Right-handed hitting outfielder Wang Bor-Lung (29), who made it to Japan’s professional baseball after batting in the quadruple digits for two consecutive years in Taiwanese professional baseball, has been released by the Nippon Ham Fighters. He leaves the Japanese stage with a dismal 2.335 batting average in his five-year career.
The organization announced Wang’s departure on March 13. Wang Borung also announced his parting of ways with Nippon Ham on his social media accounts on the same day, revealing that he was ending his career in Japan. The team’s performance in Japan is so poor that it is difficult for them to enter the KBO. The Taikang Hawks, who hold the holdout rights to him in the Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL), have expressed interest in signing him, and he is expected to return to his homeland.토토사이트
“I’ll tell you what I’m feeling at this important turning point in my life. In the past few years, I’ve learned a lot away from home, and I’ve had experiences that are indescribable. First of all, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to Nihon Hamm. Their attention to detail and support allowed me to focus on practice and games.”
“After the season ended, I stayed in close contact with the club to discuss my future. During this time, I thought about my options many times and had deep conversations with my family. In the end, I decided to leave Japan and look for another opportunity. I am grateful that the club understood and respected my choice,” he said, announcing his departure from Japan.
“I would like to thank the fans, the club, the manager and coach, the officials, and my fellow players for their support in Japan. Your support has made me grow and made my experience in Japan precious.” “I will continue to work hard in a new land. I will keep my gratitude in my heart and look forward to the future.”
Wang Bor-Lung is one of Taiwan’s most talented hitters. After making his Taiwanese Professional Baseball debut in 2015 with the Ramigo Monkeys (now the Rakuten Monkeys), he spent four years in the league through 2018, batting .378 with a .464 on-base percentage, .646 slugging percentage, 1.110 OPS, 86 home runs, 319 RBI, 191 walks and 188 strikeouts in 378 games (1484 at-bats and 573 hits).
Most notably, he hit in the double digits in regulation for the second straight year in 2016 and 2017. In 2016, he exploded to a .483 (200-for-483) batting average with 29 homers, 105 RBIs and a 1.166 OPS, becoming the first player in the league to reach 200 hits and winning six awards, including MVP and Rookie of the Year. In 2017, he was even better, batting .437 (178-for-437) with 31 homers, 101 RBIs and a 1.192 OPS. He won MVP honors for the second straight year, leading his team to the championship.
After the 2018 season, Wang decided to try his hand at professional baseball in Japan. He was the first player in Taiwanese baseball to sign a 3+1 year, 400 million yen contract with Nippon Ham, but it didn’t live up to expectations. His performance in Taiwan, an extreme ride-or-die league, was overrated, and in five years with Nippon Ham, he batted just .302 with 15 home runs, 97 RBI, 59 walks, 190 strikeouts, a .353 on-base percentage, and a .655 OPS in 270 games (719 at-bats).
In 2021, his third year, he showed promise, hitting .252 (61-for-252) with nine homers, 48 RBIs, and a .750 OPS in 95 games, but never quite got there. After hitting just 6-for-32 in 15 games in 2022, his contract was cut. He continued his association with the organization as a developmental player, making the first team in August, but struggled in 20 games, batting 2-for-33 (10-for-42) with one home run, five RBI and a .646 OPS. In the second team, he batted just 2-for-8 with seven home runs, 19 RBIs and a .705 OPS in 56 games (174-for-38), making it difficult for him to move within Japan. It’s not a stat line that Korean teams will be interested in either.
Wang Borung’s next move is yet to be determined, but a return to Taiwan is likely. His former team Rakuten transferred the rights to Wang Borung to the new Taikang Hawks in a trade on August 15, so he will have to sign with Taikang when he returns to Taiwan. According to Taiwanese media, including Sanli News, Taikang is committed to signing Wang Borung. Wang Borung’s agent said, “We will discuss with the player. His return to Taiwan depends entirely on the contract,” said Wang Borung’s agent, adding that he will decide according to the conditions.