Chinese Xu Guiyuan makes history by signing with MLB club

A screen shot from a video clip on Tecent sports introduces Itchy Xu, or Xu Guiyuan during an interview with MLB.com.

Last year, six of eight graduating student athletes went on to play baseball at Chinese universities. This year, there will be 22 graduates, 14 of whom have already committed to Chinese universities. Several others are still waiting to hear back, and the vast majority of those teens would never have had the opportunity to attend college if not for the DCs.

"Within the next three graduating classes, the byproduct of our development centers will be the overall improvement of the level of college baseball in China," Dell said. "We haven't had any Chinese players go on to American universities yet, but it will happen."

It was Dell who discovered Xu, as a 13-year-old left-handed pitcher playing high school baseball in Shenzhen, just across the border from Hong Kong. When he came to the DC, it was obvious his hitting was ahead of his pitching. The then-skinny kid switched to playing outfield and first base, and he is now a 5-foot-11, 186-pounder with a body that, according to Dell, "has room to mature."

Scouts love a frame that can support added muscle, and 15 of them from 10 Major League clubs have visited the Chinese DCs, and the showcase days held in the fall and spring, since the ban on signing Chinese players was lifted in August 2014.

"Teams have to make a concerted effort to come to China to see our players," Dell said. "It's a very long trip, it's expensive and it requires a visa. You have to really care about going, and that really validates what we're doing over here."

Xu's signing was the icing on the cake. For the time being, Xu will stay in China and train with his team from the DC; currently, he is in Taiwan training with what Dell calls "The AAA squad," a group made up of the best players from all three DCs. Xu will likely go to Baltimore's Spring Training facility in Sarasota, Fla., later in the summer to be introduced to the Orioles. Then, he will return to China to finish his high school classes in the fall before reporting to the O's Spring Training camp next February, where he will be evaluated and assigned to one of Baltimore's Minor League affiliates.

Itchy, for his part, is a happy guy.

"Ichiro is a hitting god and I love hitting, and I want to work hard to be as good as he is," Xu said. "I am excited to have a chance to go to MLB and play baseball, and I'm happy the Orioles gave me this opportunity."