Taiwanese pitcher Lin Yu-min on Thursday moved one step closer to an MLB contract after being invited to spring training by the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Lin was among 26 non-roster invitees announced by the Diamondbacks on the same day that the ballclub unveiled its 40-man spring training roster.
According to the Diamondbacks’ schedule, pitchers and catchers are to report on Feb. 14 before their full-squad workout starts on Feb. 19.
Photo: CNA
The invitation is Lin’s first call to spring training since signing for the Diamondbacks in 2022.
Known for his striking abilities, Lin began last season at High-A and was promoted to Double-A in July, finishing the year with 140 strikeouts over 121-1/3 innings.
The left-hander started in all of his 11 games with the Amarillo Sod Poodles, the Diamondbacks’ Double-A affiliate, recording a 5-2 record with a 4.28 ERA.
He struck out 64 over 61 innings pitched, while maintaining a .221 batting average against and a 1.23 walks and hits per innings pitched (WHIP).
The 20-year-old Lin is one of two Taiwanese pitchers who could potentially appear in the majors next season, along with the San Francisco Giants’ Teng Kai-wei, who spent the second half of last year in Triple-A with the Sacramento River Cats.
In the middle of last month, a report on the official MLB Web site titled “Here are the Top 10 LFP prospects for 2024” by Sam Dykstra referred to Lin as one to “keep an eye on,” although he did not make the top 10.
Despite standing only 180cm tall and his fastball averaging about 90mph (144.8kph), Lin’s “79-81mph changeup can be especially deadly, while his low-80s slider and mid-70s curve can also look like at least above-average pitches,” Dykstra wrote.
Although Taiwan included Lin on their roster for last year’s Asian Baseball Championship, the Diamondbacks declined to release him due to concerns about insufficient off-season rest.
If Lin takes to the mound this MLB season, he will become the youngest Taiwanese to ever play in the majors, breaking the record of 21 years, 354 days, the age left-handed pitcher Wang Wei-chung set on April 14, 2014, when he started for the Milwaukee Brewers against the St Louis Cardinals.
The most recent start by a Taiwanese pitcher in an MLB game dates back to Sept. 28, 2018, when Chen Wei-yin took the mound first up for the Miami Marlins against the Washington Nationals.
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