Diamondbacks pitching prospect Yu-Min Lin is making up for lost time in the Arizona Fall League with back-to-back scoreless three-inning starts, including his latest against the Scottsdale Scorpions. Over two outings, the left-hander has pitched six scoreless innings, striking out seven and walking only one. Reflecting on his approach, Lin mentioned, “I watched my first outing video and tried to replicate it, just throwing all my pitches.”
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Lin’s versatility on the mound was on full display, featuring a deep arsenal of pitches, including a four-seamer, sinker, cutter, curveball, slider, and changeup. His ability to mix locations and speeds was evident in his second inning, where he struck out the side after a leadoff single, including a standout three-pitch sequence against Eddison Paulino using sinkers and a slider. Lin admitted he wasn’t fully comfortable with his curveball but was encouraged by how effective his four-seamer was in the outing.
Despite missing six weeks of the season after being struck by a line drive in April, resulting in a concussion and facial fractures, Lin rebounded well. After rehabbing and making his way back to Double-A Amarillo, he finished the season strong with a 3.54 ERA over 16 starts. Though a spot in the Diamondbacks’ rotation next season might be a long shot, Lin will likely get another opportunity in big league Spring Training.
Lin shared that initially, it was a bit nerve-wracking to play catch after his injury, but he’s glad to be back, saying, “It’s a big thing for me to still be playing baseball.”