TAICHUNG, Taiwan — The 2015 season of the Asia Winter Baseball (AWB) league, organised by the Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL) and sanctioned by the WBSC, launches today and is set to provide an international platform for young talented baseball players from Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and newcomer Europe.
Five teams that represent Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB), Korea Baseball Organization (KBO), Chinese Taipei Baseball Association (CTBA), CPBL and Europe will compete in the 46-game winter league, which runs through December.
Showcasing the appeal of the 2015 AWB and its teams, host CPBL has secured major sponsorships from Lihpao Group and Taiwan Beer and reached a broadcasting agreement with FOX Sports.
NPB
Players on NPB’s squad represent six clubs, including the Chunichi Dragons, DeNA Baystars, Hanshin Tigers, Softbank Hawks, Yakult Swallows and Yomiuri Giants. The team is managed by Yomiuri Giants’ Takeshi Omori. Swallows 2013 first pick Yuta Kakita will be the starting pitching the first game against CPBL.
KBO
Players from all nine KBO franchises are being featured in the AWB, including the Police and Army affiliates overseen by KBO. LG Giants outfielder, Jeon Jun Woo, who has accumulated 60 homeruns in his 7-year tenure with the Giants, will be the captain of KBO’s AWB team.
Europe
Managed by Gilberto Gerali, the team has players from eight countries. Four Italian National Team players (Flippo Crepaldi, Gianny Fracchiolla, Alberto Mineo and Freddy Noguera) recently participated in the WBSC Premier12 and are among European prospects gaining international experience by playing with the top prospects in Asia.
Chinese Taipei
Manager Chien-fu Kuo-lee guided the National Team to winning the 2014 U-21 Baseball World Cup. Star player Yo-Ning Tsao, slugger Tai-Chun Yang, Chih-Chieh Su and Premier12 National Team member Yen-Ching Lu will be among the CT players to watch.
CPBL
The host will utilize prospects from its four clubs. Defending CPBL champions Lamigo Monkeys feature ten players on the team. Monkey Yao-Hsun Yang, a former Softbank Hawks and National Team pitcher, will measure his talent at the plate in the AWB, after 10 seasons as a pitcher. Chinatrust Brothers has eight players on the team. Monkey Hua-Ching Lin of Lamigo Monkeys will start the first game against NPB.
Schedule
Two games will be played every day at 12:00 and 18:00 starting today, and after 40 regular season games, the first four teams will play each other in a playoff, with the 3rd-4th game as well as the championship finale to be played on 20 December.
All games of Asia Winter Baseball League will be carried live by FOX Sports (Taiwan) and CPBLTV.com (subscription).
