Central STL News

Chen-Wei Lin, a pitching prospect for the St. Louis Cardinals, delivered a strong performance in his second start in the Arizona Fall League on Friday. Lin, who stands 6-foot-7, struck out five batters over 3⅔ scoreless innings, allowing only one hit and no walks in a 10-1 win for his team at Surprise Stadium.

A key moment came in the fourth inning when Lin, facing Blake Mitchell, used an 85.1 mph splitter on an 0-2 count. The pitch was initially called a ball, but after a challenge by catcher Jesus Galiz, the call was overturned to strike three. Mitchell, who is also a catcher, recognized the outcome before the review was complete and returned to the dugout.

Lin threw 31 of his 37 pitches for strikes. This performance marked an improvement in control for Lin, who had previously issued 39 walks in 50⅓ innings across three minor league levels during the summer.

“With my left hand, I did a little bit of an adjustment, so I can have more consistency when I’m pitching,” Lin said. “That helped a lot today. … The pitching coaches Lance [Carter] and Jacob [Dorris were] talking about my left arm was open too early and extending a little bit.”

Lin’s adjustments followed an earlier outing in the Fall League on October 9, when he pitched two scoreless innings but walked three batters. In Friday’s game, he relied heavily on his four-seam fastball, throwing it 29 times out of 37 pitches, reaching velocities up to 98.2 mph. He also mixed in sliders and splitters, with his slider generating swings and misses.

“A goal for the Fall League has been to throw the slider a little bit harder,” Lin said. “Not care about movement, just try to throw it harder and get more consistency out of it. … Our coordinators say if you throw the slider, your stuff will be way better.”

Lin was limited to 50⅓ innings during the regular season due to a forearm issue at the start of the year and an oblique injury in July and August while with High-A Peoria. He signed with the Cardinals in July 2023 after playing in the Northwoods and MLB Draft Leagues, receiving a $500,000 signing bonus. Last season with Single-A Palm Beach, he posted a 2.79 ERA with 123 strikeouts in 116 innings before injuries affected his progress at higher levels.

Reflecting on his development, Lin said, “Right now, I think I know more what I’m doing. Every day, I have a goal, have something to do, something to work on. I think that’s the biggest difference between now and before I signed.”