Former Arizona Diamondbacks Prospect Signs with A's

Aug 10, 2024; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; A general view of the fans in attendance for a baseball game between the Philadelphia Phillies and Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Allan Henry-Imagn Images | Allan Henry-Imagn Images

The backup backstop for the Sacramento Athletics is going to be an open question in camp this month and next, and the team just added another potential option to the mix, signing former Arizona Diamondbacks catching prospect, Lyle Lin, to a minor-league deal.

The news was first reported by TVBS, a Taiwanese outlet, that came complete with a picture of him in A's green and gold. Lin's Instagram also mentions that he is part of the A's, as well as his MiLB.com player page.

Lin joined Arizona's organization in 2019 after being selected in the 14th round of the MLB Draft, and he has spent nearly all of his time in the D-Backs' system. In 2023 he signed on with the Toronto Blue Jays, but he made three trips to the development list over the course of the season before signing back on with Arizona last off-season.

Lin has appeared in one Triple-A game, in 2022, so far in his career, and spent 14 games in Double-A in 2024. His playing time was limited due to more trips to the dev list, and then a left hand injury that ended his season in August. In his 14 games with the Amarillo Sod Poodles, Lin hit .409 with a .480 OBP and one home run with seven RBI.

Now 27, Lin will be looking to bounce back with a new organization after two seasons of limited playing time. The last time he received more than 100 plate appearances in a season was in 2022 when he got 153. Most of that time was accrued in High-A, where he hit just .183 with a .286 on-base.

In his one career plate appearance in Triple-A, he was hit by a pitch, and ended up with a 1.000 OBP and a wRC+ of 361. He also finished last season with a 198 wRC+ in his 50 Double-A plate appearances, but other than those two small sample sizes, Lin's bat hasn't graded out well. Every other stop has seen him finish with a wRC+ between 31 and 80.

He is a career .223 hitter with a .310 on-base. The assumption here is that he'll begin the 2025 season in Double-A Midland with the A's, with a chance to move up through the system, though there will be a number of catchers in the mix above him on the current depth chart.

Among those options are Jhonny Pereda, Willie MacIver, and Kyle McCann, all three of whom will be fighting for a chance to back up Shea Langeliers in Sacramento. In addition to that trio will also be former first round draftee Daniel Susac, who looks primed to get his first taste of Triple-A to begin the 2025 campaign.