
“He went right into a pro routine with a fairly seamless transition in terms of strength and conditioning, the nutrition components and work schedule in Arizona and while he was gearing up to compete in the AZL he was throwing bullpens, live (batting practice), getting his work in and really handling himself professionally.”
Zhao spent almost two months learning the ropes before getting the opportunity to pitch for the Brewers’ entry in the Arizona Rookie League. In 41⁄3 shutout innings spread over three games in an eight-day span, he allowed two hits and two walks while striking out four.
On Aug. 28 the Brewers promoted Zhao to Helena, which also featured prospects such as second baseman Yeison Coca, catcher Jose Sibrian and right-hander Caden Lemons. He capped off his season with a couple appearances.
From Helena, Zhao will head back to Arizona, where he will take part in the Brewers’ instructional league with the majority of the organization’s other well-regarded prospects. Then he’ll return home to China and spend the rest of the off-season there before beginning his first full professional season next spring.
“He’s risen to every challenge that’s been in front of him since we’ve known him,” Groopman said.