Chih-Wei Hu (Robin) is having a spectacular season so far. Successful Stints in triple AAA followed by a strong performance in the Futures All Star Game has put him on everybody’s radar. Since 2013 he has been under the management and oversight of coach Tony Laio and the physical instruction of coach Aaron Thigpen. He is what we call a “fully managed” athlete where even during the season he communicates with us to keep him in top form, make adjustments and provide feedback. Looking to improve your Game? Give us a call. 925 513-8676.
Chih-Wei Hu parlayed the first half of his season into a spot in the MLB All-Star Futures Game. Two starts into the second half, he hasn’t missed a beat.
Tampa Bay’s No. 12 prospect allowed two hits and struck out six in seven scoreless innings before Double-A Montgomery lost at Birmingham, 3-2.
Hu sat down his first 10 batters and didn’t allow a hit until No. 8 White Sox prospect Courtney Hawkins singled with one out in the fourth inning.
“He relies on locating on the fastball and has a really good changeup,” Montgomery pitching coach R.C. Lichtenstein said. “When his changeup is good, he gets it under the zone and he can throw his fastball to either side of the plate or use it to change eye level. On those days, he gets his strikeouts by working up and down and separating speeds.”
Hu tossed a 1-2-3 fifth before working around Jake Bauer’s double to lead off the sixth. The 22-year-old right-hander capped his start with a clean seventh.
“His changeup has become a dominant force,” Lichtenstein said. “It has really come a long way this year and has been the pitch that has stepped to the forefront with his ability to really command the fastball.”
After posting a 2.51 ERA in his first 16 appearances for Montgomery, Hu was selected to the World Team at the Futures Game, where he needed eight pitches to strike out two in a 1-2-3 fifth.
“He was telling me about how when he walked out of center field he saw 35,000 people and it was a ‘holy cow’ moment,” Lichtenstein said. “But he was able to get his emotions in check and have a pretty simple inning. He did, in a short spurt, what he’s doing for us all year. It obviously shows you, in a short spurt, what he’s capable of.”
In two starts since then, Hu has allowed four hits over 12 scoreless innings, lowering his ERA to a Double A-leading 2.20.
“He’s aware where his numbers are at,” the pitching coach said. “He knows the game and is aware of what’s going on. He had a start in Triple-A last year when he was with the Twins and he was able to rattle off the stats from that start and he had them right, number for number. He’s a guy who’s aware of what’s going on but he doesn’t pitch to make sure his ERA is good. He pitches to develop and he pitches to win, and when he does that, he puts up those numbers. He likes the numbers, but he doesn’t worry about them and there’s a fine line there.”
And while pitching in the Futures Game was an important accomplishment for Hu, his pitching coach said it’s just a stepping stone for the native of Taiwan.
“He’s very focused on developing his stuff and being a big leaguer,” Lichtenstein said. “He comes from a foreign country, and it seems like he’s pitching to show what he’s capable of and show the people back home that he’s going to make it.
“He’s a very humble kid, but he’s very confident and dedicated to preparing and being ready for his next adventure. He’s very much invested in that next adventure and working to make sure that one day it will take place on a Major League mound. There’s a sense of pride for him and he likes the attention. I see a huge sense of pride that his homeland is making a fuss over him, and he wants to repay that every time he goes out to the mound and makes sure they’re proud of him,” he added.
The Barons plated three runs, culminating in a Keon Broxton walk-off single, in the ninth against Jaye Chapman (2-1).
Birmingham’s Blair Walters allowed two runs — one earned — on six hits and one walk while striking out two in seven innings. Peter Tago (6-3) struck out four over two scoreless frames to pick up the win.
