Che-Hsuan Lin (; born September 21, 1988) is a Taiwanese professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...

outfielder An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to cat ...

for the

Fubon Guardians The Fubon Guardians () are a professional baseball team in the Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL) in Taiwan. The team is owned by Fubon Financial Holding Co. and play their home games at Xinzhuang Baseball Stadium in New Taipei City. ...

of the

Chinese Professional Baseball League The Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL; ) is the top-tier professional baseball league in Taiwan. The league was established in 1989 and played the first season in 1990. CPBL eventually absorbed the competing Taiwan Major League in 20 ...

(CPBL). He played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

with the

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight ...

in 2012.

Career

Lin was born in

Hualien County Hualien County (Mandarin Wade–Giles: Hua¹-lien² Hsien⁴; Pīnyīn: ''Huālián Xiàn''; Hokkien POJ: ''Hoa-lian-koān'' or ''Hoa-liân-koān''; Hakka PFS: ''Fâ-lièn-yen''; Amis: ''Kalingko'') is a county on the east coast of Taiwan. It ...

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...

. He helped his 12-and-under Bronco League team to the World Championship with a

grand slam Grand Slam most often refers to: * Grand Slam (tennis), one player or pair winning all four major annual tournaments, or the tournaments themselves Grand Slam or Grand slam may also refer to: Games and sports * Grand slam, winning category te ...

. He also has played with other Taiwan national teams, including the Junior World Championship squad in 2007.

Boston Red Sox

Lin was acquired by the

as an international

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

in June 2007. He has put up solid numbers since joining the professional baseball ranks in the United States the same year, being rated as having the best outfield arm in the Boston minor league system, according to ''

Baseball America ''Baseball America'' is a sports enterprise that covers baseball at every level, including MLB, with a particular focus on up-and-coming players in the MiLB, college, high school, and international leagues. It is currently published in the form o ...

''. In 2010, Lin was selected as having the best strike-zone discipline, and the best defensive outfielder in Red Sox Top 10 Propspect Scouting Repor

Basically a line-drive hitter, he makes good contact – quick, strong wrists – with average gap power, hitting well to all fields. Lin has also been recognized for his solid outfield skills, having good range, enough speed and a hard throwing arm. Lin played for the Gulf Coast League Red Sox, GCL Red Sox,

Lowell Spinners The Lowell Spinners were a baseball team based in Lowell, Massachusetts. From 1996 to 2020, they were members of Minor League Baseball's New York–Penn League (NYPL) as the Class A Short Season affiliate of the Boston Red Sox. With Major League ...

of the

New York–Penn League The New York–Penn League (NYPL) was a Minor League Baseball league that operated in the northeastern United States from 1939 to 2020. Classified as a Class A Short Season league, its season started in June, after major-league teams signed th ...

Greenville Drive The Greenville Drive are a Minor League Baseball team based in Greenville, South Carolina. They are the High-A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox and are a member of the South Atlantic League. They play their home games at Fluor Field at the West En ...

of the

South Atlantic League The South Atlantic League, often informally called the Sally League, is a Minor League Baseball league with teams predominantly in states along the Atlantic coast of the United States from New York to Georgia. A Class A league for most of its ...

, and

Portland Sea Dogs The Portland Sea Dogs are a Minor League Baseball team based in Portland, Maine, playing in the Eastern League (1938–present), Eastern League. Established in 1994, the Sea Dogs are the Double-A (baseball), Double-A affiliate of the Boston Red ...

in the Eastern League. He played for the Triple A

Pawtucket Red Sox The Pawtucket Red Sox, known colloquially as the PawSox, were a professional minor league baseball club based in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. From 1973 to 2020, the team was a member of the International League and served as the Triple-A affiliate ...

in the

International League The International League (IL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the United States. Along with the Pacific Coast League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major League Baseball ...

. In 2008, Lin was selected for the annual

All-Star Futures Game The All-Star Futures Game is an annual baseball exhibition game hosted by Major League Baseball (MLB) in conjunction with the mid-summer MLB All-Star Game. A team of American League-affiliated prospects competes against a team of National League ...

. Lin hit a two-run

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...

on the first pitch he saw that helped the World team beat the US Team, 3–0. He finished 2-for-2 and was named the game's Most Valuable Player. In 2008, Lin ranked eighth in the

prospects list. He also was selected to play in the

Olympics The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a var ...

for the

Chinese Taipei baseball team The Chinese Taipei baseball team () is the national men's baseball team of the Republic of China (Taiwan). It is governed by the Chinese Taipei Baseball Association. The team is ranked second in the world by the World Baseball Softball Confeder ...

. He was invited to

spring training Spring training is the preseason in Major League Baseball (MLB), a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for Schedule (workplace), roster and position spo ...

with the Boston Red Sox in 2010 and 2011. In , Lin was promoted to Triple-A and played with the

. To protect him from the Rule 5 draft, he was added to the 40-man roster on November 18, 2011 along with

Drake Britton John Drake Britton (born May 22, 1989) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He has played for the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball (MLB). Early life Britton was born in Waco, Texas. He attended Tomball High School. In 2006, ...

and

Will Middlebrooks William Scott Middlebrooks (born September 9, 1988) is an American former professional baseball third baseman. He made his Major League Baseball (MLB) debut with the Boston Red Sox on May 2, 2012, and played with them through 2014. He also play ...

On April 14, 2012, Lin was called up to replace the injured

Jacoby Ellsbury Jacoby McCabe Ellsbury ( ; born September 11, 1983) is an American former professional baseball center fielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Boston Red Sox from 2007 through 2013 and then played for the New York Yankees from 2 ...

. His 9th-inning appearance as a defensive replacement on April 14 made him the eighth player from Taiwan to play in a

game. He was optioned back to Pawtucket after the game. Lin rejoined the Red Sox on May 20 to provide depth in the outfield, with injuries to

Cody Ross Cody Joseph Ross (born December 23, 1980), nicknamed "Toy Cannon" and "Ross the Boss," is an American former professional baseball outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for 12 seasons with the Detroit Tigers (2003), Los Angeles Do ...

Ryan Sweeney Ryan Joseph Sweeney (born February 20, 1985) is an American former Major League Baseball outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Chicago White Sox, Oakland Athletics, Boston Red Sox and Chicago Cubs. Early life Sweeney was b ...

and five others on the disabled list. On May 21, Lin recorded his first major league hit off

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East division. As one of the American L ...

pitcher

Troy Patton Troy Jamieson Patton (born September 3, 1985) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Houston Astros, Baltimore Orioles and San Diego Padres. Patton attended Tomball High School in Tom ...

. On October 17, 2012, the Red Sox announced that Lin was designated for assignment to make room for right-handed pitcher

Sandy Rosario Sandy Rosario (born August 22, 1985) is a Dominican former professional baseball pitcher. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Florida/Miami Marlins and San Francisco Giants. Career Florida Marlins Rosario signed as an internati ...

on the Sox's 40-man roster.

Houston Astros

On October 26, 2012, Lin was claimed off waivers by the

Houston Astros The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston, Texas. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division, having moved to the division in 2013 after ...

. On December 19, 2012, Lin was designated for assignment by the Astros and on December 21 he was assigned outright to the

Oklahoma City RedHawks Oklahoma (; Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a state in the South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the north, Missouri on the northeast, Arkansas on the east, New ...

. On November 4, 2013, he elected free agency.

Texas Rangers

Lin signed a minor league deal with the Texas Rangers on December 15, 2013. The Rangers intended to use Lin as a

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...

. The Rangers released him on December 23, 2014. After being released by the Rangers, Lin stated that he would no longer be playing baseball in North America.

EDA Rhinos/Fubon Guardians

Lin joined the

EDA Rhinos EDA or Eda may refer to: Computing * Electronic design automation * Enterprise Desktop Alliance, a computer technology consortium * Enterprise digital assistant * Estimation of distribution algorithm * Event-driven architecture * Exploratory ...

, later rebranded as the

, joined the club after he was drafted by them at #1 overall in the 2015 CPBL Draft. In his first campaign with EDA, Lin slashed .244/.359/.372 in 20 games. In 2016, Lin slashed .345/.434/.570 for the Rhinos in 107 games. Lin and the Rhinos won the

Taiwan Series Taiwan Series () is the championship series of the Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL). It is usually played in late October or early November, after the regular season. It was formerly known as the ''CPBL Seasonal Championship Series'' () ...

in 2016 and Lin was named the MVP of the series. In 2017, the first season with the team as the Fubon Guardians, Lin hit .296/.374/.405 with 3 home runs, 43 RBI, and 9 stolen bases in 91 games. In 2018, Lin played in 106 games for Fubon, hitting .278/.342/.425 with 10 home runs, 59 RBI, and 18 stolen bases. In 2019 for Fubon, Lin hit .314/.363/.469 with 9 home runs and 48 RBI in 112 games. In the delayed 2020 CPBL season due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

, Lin hit .291/.392/.455 with 9 home runs and 32 RBI in 73 games for the Guardians. Lin was in the Guardians' starting lineup for Opening Day in 2021. On the season, he posted a slash of .238/.334/.331 with 5 home runs, 23 RBI, and 13 stolen bases in 84 total contests. Lin made 38 appearances for Fubon in 2022, slashing .244/.321/.319 with one home run, 4 RBI, and 5 stolen bases. On July 26, 2022, Lin suffered a labral tear in his left shoulder while attempting a diving catch against the

Wei Chuan Dragons The Wei Chuan Dragons () are a professional baseball team in Taiwan's Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL) that originally existed between 1990 and 1999. In 2019, negotiations regarding the franchise's revival and return to the CPBL took ...

. He was later ruled out for the remainder of the season.

Awards

*Boston Red Sox prospects players of the week (July 15–21, 2007) *Boston Red Sox minor leagues defensive player of the month (June 2008) *2008 Futures Game World Team All Star *2008 Futures Game World Team MVP

International career

He was selected

Chinese Taipei national baseball team The Chinese Taipei baseball team () is the national men's baseball team of the Republic of China (Taiwan). It is governed by the Chinese Taipei Baseball Association. The team is ranked second in the world by the World Baseball Softball Confeder ...

at the

2009 World Baseball Classic The 2009 World Baseball Classic (WBC) was an international baseball competition. It began on 5 9 and finished 5 26. Unlike in 2006, when the round-robin format of the first two rounds led to some eliminations being decided by run-difference ti ...

2013 World Baseball Classic The 2013 World Baseball Classic (WBC) was an international professional baseball competition, held from March 2 to March 19, 2013. This was the third iteration of the WBC, following the two previous tournaments, held in 2006 and 2009. Unlike ...

and

2017 World Baseball Classic The 2017 World Baseball Classic (WBC) was an international professional baseball competition, composed of 16 competing nations, held from March 6 to March 22, 2017. It was the fourth iteration of the World Baseball Classic. The first-round hosts ...

. On October 15, 2018, he selected 2018 MLB Japan All-Star Series exhibition game against

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

, but he canceled his participation for Chinese Taipei.

References

External links

, o
CPBL
biography {{DEFAULTSORT:Lin, CheHsuan 1988 births Living people Asian Games medalists in baseball Asian Games silver medalists for Chinese Taipei Baseball players at the 2010 Asian Games Baseball players at the 2008 Summer Olympics Boston Red Sox players EDA Rhinos players Fubon Guardians players Greenville Drive players Gulf Coast Red Sox players Lowell Spinners players Major League Baseball outfielders Major League Baseball players from Taiwan Medalists at the 2010 Asian Games Oklahoma City RedHawks players Olympic baseball players of Taiwan Pawtucket Red Sox players People from Hualien County Portland Sea Dogs players Salem Red Sox players Taiwanese expatriate baseball players in the United States 2009 World Baseball Classic players 2013 World Baseball Classic players 2017 World Baseball Classic players

Career

Boston Red Sox

Houston Astros

Texas Rangers

EDA Rhinos/Fubon Guardians

Awards

International career

See also

References

External links