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© 2006 MLB Advanced Media, L.P. All rights reserved. |
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AFL Journal: Hu brushes off hand injury 10/20/2006 10:21 PM ETBy Chin-Lung Hu / Special to MLB.com
Chin-Lung Hu is a shortstop in the Los Angeles Dodgers organization. Signed out of Taiwan in 2003, the 22-year-old has moved steadily up the Dodgers' ladder. One of the best defensive shortstops in all of Minor League baseball, Hu carried a .306 career batting average into the 2006 season after finishing second in the Florida State League with a .313 mark. No stranger to international competition, he hit .343 in the World Cup following the 2005 season and .417 in three World Baseball Classic contests this past spring. A participant in the 2006 Futures Game, Hu hit .254 with Double-A Jacksonville with 11 steals. He's in Arizona playing for the Mesa Solar Sox and is chronicling his experiences in the AFL for MiLB.com.
Hey, everyone. I just got home from our Friday game against Peoria (Saguaros). We won the game, 6-3. My team, the Solar Sox, has been playing a little better. I went 0-for-4 with a walk. The pitchers have been good; I've faced too many good pitchers here. I'm working on my hitting a lot here. I've been hitting in the cage with the hitting coach John Tamargo Jr. It's helping me a little bit, but the game is different. I hope it will start helping me in the game, too. A while ago, I got hit by a pitch (see email below). It was an inside pitch and it hit me on the hand. I was scared when I first got hit, but it's not a big problem. Everything is fine now. I've liked watching some of the hitters on my team. Scott Moore from the Cubs, he's a pretty good hitter. As I'm trying to learn how to hit better, it's good to watch him every day. There are a lot of good hitters here. Just being around all these good hitters should help me be a better hitter. In today's game, Fernando Martinez hit a bomb. He's doing really well. When I first saw him, I said, "Wow, unbelievable. He's only 18." He's really good. He's got power, speed, a good arm, everything. He's fun to watch. I said last week that I like to watch movies and some people asked what movies I like. Two of my favories are "Wedding Crashers," that's really funny, and "Major League." Let me answer some of your emails now. Chin-Lung's Mailbag / Send Chin-Lung an email > I'd like to start by thanking everyone for all the emails, especially from all the fans back in Taiwan. I don't have access to a computer that allows me to read messages in Chinese, so please continue to send questions and messages in English. Is there a good friendship between yourself and other Taiwanese baseball players right now in the Majors? How often do you talk to Hong-Chih Kuo, Chien-Ming Wang, Chin-hui Tsao, etc.? -- Han Lee I talk to Hong-Chih Kuo a lot. He's taught me a lot. Last year, he started in Vero. We were together. We spent a lot of time together. He was teaching me about living here. He's been here a long time -- six years, I think. He teaches me everything. He's a hard worker. I tried to learn from him. I try to be like him. Every day I go to the field earlier and work hard. I don't talk to Chien-Ming Wang a lot. I think he's a really good guy. I've talked with him when we were in Taiwan but not in America. Same with Chin-hui Tsao. But I'm good friends with Hong-Chih Kuo because we're with the same team. I'm originally from Taiwan. I'm studying in the States now. I just want to let you know we are all rooting for you. Every day, we have many students collect your performance on offense and defense and post them on the BBS (online bulletin board). We saw you got injured. We are all worried about you. As we know, you were hit by a pitch in Tuesday's game and you immediately left the game due to an injury on your hand/wrist. How's your hand and wrist now? Is everything all right? We wish you will stand in MLB soon to join Chien-Ming Wang and Hong-Chi Kuo to be the next "Light of the Taiwanese." I already translated your first article on MiLB.com to Chinese. Hopefully, you like it. -- Dean Lin Everything is fine, it doesn't hurt anymore. It's not a broken bone, it's just a little sore, but it's OK. As long as it's not broken, I am happy. This story was not subject to the approval of the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues or its clubs.
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