Hamilton standout Liam Wilson's Taiwan baseball experience an awakening

Chandler Hamilton catcher Liam Wilson has been a key part of the school's last two state championships, relishing in the celebrations.

But he never knew how big baseball was until last September when he returned to his roots, where he was born, and played on Taiwan's national U-18 team that reached the Baseball World Cup final, before losing 2-1 to Japan in the gold-medal game before 10,000 fans at Tianmu Stadium in Taipei.

Team Taiwan played under the name Chinese Taipei.

The games were on television all across the country. The stadium was packed. The media coverage was intense. The atmosphere is like what you would find in Major League Baseball playoff games.

"It put a new perspective on baseball," Wilson said. "The amount of reps I got, the practicing, the competition really helped me to improve.

"All the high school athletes play baseball over there. That's like their everyday thing. They play baseball all day. They throw a ton. They hit a ton. The amount of work they put in, I've never seen anything like that in the U.S."

Liam and his older brother Tyler, now a junior playing baseball at Grand Canyon University, were born in Taiwan, while their father Stephen finished his pro baseball career there as a pitcher, after spending six years in the major leagues, pitching for the Texas Rangers, Chicago Cubs and Los Angeles Dodgers from 1988-93.

It was in Taiwan that Stephen met his wife Lydia. The family moved to the United States in 2011, when Liam was about 5. Because of his dual citizenship, he was able to play for Taiwan's national U-18 team.

Tyler was a junior catcher/first baseman on Hamilton's 2019 state championship team and the big bat in the middle of the lineup in 2020, when the team started 8-0 and was ranked No. 1 in the nation, before the season ended abruptly due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

Liam started at catcher on varsity his freshman, sophomore and junior seasons, and is a main cog on this year's team that is ranked No. 1 in 6A to start the season. The Huskies opened the season Monday with a 10-1 win over Tolleson.

Splitting time at catcher

In that game, Liam shared catching duties with Minnesota move-in Drew Rogers, the best player in Minnesota high school last year who also is a starting pitcher.

Coach Mike Woods said the two players will split time at catcher and that Liam will play first base when Rogers isn't pitching.

Wilson hit .287 last year with nine doubles, six home runs and 33 RBIs. His power numbers ramped up in the second half of the season when he was clutch at the plate, especially in the playoffs.

Woods credits the Wilson brothers' father for how well they have matured in baseball, school and life in general. He calls Stephen Wilson, now an international cross-checker in Major League Baseball, the model baseball father.

"Their dad keeps their feet firmly on the ground," Woods said. "He knows what it takes. He's seen it so many times, scouting younger players. He's looking at 14-, 15- and 16-year-olds. He knows the game. He's so supportive. He's the model dad for a baseball program the way he goes about his business."

Stephen Wilson made sure his sons' priorities were in order, and that they had fun playing the game. Liam will be headed to Harvard after this season to pursue his studies and play baseball.

"I've always tried to help them remember to have fun playing and that school comes first," Stephen said. "For Liam, I told him to have a great senior year at Hamilton to make some great memories.

"We are very lucky at Hamilton to have Coach Woods and his coaching staff there. I've been all over the country to see high school baseball and over the world, for that matter, and you're hard-pressed to find a coaching staff that helps to develop kids both on and off the field with character the way Coach Woods and all of his assistants and volunteer assistants do."

Liam got an inside glimpse of the intense baseball culture in Taiwan. It also puts in perspective how fortunate he has it in Chandler, going to school and being able to balance his life with academics and the game he loves.

Becoming a true student-athlete is difficult to come by in Asia when it comes to baseball, not just in Taiwan, but in Japan and Korea, as well, Stephen Wilson said.

"The kids don't get the same opportunities for studies there," Stephen Wilson said.

Remembering his roots

Liam said he remembered things from his formative years living in Taiwan.

"I was able to see my family, my grandmother," he said. "The culture. It brought back a lot of good memories. It was nice to experience that culture again and to experience baseball, which I hadn't previously experienced."

Stephen Wilson said there will be numerous players from Taiwan who will have a chance to sign with a Major League club later this summer.

Wilson caught pitcher Sun Yi-Lei, whose fastball was topping out at 96 to 97 mph, closing out the win against Team USA. Yi-Lei has already signed a contract with Nippon Ham in Japan.

Stephen Wilson said it's hard for people in the United States to realize how big a deal it is to play on the Taiwanese national U-18 baseball team.

"Every game is on national TV there," he said. "The stadiums are packed. The teams have media coverage similar to what the DBacks would get as an MLB club. That kind of media attention."

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Liam is looking forward to sharing catching duties with Rogers and getting another championship at Hamilton to finish his high school career.

"Catching is definitely my main priority," he said. "I think that's my biggest skillset. I'll continue playing well at first. I'm getting more comfortable there day by day. It doesn't hurt to have versatility like that."

His father, he said, has helped with all aspects of baseball.

"He talks to us a lot about the mental and physical aspects of the game and having a strong mindset, and staying in the present," Liam said. "Enjoying the moment. It's only what you can do now."

To suggest human-interest story ideas and other news, reach Obert atrichard.obert@arizonarepublic.com or 602-316-8827. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter:@azc_obert

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Hamilton's Liam Wilson learned from Taiwan baseball experience