SSS alert but Tzu-Wei Lin has begun the season like a different player at AA Portland. Prior to this season, the previously slap-hitting Lin was mostly known for his defense at SS. Now, after an apparent shift in approach he's all of a sudden become a fly-ball machine and already has more homers this season than he's ever hit in any previous season. .
Per Carson Cistulli at Fangraphs:
"Listed at 5-foot-9 and 155 pounds, Lin doesn’t possess the trademark physicality of those major leaguers —
Josh Donaldson,
J.D. Martinez, et al. — who’ve become evangelists of the fly ball in recent years. And yet, after posting ground-ball rates in the 50-55% range over the course of his career, the 23-year-old has recorded just a 29% mark so far this season — i.e., one of the
lowest figures in all of Double-A. At the same time, however, he’s retained his better-than-average bat-to-ball skills. The result? Probably the optimum combination of contact rate and batted-ball type across the level. The early returns have been exceptional. Over 81 plate appearances, Lin has produced a .214 isolated-power mark — a figure that’s roughly three times his career figure — while also recording a strikeout rate (18.5%) a couple points lower than the Eastern League average. All of this, one notes, from a player who’s recorded
strong numbers at shortstop as a professional.
It's probably way to soon to be thinking about Lin in Boston but if he were to continue his breakout season you'd have to think he'd eventually get consideration for a promotion. With Boston's black hole at 3b and his strong defense it wouldn't take much with the bat for him to outperform other internal options..
