Lai Qianfan joins the New York Yankees! Scouting director praises his multiple pitch mix, predicts he will reach the major leagues

The New York Yankees have signed pitcher Lai Qianfan from Daxi High School. According to the Yankees' international scouting director, as long as he adapts to the team's development system and shows his full potential on the field, he will eventually become a productive major league pitcher.

Lai Qianfan is 18 years old, about 183 cm tall and 82 kg. He hails from Taitung and graduated from Daxi High School in Taoyuan City. He represented Chinese Taipei at the 2025 U18 World Cup, pitching in 3 games as a reliever for 7 innings, recording 14 strikeouts and helping his team win third place.

Yankees international scouting director Mario Garza evaluated Lai Qianfan as follows: "Signing Lai represents our renewed commitment to Asian players and the market. As I've gotten to know Qianfan better, I see a focused, confident young player with a high capacity for learning."

"From a scouting perspective, he has an excellent mix of pitches, including a fastball with late movement and high-quality off-speed pitches, along with consistent command," Garza said. "We believe these traits will help him smoothly adapt to our development system, fulfill his potential on the field, and ultimately become a productive major league pitcher."

Yankees' director of global player recruitment Matt Slater expressed his delight in welcoming Qianfan to the Yankees family, noting that the team continues to expand its global reach. "The Yankees are always searching the world for talented players with potential who can bring value to the organization. Qianfan has exciting room for growth and the ability to develop into a successful major league pitcher."