Yu-Min Lin Throws "Nasty" Live BP Today for D-backs
Yu-Min Lin is just 20 years old and entering his third professional season, but is already turning heads in major league camp. The left-hander hails from the sleepy seaside town of Taitung, Taiwan, but there is nothing sleepy about the way Lin pitches. He made 24 starts last year, split between Hillsboro and Amarillo (High A and Double-A) pitching to a 3.86 ERA. He racked up 140 strikeouts in 121 innings while walking just 48. That earned him an invite as a non-roster invitee, and he's making the most of it.
Lin threw a live BP session today that included a strikeout of Gabriel Moreno on a high fastball, and strikeouts looking of Corbin Carroll, Jake McCarthy and Joc Pederson. The only hit was an excuse me double by Alek Thomas that snuck in down the left field line.
Asked what he thought of Lin's session and his stuff, Moreno said "He was nasty. He was amazing today, I'm happy for him" Moreno said that Lin's fastball has good carry, and plays "up" from his recorded velocities. Moreno also lauded the curveball spin and the way Lin pitches with confidence.
Pederson was impressed as well. "He looked really good, he threw a lot of strikes, he was dominating the zone with multiple speeds. He looked sharp. Especially early on." Pederson also said Lin was getting swing and miss with the fastball and people were late on it.
Torey Lovullo was happy with his command and control.
"Everything is around the zone, correctable mistakes when there's misfires. Good mound presence. Able to accept the coaching that he was getting. I really liked what I saw, the shape of his pitches was spot on, his ability to command all of those pitches was very good. The fastball looked like it had nice carry and good ride to it. Very impressive."
It's still not known if Lin will head back to Amarillo to start the season or if he'll be promoted to Reno right from the start of the minor league season. There is a bit of log jam in the Reno rotation, so Lin may have to begin the year in Double-A. But these early looks are already very impressive. He's definitely someone Diamondback fans should keep an eye on this spring and into the season.
