(TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Philadelphia Phillies have added 17-year-old right-handed pitcher Ho Hua to their roster, marking him as the third Taiwanese high school player to sign with a Major League Baseball organization this summer, as reported by UDN.
The Phillies finalized the signing this week. According to reports, Ho received a signing bonus of US$500,000 (NT$15.97 million), and the overall value of his contract is estimated at roughly US$800,000. Ho’s representative, Mimali Talent Agency, later verified these numbers through a post on social media.
Ho, who is of Amis Indigenous descent and originally from Hualien County, started his baseball career at Yuli Elementary School and subsequently played for Sanmin Junior High School. He later went on to attend Taoyuan’s Pingjen Senior High School, which is recognized as one of Taiwan’s top baseball programs.
On the international stage, Ho has represented Taiwan in competitions such as the 2023 Asian Youth Baseball Championship and the 2024 U-18 Baseball World Cup. He was also named to the training squad for this year’s Asian Youth Baseball Championship. Considered one of the premier high school pitching talents in Taiwan, Ho drew attention from MLB scouts as his performance showed steady improvement over recent years.
His agent shared that Ho’s parents originally encouraged him to take up baseball as a way to cultivate teamwork, social skills, and self-discipline. Ho also performed well in school, earning the Basegarden Scholarship five times. Ho expressed his desire to continue his education while advancing his baseball career in the United States, with the long-term goal of becoming a positive example for young people from Hualien.
Ho extended his gratitude to his coaches for giving him chances to participate in both domestic and international events. He recalled being struck by the skill level of Pingjen’s older players when he first joined the program and noted that training and playing alongside them expanded his understanding of the game, which in turn opened doors to opportunities with overseas professional organizations.
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