Kansas City, MO (Dec. 31, 2007) -- The Kansas City Royals have signed right-handed pitcher Chin-Hui Tsao to a 2008 minor league contract with an invitation to Major League Spring Training in Surprise, Ariz.
Chin-Hui Tsao (pronounced Cheen-Way Sow), 26, a native of Hualien, Taiwan, has spent parts of four seasons in the Majors with the Colorado Rockies (2003-05) and Los Angeles Dodgers (2007), recording a 4-4 record with a 5.40 ERA in 50 games, including eight starts. He was originally signed by the Rockies as a non-drafted free agent on Oct. 7, 1999.
The 6-foot-1, 210-pound right-hander began the 2007 season with Triple-A Las Vegas in the Dodgers system before being recalled by Los Angeles on April 17. He made 21 relief appearances for the Dodgers, going 0-1 with a 4.38 ERA. He was 0-1 with a 3.60 ERA in five games for Las Vegas, striking out nine and walking one in five innings.
Tsao, who was rated as the Rockies top prospect in 2001, 2002 and 2004 by Baseball America, has dealt with various shoulder and elbow ailments in his professional career, including missing the entire 2006 season after undergoing rotator cuff surgery on May 25, 2005. Colorado's Minor League Player of the Year in 2003, Tsao has pitched for his native Taiwan in five major international competitions including the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens. He became the first Taiwanese pitcher to compete in the Majors when he made his debut as a 22-year old on July 25, 2003 for the Rockies. He remains one of just five Taiwanese players to appear in a Major League game, joining Chien-Ming Wang, Hong-hui Kuo, Chin-Feng Chen and Chin-Lung Hu.