Diamondbacks Top Prospects #15: LHP Yu-Min Lin

Lin put himself in the prospect discussion with a strong 2022 season.

Name: Yu-Min Lin

Age: 19

Position: Starting Pitcher

Acquired: International Free Agent, December 2021, $525K signing bonus

Tools: Fastball 45, Curveball 50, Slider 55, Changeup 60, Command 50, Overall 45

Lin sits in the low 90s with his fastball, topping out at 93 MPH. His best secondary pitch is a straight changeup, which has a lot of arm-side fade to it and is a legitimate swing and miss offering. 

ETA: 2025

Risk: High

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2022 Overview

Lin, who hails from Taiwan, was signed by the Diamondbacks in February of 2022. Having pitched for Taiwan in many international tournaments between ages 15-18, he impressed scouts enough for the D-backs to scoop him up. 

He started the year in the complex, putting up some absurd numbers at that level. In seven starts, spanning 23 innings, Lin pitched to a 2.35 ERA with 41 strikeouts, six walks, and a .118 opponent batting average allowed. The strong numbers mandated a promotion to Low-A Visalia, where he was still very effective. In seven starts with Visalia, he was 2-0 with a 2.97 ERA and 50 strikeouts in 33.1 innings. His most notable start came on September 8th, when he fired six scoreless innings with 10 strikeouts against the Lake Elsinore Storm.

Here is some video from his Visalia debut on July 29th, 2022. It's evident from the video how well he hides the ball, which may allow his fastball to play up. 

2023 Outlook

Even with the strong performance in Visalia to close out 2022, they'll likely have him start there to get more reps in a hitter-friendly league before sending him up to Hillsboro. It'll be important for him to stay healthy and build up from the 56.1 inning workload he had in his Age 18 season. A likely target for 2023 will be somewhere from 90-100 innings pitched. He probably finishes the year with High-A Hillsboro and maybe a start or two with Double-A Amarillo.

MLB Projection

Presently Lin is a fringe starter prospect with a short and slender frame, a below-average fastball, and two swing-and-miss secondary pitches. Any velocity gains as he gets older and physically matures drastically improves his long term outlook as a big league starter. As he closes in on the big leagues, how he handles a bigger workload each year is important for him to stick as a starter. If not, the team should work to move him to the bullpen where his secondary pitches will play up and perhaps see a velocity bump in shorter outings.