Inside The Cardinals

Cardinals No. 16 Prospect Tearing It Up In Arizona Fall League

The St. Louis Cardinals prospect is having a solid fall...
Patrick McAvoy|
Apr 24, 2022; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; A view of St. Louis Cardinals players hats and gloves in the dugout during a game with the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: David Kohl-Imagn Images
Apr 24, 2022; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; A view of St. Louis Cardinals players hats and gloves in the dugout during a game with the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: David Kohl-Imagn Images | David Kohl-Imagn Images

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The 2025 Major League Baseball season may be over for the St. Louis Cardinals, but that doesn't mean that there aren't things for fans to watch out for.

For example, the Arizona Fall League is underway and there are a few Cardinals prospects taking part this year, including No. 16 prospect, right-handed pitcher Chen-Wei Lin.

Wei Lin has made two starts for the Glendale Desert Dogs so far this fall and has yet to allow a run. Wei Lin has pitched 5 2/3 innings of shutout ball while striking out nine of the 21 batters that he has faced. It's not a big sample size, but it is a positive step after he was only able to make 17 total appearances in 2025 after missing time due to injury.

The Cardinals prospect is impressing in the AFL after a tough 2025 season

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Feb 26, 2021; Jupiter, Florida, USA; A general view of the St. Louis Cardinals logo on the stadium at Roger Dean Stadium during spring training workouts. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images | Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images

The 23-year-old had a breakout campaign in 2024 in which he logged a 2.79 ERA across 22 starts for the Class-A Palm Beach Cardinals across 116 innings of work. In 2025, he earned two different promotions to the High-A Peoria Chiefs and Double-A Springfield Cardinals, but the season was disjointed in general. Wei Lin finished the campaign with a 5.54 ERA overall in 17 starts to go along with a 70-to-39 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 50 1/3 innings pitched.

For St. Louis, Wei Lin could be a guy to watch in 2026 to at least make the jump to Triple-A. The Cardinals' minor league pitching depth is thin, to say the least. Tekoah Roby and Cooper Hjerpe both had elbow surgery this past season. Tink Hence is another guy down in the minors who has been bitten by the injury bug a few times already throughout his young career.

Wei Lin obviously didn't get an extended run in 2025 due to injuries himself, but he's healthy now and getting some work in over in Arizona. He's impressing and at least putting himself in the conversation to be considered for Triple-A early in 2026, depending on how Spring Training goes.

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Patrick McAvoy
PATRICK MCAVOY

Patrick McAvoy's experiences include local and national sports coverage at the New England Sports Network with a focus on baseball and basketball. Outside of journalism, Patrick also is pursuing an MBA at Brandeis University. After quickly rising as one of the most productive writers on the site, he expanded his reach to write for Baseball Essential, a national baseball site in Sports Illustrated Media Group. For all business/marketing inquiries regarding Inside The Cardinals, please reach out to Scott Neville: nevilles@merrimack.edu

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