Nurturing young talent is essential for sports culture. Liao Chien-Fu, who has been making waves for the Rakuten Monkeys ever since he was in his teens, is exactly the kind of player young kids look up to and aspire to become. And yet he too was once just a boy who dreamed of becoming a professional baseball player ― and worked tirelessly to make it happen.

Liao made his mark from his rookie season in 2017, and while he narrowly missed the required plate appearances in his second year, he posted a .387 batting average, earning him the label of the “19-year-old .400 contender” and enormous expectations. Since then, he has been a driving force for the team as a hitting catcher. Tasked with a central role at a young age, the pressure on him is immense. Yet the approach he has adopted ― communicating openly with teammates ― not only eases that pressure but also strengthens the team as a whole. Liao has fulfilled his dream to become a pillar of Taiwanese baseball. Only someone who has walked that path can speak with authority about the future.

— You were in great form in the first half of the 2023 season — a .328 average, 10 home runs, and 41 RBIs. What score would you give yourself for that first half season out of 100?

“I’d say about 70 points. The first-half numbers look solid, but there’s still half a season left to go. I need to keep the momentum going into the second half and channel it into winning the championship, so I’m not letting myself get comfortable.”

— You’ve been a standout player since your teenage years. How do you hope to keep growing from here?

“I haven’t thought too far ahead yet, but for now I want to focus on what’s in front of me, things like staying healthy day to day. The role of catcher requires high physical endurance, and I’ve missed games through injury before, so I’m going to keep taking good care of my body.”

— You must face enormous pressure being one of the central players of the team, and at such a young age, too. How do you deal with the pressure?

“I try to get an objective view of things by communicating with my teammates, instead of trying to bear it all myself. And just like the team has both good times and bad, I myself have a rough patch here and there. So talking and sharing with my teammates is what helps ease the pressure for me. Talking to my teammates really lightens the load.”

— Where do you think the source of the current Rakuten Monkeys’ strength lies?

“This brings me back to the same point, but I think we really function together well as a team. We talk a lot with each other, and both young players and veterans give everything they have on the field. We have a culture of the veterans leading the way and the younger players pushing hard to keep up with them. We hold team meetings before and after each game, where everyone has the time to reflect and fire themselves up. Having those conversations is what I think builds our unity. Baseball is a team sport, and I really feel we’re getting stronger by pushing each other.”

— You’ll be a driving force for Taiwanese baseball going forward. What do you think it needs in order to grow?

“Right now there are only five teams in Taiwan (with a sixth planned from 2024), so I think having more teams would be great. More teams means more players can make it as professionals, and kids who look up to those players are more likely to take an interest in baseball. That’s how you grow the overall baseball population and raise the level of Taiwanese baseball as a whole.”

— What advice would you give to kids who dream of becoming a professional baseball player?

“Keep holding on to your dreams, and put in the work to get there. I dreamed of becoming a professional baseball player when I was very young, and I got here by always trying my best. There were plenty of obstacles I had to overcome along the way, but it was having a high goal that made me want to take on difficult challenges. I hope all the kids chasing their professional baseball dreams keep working hard toward making them happen.”

Interview: Yohsuke Watanabe (IN FOCUS)
Text: Kodai Wada