The Baltimore Lords signed international free agent Chia-Ch'ing Chou out of Taiwan in the Autumn of 1975 and the left-handed power hitting left-fielder provided them with decent value in the 1976 season. But nothing like his fellow country-man Xiao-mei Mah has delivered for the Philadelphia Mud Hens since being signed the year before.
Then again who could have predicted the hit the power game took last year, with Chou's rather modest 18 homers actually being near the top of the league leader boards. (Jesus Hernandez was the only WPK player to even hit 20.) With the power game back in full force in 1977, Chou is off to a terrific start. He is second in the MGL in batting average at .402 (trailing only Bobby Erbakan- .447- in the MGL and Mah- .404- overall.) And while his 11 home runs puts him 3rd overall in the MGL it also puts him on pace for an impressive 47 season total. Chou won't win any Gold Gloves but he does have an abnormally strong arm for a left fielder. And with a very advanced eye at the plate he has a phenomenal .519 OBP thus far.
The likable Chou may still be in the shadow of Xiao-mei Mah among Taiwanese players in the WPK, but he is certainly making a name for himself in this his second season in the American game and is helping the Baltimore Lords to a strong early start and a place among the contenders in the MGL.