The Baltimore Orioles has signed 19-year-old Xu Guiyuan, the first player ever to come out of the league's Chinese Development program.
Xu, pronounced "shoe" and whose nickname is “Itchy,” is scheduled to remain in China where he will train with the development program's top team.
And he is expected to move at the Orioles spring training facility in Sarasota, Fla., later this summer, to be introduced to the team before heading back to China to finish his high school classes.
According to reports, MLB's director of game development in Asia, Ricky Dell, discovered Xu as a 13-year-old playing in Shenzhen.
"Teams have to make a concerted effort to come to China to see our players," Dell said. "It's a very long trip, it's expensive and it requires a visa. You have to really care about going, and that really validates what we're doing over here."
"Ichiro is a hitting god and I love hitting, and I want to work hard to be as good as he is," Xu said. "I am excited to have a chance to go to MLB and play baseball, and I'm happy the Orioles gave me this opportunity."
Xu, pronounced "shoe" and whose nickname is “Itchy,” is scheduled to remain in China where he will train with the development program's top team.
And he is expected to move at the Orioles spring training facility in Sarasota, Fla., later this summer, to be introduced to the team before heading back to China to finish his high school classes.
According to reports, MLB's director of game development in Asia, Ricky Dell, discovered Xu as a 13-year-old playing in Shenzhen.
"Teams have to make a concerted effort to come to China to see our players," Dell said. "It's a very long trip, it's expensive and it requires a visa. You have to really care about going, and that really validates what we're doing over here."
"Ichiro is a hitting god and I love hitting, and I want to work hard to be as good as he is," Xu said. "I am excited to have a chance to go to MLB and play baseball, and I'm happy the Orioles gave me this opportunity."
The Orioles have signed free agent INF Gui Yuan “Itchy” Xu to a 2016 minor league deal. pic.twitter.com/FpyUdzeJis
— Baltimore Orioles (@Orioles) July 20, 2015
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