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Pirates Top 30 Prospects No. 20: After Good Start to Career, Tsung-Che Cheng Struggles in ‘24

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Tsung-Che Cheng, Pittsburgh Pirates, Pirates prospects

This is one in a series of stories breaking down PBN’s Top 30 Pittsburgh Pirates prospects.



For most of his career after the Pittsburgh Pirates signed him as an amateur free agent for $380,000 out of Taiwan, Tsung-Che Cheng continued to see his stock rise.

Cheng has an appealing skillset with excellent speed and a terrific glove as an infielder. The 23-year-old has handled shortstop for most of his career and has played both second and third base.

While his speed and defense are his best two attributes, Cheng’s bat was a pleasant surprise through the low levels of the Pirates’ minor league system.

In 38 games with the FCL Pirates in his first season in 2021, Cheng slashed an impressive .312/.449/.492 with 31 RBIs and 16 steals. He was a steady contributor with Low-A Bradenton the following season and finished the year with a .795 OPS.

Cheng began the 2023 season with High-A Greensboro and took advantage of the hitter’s paradise in the South Atlantic League. In 57 games with the Grasshoppers, Cheng hit .308 with a .980 OPS, 12 doubles, nine triples and nine home runs.

He was promoted to Double-A Altoona during the season where he struggled. Cheng began his past season back with the Curve and continued to have challenges.

Cheng played in 126 games with Altoona this season and hit just .218 with a .662 OPS. He legged out 19 doubles and slugged 11 homers. Cheng’s strikeout rate spiked to 23.4% with the Curve this season. Though his strikeout rate climbed, Cheng maintained a healthy walk rate (12.2%) and continued to show an ability to get on base.

Despite his struggles on the season, the Pirates promoted Cheng to Triple-A Indianapolis late in the season, and he finished the season on a good note. In six games following his promotion, Cheng slashed .462/.588/.539 with six hits in 13 at-bats and four walks.

The Pirates added Cheng to their 40-man roster last offseason and the expectation is that he will start the 2025 season back in Indianapolis. But if he’s able to put his 2024 struggles behind him and build on his hot, albeit brief start in Triple-A, he could make his way to Pittsburgh before long.

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