Chen Zhong-Ao Zhuang: One Pitch Away from the Majors

 

莊陳忠傲離大聯盟只差一步，但能不能真正跨過去完全取決於他是否能在球路與球速上做出關鍵調整。如果能提升速球、改善變速球尾勁，或發展 Cutter，他就有機會成為下一位站上 MLB 的台灣投手。

This player’s name is a tongue twister: Chen Zhong-Ao Zhuang 莊 陳 忠 傲. Woo! That was a tough one. For simplicity, I’m just going to refer to him as Chen. Born in Taipei, Taiwan, he’s a 6’1” pitcher in the Athletics organization. He’s an interesting prospect because his future is purely in his hands. He’s still quite young at 26 years old, but if he doesn’t show any significant change, that crucial moment could be the end of his MLB career before it even begins. He’s still close, but he’s only as close as his ability to make changes. Here’s why.

The Current Pitch Mix

He has a predictable pattern, and it’s simply not going to fool many major leaguers, although his five-pitch mix is something he can build on. He appears to have good command of the ball. He has a decent curveball that just slides down drastically, and a four-seam fastball, which he used about 50-55% of the time, that is on par with the MLB average. His changeup, though, his off-speed pitch, needs refining. It lacks movement, and when it does, it could mean trouble, as MLB hitters will jump on that like they’re hungry for a nice and juicy New York steak grilled to perfection. It can get him behind in counts, as it is the most unfinished pitch in his repertoire, second only to his Splitter.

The Changeup Problem

Chen hasn’t played any regular-season MLB games yet, but there are some videos of him in the MiLB in the Athletics minor league system. As you can see, during Spring Training before the regular season, against Brooks Baldwin of the Chicago White Sox organization, he throws an 84-mph changeup that hangs too long up in the zone. And woof! The next thing we know, the ball travels out of the park. 

Why Predictability Matters

Being a five-pitch-mix pitcher is fine, and he can succeed in that, assuming he ups his fastball velocity 3 mph and changes his changeup to have late movement. Not everybody can be like Mariano Rivera of the New York Yankees, who practically lived off one pitch: the cutter, or cut fastball. His cutter was magnificent: it had late movement like a slider but velocity like a fastball. But he’s not that kind of pitcher who has unique properties in his pitches. When he throws, you know it’s that pitch. You know it’s a changeup. You know it’s a curveball. You know it’s a fastball.

The Curveball as a Foundation

His curveball seems to be the most effective pitch. It has a looping movement that makes hitters hesitant enough that they can be fooled into swinging too early or too late, just like how he got Chase Meidroth and Andrew Benintendi to fly out in the same inning. These are major leaguers, and that pitch was enough to fool both. Before that, he got Jarred Kelenic out with a changeup. That’s impressive because they knew right off the bat that it was indeed a curveball.

Building More Velocity

To add more velocity, he needs to add arm strength, which means he needs to have a good trainer to gradually improve that without overexerting himself and risking injury. That’s been a major trend in baseball. Pitchers overexert themselves so much that they become injury prone. You don’t want to do that.

The Splitter, the Cutter, and the Next Step

The other most obvious thing he needs to do is improve his splitter, which may be a pitch he’s developing because he has only thrown it 15 times out of 349 pitches as of 9/7/2026, according to Baseball Savant in 2025-2026, which included Spring Training and the WBC. It seems to be his worst pitch; however, if that fails, he does have another option: the cutter. This is an easier transition because he already heavily throws fastballs. This would enable him to get weak contact and have it serve as a bridge between his curveball and four-seam fastball. In this way, he avoids being predictable and attacks right-handed hitters inside. He can be a major leaguer. He just needs that extra step. His potential is only as good as he’s willing to make it. Yes, go, go, go! To MLB, here he comes!

Key Takeaways

· Chen is close to becoming a major leaguer, but his future depends on whether he can make noticeable improvements.

· His pitch mix gives him something to build on, but his predictability makes it easier for hitters to recognize what is coming.

· The changeup and splitter need the most work because both can get him into trouble when they lack sharp movement.

· His curveball appears to be his strongest pitch and gives him a solid foundation to build around.

· Adding velocity, improving the splitter, or developing a cutter could help him take the next step toward the MLB.

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