Seattle Mariners' International Prospect Named Team's Minor League Pitcher of the Month

The 21-year-old made his professional debut on May 9. He made four appearances (two starts) that month and posted a 1.13 ERA with 19 strikeouts across 16 appearances. He's walked just two batters and allowed 10 hits.

Shen, a Taiwan native, was signed by Seattle on July 9, 2024, to a $175,000 minor league deal. Shen's journey to the U.S. had several twists and turns before he eventually came to terms with the Mariners.

The then-Oakland Athletics agreed to terms with Shen on a $350,000 minor league contract in 2022, but the deal fell through. The Mariners made several attempts to sign Shen after their American League West rivals failed to do so, but off-the-field issues forced him to remain in Taiwan.

Shen recently joined the list of Seattle's top 30 prospects, according to MLB Pipeline. The site's scouting report on Shen grades him with an average-grade fastball, below-average slider and an above-average changeup with above-average control. The site had the following assessment on Shen:

All of Shen’s stuff does play up because he can throw all three offerings for strikes and knows how to miss bats by mixing his repertoire well and keeping hitters off-balance. His ceiling might be a bit limited, but his pitchability could help him move a bit more quickly and become a back-end starter in the big leagues.

The 6-foot-3, 180-pound righty is still a long way off from the major leagues. He's projected to debut in 2028, according to MLB Pipeline. But he's already showing flashes of starting pitcher potential, which is never a bad thing for an organization to have.

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