Lyle
Lin

4/25/18 - Where Lin ends up being selected in June likely depends almost exclusively on whether or not you think he can catch at the big league level. After multiple looks, I don’t have any questions about him as a receiver, with quiet actions behind the plate and decent flexibility with average athleticism. The throwing component is a bigger question, as he posts times in the 2.08 range during I/O with a quick transfer and no major footwork issues. The arm strength is below average and it shows up in the numbers as he’s thrown out less than 25% of base stealers on the season. One thing there isn’t any debate over is Lin’s bat-to-ball ability. He excels at squaring up the baseball to all fields with a short swing and foot down early, contact oriented approach, could certainly be a big league contributor offensively. The lack of power production (four career home runs), lack of walks and questions about whether he can stick behind the plate, combined with a track record of offensive success both in the PAC-12 and in the Cape, make him a divisive prospect. For me he grades out more in the 10th round range, but has a strong chance to outperform that report, if he can show himself capable of playing average defense, or become enough of an on-base or power threat to be considered an offensive catcher. As a draft-eligible sophomore he has plenty of time to do just that. (Banfield)