Xu aims to be on first in his field of dreams

As Major League Baseball returns to the American sporting scene this week, thousands of young men will pursue their dream of donning a uniform to play the national pastime of the US.

The players come from across the United States, Canada, Mexico and Latin America, and from the Chinese mainland, as Xu Guiyuan begins his journey in the Baltimore Orioles system.

The 20-year-old Xu is the first player from MLB's three development centers in China to sign with an American club after inking a contract with the Orioles in 2015.

"Interest in baseball is growing in China," Xu told China Daily. "It will be very helpful if I can make the Orioles and maybe someday they can play a game in China."

A first baseman who bats left handed, Xu thinks of himself as a power hitter. "I also can hit doubles and triples," he said.

While hitting a baseball consistently may look relatively easy from afar, in reality it's one of the hardest skills to master in professional sports. Last year, only 20 players reached the coveted .300 mark out of the 750 players who played on each of the 30 major league teams.

"I like his swing. He's a left-handed hitter who goes through the hitting zone properly," said Brian Graham, player development director for the Orioles.

Still, Xu faces long odds of making Baltimore's roster. "He has the same chance as anyone else does of making the team. It's all about improvement," Graham said.

"Xu has been working hard at the MLB Development Center, and we hope he'll be the first of many future major league players from China," Orioles Executive Vice-President of Baseball Operations Dan Duquette told MLB.com last year.

Xu began playing baseball when he was about 7 years old in China. "One of my teachers (in elementary school) suggested that I play in a game. Until then, I had never heard of baseball or seen it," Xu said.

In 2010, Xu took up residence at the MLB development center in Wuxi, a city in East China's Jiangsu province. In addition to Wuxi, MLB has opened development centers in Changzhou and Nanjing.

Xu was a two-time China National Youth Baseball League Most Valuable Player and also won the 2012 China National Youth Baseball League Home Run Derby.

Although Xu's command of English is limited, he believes that he communicates effectively with his teammates. "It's not a problem. I can pick up the signs," he said of the baseball tradition of non-verbal communication through hand and body gestures from the dugout and coaches on the field.

"I am not concerned about it at all," Graham said of Xu's English ability. "He has good instincts and good baseball knowledge."

Xu may play this year in the rookie-level Gulf Coast League in the Orioles system.

MLB hopes Xu is the first of many Chinese players to make it to the majors. In the first half of the 20th century, China enjoyed baseball as mainland teams traveled overseas to play, and American All-Star teams, including players like Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig, traveled to China for exhibition games.

paulwelitzkin@chinadailyusa.com

(China Daily USA 04/04/2016 page2)