DODGERS SIGN TAIWANESE LEFTY.

Byline: Associated Press 

Hong-Chih Kuo, a Taiwanese left-hander who turns 18 on July 23, has signed a minor-league contract with the Dodgers, the team announced Tuesday.

Kuo, a 6-foot-1, 190-pounder, recently played for the Chinese Taipei national team in the Harbor Invitational Tournament in Holland.

``The Dodgers are committed to winning and building our farm system by the signing of quality prospects and Mr. Kuo is a talented young man,'' Dodgers general manager Kevin Malone said in a news release. ``He is an exciting left-handed pitcher and we look forward to watching him develop into a major leaguer for the Los Angeles Dodgers.''

Kuo, who attended HanYin High School in Tainan City, is the first Taiwanese high school player to sign a professional baseball contract in the U.S. and joins outfielder Chin-Feng Chen as the only Taiwanese players to sign with the Dodgers.

Chen, playing with Single-A San Bernardino and recently named to the California League All-Star team, became only the second Taiwanese native to play for a pro baseball team in the U.S. after signing a minor-league contract with the Dodgers six months ago. Pitcher Hsin-Min Tan played briefly at the Single-A level in the San Francisco Giants farm system in 1990.