Che-Hsuan Lin: The Ideal Fourth Outfielder

Some of you may be wondering who Che-Hsuan Lin, the recently called up Taiwanese guy, is– and I, being head of the prospects department here at BoSox Injection, am here to tell you. Lin is not a stellar all around ballplayer, but he possesses the qualities that are perfect for his current and future role as a fourth outfielder. Lin’s bat will prevent him from ever becoming a star– but in all other facets of the game, he is excellent. He has great speed to go with being almost certainly the best defender in the Red Sox’ farm system– winning Defender of the Year in the Red Sox’ system in 2008, and Defender of the Month four times since 2008.

This is not without merit as every source I’ve seen has stated that he is a great defender. According to SoxProspects (see his page here), he covers excellent ground and reads balls off the bat as well as one could. This is aided by his speed– which is also a plus, as he stole 28 bases between triple-A Pawtucket and double-A Portland last season. He also has a good arm– something lacking among current Red Sox’ outfielders– and it is going nowhere but up according to SoxProspects.

However, despite all that– his hitting skills are what keep him from being a super-prospect. He was batting just .256/.356/.360 at Pawtucket this season, and was even worse at .245/.340/.305 last year. His average isn’t great as the highest average he’s ever had over a full season in professional baseball is .275 at Portland in 2010. His power is even worse– his career high in home runs in just seven (in 2009 at high-A Salem) and he had two at the time of his promotion this year. He does reach base at a fairly good clip because of his great discipline at the plate, but it isn’t enough to compensate for his lack of hitting.

Lin still predicts as a guy who could certainly be a strong bench player for a major league team. He could come into the game late as a defensive replacement– like yesterday, when he made a game saving diving catch in the eighth inning. He could also pinch-run here and there and steal a base in replacement of the Red Sox’ slower runners. I don’t feel that Lin should be a starter on the Red Sox– but in this injury filled time it may be necessary. He should shape up to be a good fourth outfielder and it’ll be fun to watch his web gems in the future.