Taigen Kaku (Tai-Yuan Kuo) was a legend in the Saitama Seibu Lions golden era and arguably one of the most successful foreign pitchers in NPB history. Unfortunately, Chun-Lin Kuo is nowhere near this level of greatness.
C.L. Kuo, 25, recently had his number changed from 12 (a number T.Y. Kuo once wore) to 69 last week. With all the jokes revolving around 69 in culture, this actually indicates a demotion for an NPB roster as most players who have a high number have a lesser priority. While there are some who keep a higher number or have one on purpose, going from a low to high number is not good for the individual.
When 2017 started, C.L. Kuo did not participate in the Lions spring training camp and instead trained with Taiwan's 2017 World Baseball Classic team in both Taiwan and Australia. While playing for your country isn't wrong, Kuo is still mostly an amateur or unproven player in NPB.
This all backfired when he only recorded two outs and six hits while facing Israel's team made up of fringe MLB talent in his only start. By not training with the Lions and betting on himself for the 2017 WBC, he buried himself in Japan.
Kuo was seen at the team's training facilities in Tokorozawa and practiced, but didn't participate in a single ichi-gun or ni-gun game for that matter recovering from an injury. His salary was cut by 33% from an estimated ¥30 million to ¥20 million for 2018 when both sides reached an agreement.
The Lions were doing just fine without Kuo, going on a 13 game win streak at one point and coming in second place in the Pacific League under new manager Hatsuhiko Tsuji. Other pitchers passed Kuo on the depth chart including rookie Katsunori Hirai, Shogo Noda, Kentaro Fukukura and even Yosuke Okamoto.
By entering 2018, he will have even more competition with rookies Hiromasa Saito, Kaito Yoza and Sho Ito joining the fold. Kuo was viewed as a top amateur when he signed in the fall of 2014 and had a promising career internationally, but it hasn't worked out since joining NPB.
In 2015, Kuo had understandable struggles for a player who never pitched in professional baseball, but there was progress in a handful of starts. It only got worse in 2016 where he was used as a reliever and spot starter. His control continued to fade and his empty 2017 sums up a brutal year.
From a Lions standpoint, Kuo is just a developmental pitcher who has a longshot to make the ichi-gun like an ikusei. He is a low risk option, but Kuo himself must work hard to earn his playing time again.
Kuo hopes to re-write his own legacy with "Kaku" 郭 (The Japanese reading of his name) no longer being part of his registered name as Kuo will be on his jersey. No more comparisons to Taigen Kaku, but also no more expectations for him to succeed in NPB. His uphill battle only gets tougher from here on out.
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