Taipei, Feb. 18 (CNA) Major League Baseball (MLB) club Arizona Diamondbacks have signed Taiwanese pitcher Lin Yu-min (林昱珉), the team announced at a press conference in Taipei on Friday, confirming a move that had been speculated about in local media since last December.
The 18-year-old Taiwanese southpaw will reportedly receive a signing bonus of around US$525,000 and an education expense payment of US$75,000.
According to Diamondbacks scout Wei Tzu-yao (魏子堯), the actual signing already took place on Dec. 15, but was not publicly announced at the time because Lin had not yet undergone his physical examination and the club wanted to wait for all necessary procedures to be completed.
Lin boasts extensive national team experience, having represented Taiwan throughout his youth at the U-12, U-15, U-18, and U-23 levels.
At the U-23 Baseball World Cup in Mexico in September 2021, Lin posted a 2.42 ERA and struck out 14 batters across 8.2 innings for the national U-23 team in games against Cuba and Venezuela.
Standing at 178 cm and weighing 65 kg, Lin's fastball is around 145kph to 149kph, and he throws a slider, curve, changeup, and splitter with decent control for his age group, according to media reports in December.
The Diamondbacks have been keeping an eye on Lin since he was in the eighth grade and believe he has the potential to be a starting pitcher in the MLB, said Wei at the press conference.
"We are very happy to have signed Lin as we think he was the best international free agent in 2021. So, his signing bonus was the highest among all the players signed that year by the Diamondbacks, which included international free agents and draft picks," Wei said.
Peter Wardell, director of international scouting for the Diamondbacks, said in a recorded video that he welcomed Lin to the Diamondbacks family and reminded him to stay committed to striving to be a professional baseball player and to continue to give his best.
"This organization is here to help you develop, first as a man and second as a ballplayer. And we are very excited to get started," Wardell said. "I am very proud of you and I look forward to seeing you in Arizona in the coming weeks."
Lin is expected to report to the Diamondbacks next week and participate in spring training and extended spring training, Wei said.
Speaking with the media, Lin said he had been trying to gain weight to reach 75 kg as part of his preparations for going to the United States. He understands the attention he is getting and does not want to let the Diamondbacks down, Lin said.
"My goals are to have a complete season in my first year and not get any injuries. And I hope to reach the MLB step-by-step," Lin said.
Following the official announcement, Lin is now the fifth Taiwanese player to become part of the Diamondbacks organization, after Huang Wei-chieh (黃暐傑), Lin Kai-Wei (林凱威), Lyle Lin (林家正), and Chen Sheng-Ping (陳聖平).
