ALTOONA – Everywhere Tsung-Che Cheng has played, quickness has been a part of his game.
The 22-year-old switch-hitting shortstop from Pingtung County, Taiwan, whom the team signed as an international free agent in 2019, first showcased his sensational speed with the Pirates when he swiped 16 bags in just 38 Florida Complex League games in 2021.
But it isn’t just the ability to steal bases that’s allowed Cheng to rise to No. 22 overall in the Pirates’ system, per MLB Pipeline.
Facing some of the stiffest competition yet of his career in High-A Greensboro and Double-A Altoona, Cheng has run into some power to complement his usually high batting average, hitting 11 home runs so far in 2023. But even when Cheng isn’t depositing balls over the fence, he’s driving them and getting off to the races, as evidenced by his career-high 10 triples this season.
“I’m very proud of having the speed and being able to use it in the game,” Cheng said with Charles Chiang translating. “A lot of people have speed, yes, but not everybody has a chance to show it in the game. I just try to run hard, play hard, and the speed will show you what you can do.”
At 5-foot-7, 173 pounds, Cheng is quick to admit that he’s not a big guy, nor does he have a lot of power; the extra-base hits come when he barrels up the ball and can utilize his legs. It’s also worth noting that of the 11 homers Cheng has hit this season, nine came while playing for Greensboro, home to a notoriously hitter-friendly First National Bank Field.
But it’s not by chance that Cheng has developed more as a hitter while maintaining his bat-to-ball skills and continuing to show a knack for getting on base. When the Pirates first signed him, he was roughly 20 pounds lighter. Now, with a more filled-out frame complementing a keen batter’s eye and high contact rate, Cheng has turned into an intriguing prospect.
Not to mention, he’s regarded as an above-average shortstop defensively, both with his glove and his arm. Cheng, who has played primarily at shortstop for the Pirates’ minor-league teams but also seen time at each of second and third, has made just seven errors this season. Cheng’s on track to make fewer errors this season than in 2022, a campaign in which he played fewer innings than the current one.
“Apart from hitting but also defensively, I feel like I’ve grown a lot,” Cheng said. “All the small things coaches have been telling me about, not to do anything too flashy, but just get outs and take care of the ground balls.”
Cheng holds the Pirates’ minor-league coaches in high regard, ones that he said factored into him signing with the team for $380,000 over other interested franchises. For Cheng, who hails from a rural area in southern Taiwan roughly 230 miles south of the nation's capital city of Taipei, what pushed him to leave his home for the United States in the first place was naturally the dream of one day playing in MLB.
That pursuit of the major leagues has made playing in Taiwan a rare occurrence for Cheng. That is, until this past spring, when Cheng suited up for the national team in the 2023 World Baseball Classic.
While the four WBC games didn’t provide Cheng with many lasting lessons to take with him back to the States, he did stand out by hitting .333 and driving in three runs in the tournament that featured games at Taipei’s Taichung Intercontinental Baseball Stadium.
“It’s been a long time since I played baseball back home,” Cheng said. “It was a very good memory to be able to look back at.”
Until the WBC returns in four years, Cheng’s opportunities to create lasting baseball memories will likely pertain more to what he does with the Pirates. The latest one that’s resonated is Cheng’s 17-game hitting streak from July 22 to Aug. 9, one in which he hit five doubles, two homers, and drove in nine runs while hitting .393.
Should Cheng, who’s walked nearly as often as he’s struck out as a minor-leaguer, continue to develop as a hitter, he could become a useful middle infielder or utility player for the Pirates. It wouldn’t hurt to keep producing a high batting average, one which sits over .300 each of the last two months in Double-A.
Having already demonstrated the ability to improve his physique, which has translated to better results, the speedy Cheng realizes that even while he thinks like he’s nearing his peak as a player, he’s felt that way before. Perhaps Cheng still has more room to grow.
“Every year, I feel like this is probably the best I can be,” Cheng said. “But every following year, I feel like I’m getting better.”
Starting Nine
Numbers through Sunday’s games
- Second baseman Termarr Johnson continues to get on base at an exceptional clip for High-A Greensboro, but the Pirates’ No. 2 prospect has fallen into a funk at the plate. He’s 1 for his last 12 with seven strikeouts. He’s hitting .197 with a .763 OPS for the Grasshoppers in 20 games.
- Right-hander Jared Jones is fresh off his best start of the year for Triple-A Indianapolis, having produced six innings of one-run ball on Sunday. The Pirates’ No. 3 prospect gave up only two hits, one of which was a solo shot. It was a much-needed positive result for Jones, who finished August with a 6.48 ERA in 25 innings.
- Like Jones, it’s been a forgettable month for Anthony Solometo in Altoona. The left-hander has pitched to a 6.60 ERA in August. It’s been a bit of an adjustment for Solometo in Double-A, with his success a run lower for Greensboro. He’s posted a 4.33 ERA in 10 starts for the Curve.
- Right-hander Quinn Priester has bounced back nicely in a couple of starts for Indianapolis after his demotion following a six-start stint in the big leagues. The Pirates’ first-round pick in 2019 has yielded only one earned run while striking out 15 batters in his last nine innings of work. He’s also added a cutter to his repertoire while pitching in Indianapolis.
- As Priester has found success back in Triple-A, so too has fellow former first-rounder Nick Gonzales. He smacked two doubles on Sunday, his fifth and sixth of the month. Gonzales has slashed .303/.425/.485 for Indianapolis this month.
- Right-hander Bubba Chandler closed out another strong month in Greensboro with seven innings of shutout ball, lowering his season-long ERA below 5.00 for the first time since May 2. In four starts this month, the Pirates’ No. 9 prospect compiled a 2.74 ERA, just a handful of ticks higher than the 2.57 mark he produced in July.
- Chandler’s teammate, right-hander Thomas Harrington, has similarly settled into pitching for Greensboro. Harrington pitched to a 3.25 ERA in August, his lowest month-long mark since he was still pitching for Low-A Bradenton in May.
- Left-hander Jackson Wolf had a superb first month for Altoona, posting a 2.50 ERA in four starts. One of the key pieces in the Pirates’ deadline trade of the Rich Hill/Ji Man Choi trade, Wolf held opposing teams scoreless in his last two starts spanning 10 innings. With a spot start in the big leagues already under his belt, Wolf could be a candidate to make his way to Pittsburgh before the season’s end should he keep this trajectory.
- Infielder Jack Brannigan has cooled a bit after a sensational start to his time in Greensboro, but he continues to swing a hot bat. The Pirates’ third-round pick in 2022 is hitting .301 with 11 home runs in 29 games for Bradenton. Brannigan, who previously played most of his time at third base, is now getting a sizable chunk of opportunities at shortstop. He’s made one error so far in 12 games.
Andrew Destin: adestin@post-gazette.com and Twitter @AndrewDestin1.
First Published: August 28, 2023, 4:37 p.m.
