The Phillies have strengthened their international pitching pipeline by signing a teenage right-hander from Taiwan known for an advanced five-pitch repertoire, according to a report by Beisbol FR.
The signing adds another intriguing arm to Philadelphia’s farm system after the club recently added a new chunk of cash to its international bonus pool through a trade.
Ho Hua, 17, agreed to a $500,000 bonus on July 4, capping a deal that hinged on the Phillies clearing extra room under their international spending limit hours earlier, according to MLB Trade Rumors‘ Mark Polishuk. Philadelphia sent minor league right-hander Ryan Degges to Cleveland for $250,000 in bonus pool space, the missing piece that let the club close the deal on Hua.
Hua’s Signing Follows Trade For Bonus Pool Space
Degges, a 17th-round pick out of UNC-Charlotte in 2024, carried a 5.47 ERA over 24 2/3 innings between High-A Jersey Shore and Low-A Clearwater this season before a right oblique injury sidelined him in mid-May. He now joins the Cleveland Guardians‘ farm system. International bonus pool money only trades in $250,000 blocks, and Polishuk noted the Phillies appeared to have a specific target lined up once that increment became available.
Hua’s bonus ranks fourth among Philadelphia’s 2025-26 international signees, trailing Venezuelan outfielder Francisco Rentería’s $4 million, South Korean right-hander Chanmin Park’s $1,205,000 and Venezuelan shortstop Juan Parra’s $550,000. His total contract value comes in around $800,000, according to Beisbol FR‘s Francys Romero, who first reported the agreement.
Ho Hua’s Background And Path To The Phillies
Hua is of Amis descent — the largest group of Taiwan’s indigenous people — and grew up in Hualien County, working his way through Yuli Elementary School and Sanmin Junior High School before landing at Pingjen Senior High School in Taoyuan, one of Taiwan’s most established baseball programs, according to a report in Taipei Times. He has already pitched for Chinese Taipei at the 2023 Asian Youth Baseball Championship and the 2024 U-18 Baseball World Cup. His fastball reached 95 mph at Taiwan’s Yushan Cup.
At last year’s WBSC U-18 Baseball World Cup in Okinawa, Japan, Hua worked four relief outings, posting a 4.94 ERA over 5.2 innings with five strikeouts. Scouts view his 6-foot-2 frame and projectable build as a starting point for a five-pitch mix that includes a fastball, curveball, slider, splitter and changeup. His slider and splitter stand out as his most advanced weapons. Evaluators believe those pitches can already miss bats against more experienced hitters, while his feel for his off-speed stuff points toward a future in an MLB starting rotation.
Hua becomes the Phillies’ first Taiwanese pitching signee since Wen Hui Pan, who signed in January 2023 and now ranks as the organization’s No. 12 prospect, with a spot in this year’s All-Star Futures Game. Philadelphia’s 2025-26 class now spans 10 countries, more than any other organization, giving the front office the ability to make the claim that its international pipeline extends well beyond the usual Latin American and Asian pitching hotbeds that are the main focus for most other MLB teams.
Phillies Quietly Sign Teenage Taiwan Right-Hander With 5-Pitch Arsenal