The Red Sox are currently conducting their annual Rookie Development Program. The program typically includes some of the top prospects in the organization who the club believes could make their big-league debuts in a 12- to 18-month timeframe. Over the course of two weeks, the Sox will work to prepare the group of prospects for a potential call-up, giving the group an opportunity to work with members of the major-league coaching staff, to work on strength and conditioning as well as fundamentals, and a chance to become familiar with such details as the layout of the clubhouse at Fenway Park.

Over the duration of the program, WEEI.com will profile some of the prospects taking part in the Rookie Development Program. Today: Che-Hsuan Lin, the center fielder who claimed MVP honors in the 2008 All-Star Futures Game.

At first glance, the inclusion of outfielder Che-Hsuan Lin in the Rookie Development Program comes as a surprise.

The 21-year-old has yet to advance beyond High A Salem of the Carolina League. His year-ending totals with Salem (a .265 average, .355 OBP, .365 slugging mark, .720 OPS, 7 homers and 26 steals in 37 attempts) were relatively modest.

While the Rookie Development Program typically features players who are likely to arrive on the big-league scene in the next 18 months, that timetable might prove a bit aggressive for Lin. Certainly, there is only a low likelihood that a player who was signed out of Taiwan in 2007 would end up in the bigs in the coming season.

Yet Lin could assume an important role in the Sox system. The team believes that it will benefit in considering potential trades from the presence of skilled, athletic outfielders. With some further development, Lin could add his name to the list of players such as Josh Reddick, Ryan Kalish and Ryan Westmoreland as players who can eventually impact the Sox either directly or by giving them useful trade chips in an area of organizational strength.

“I think he’s probably going to fly in the shadow of Kalish and Reddick for at least the next short period,” said Sox farm director Mike Hazen. “But there are a lot of people who really, really like him.”

There are few players in the system with the raw athleticism of Lin, who was a 100-meter sprint and high-jump national champion in Taiwan before signing with the Sox for a $390,000 bonus in early 2007. Those assets have translated most directly to tremendous defensive play in center field at this stage of Lin’s career.

In his age 20 season (Lin turned 21 just after the season concluded), Lin was named the best defensive outfielder and the possessor of the best outfield arm in the Carolina League in Baseball America’s Tools Survey.

 

Offensively, the start of Lin’s season was disjointed. He was a member of the Taiwanese team in the World Baseball Classic, serving as the team’s leadoff hitter and center fielder, collecting three hits in seven at-bats.

But after Taiwan’s swift elimination from the tournament, he joined the Sox in the middle of spring training. Assigned to Salem, Lin got off to an abysmal start to the year, hitting .136/.209/.169/.368 in April.

But after that disappointing first month, he showed plenty of promise over the rest of 2009, hitting .283/.373/.393/.766 over the season’s final five months. While Lin’s ability to produce offensively will determine his big-league future, the club feels that he made noteworthy strides over the course of last season.

“His ability to control the strike zone, hitting in the leadoff spot as a 20-year-old in that league, we thought it was a very successful year,” said Hazen. “He does all the things that we look for in a typical leadoff hitter. He’s continuing how to learn how to steal some bases. He’s got some speed. He’s an impact center fielder. He controls the strike zone. He has a little power.”

Lin had 66 walks, second most by a player in the Sox system. His .355 OBP ranked 14th in the Carolina League (minimum: 300 plate appearances), and he was younger than any of the player who finished ahead of him on that list.

Though he hit just seven homers this year, the Sox believe that he has the potential to grow into more power.

“It’s probably a little more of a line drive stroke right now. He’s got plenty of power to hit home runs right now. It’s just hasn’t translated yet,” said Hazen. “We do think in time [it will come]. And obviously with impact defense and the chance to get on base, that’s an extremely interesting package.”

Lin has already shown an ability to perform when pushed against higher levels of competition. In addition to his participation in the WBC, he has also performed well for the Taiwanese National Team in Olympic Trials. Perhaps most notably, he was the MVP of the 2008 All-Star Futures Game when he hit a two-run homer to lead the World Team to victory in Yankee Stadium.

“I think that kid gets lost a lot. He went to New York City as a 19-year-old and was the MVP of the Futures Game. He plays internationally,” said Hazen. “There are a lot of underlying things that you don’t appreciate right away, but as you sit back and look at the big picture, you say, ‘Wow, interesting.’”

Lin fulfilled his Taiwanese military service requirement in December. He will likely compete for a spot as an outfielder in Double A Portland in spring training.

Lin’s current participation in the Rookie Development Program reflects an effort by the organization to further his assimilation to American culture, both on and off the field. That includes participation in an offseason strength and conditioning program to help him prepare for the rigors of another full season.

There is a decent chance that Lin could end up repeating his involvement in the January program in 2011. In all likelihood, next season represents the earliest time when he might contribute at the big-league level, particularly given that the Sox will have Reddick and Kalish available as depth options in the coming year.

That said, while Lin has remained relatively unheralded in the Sox system, a strong 2010 season after the conclusion of his 2009 campaign could change that.

PRIOR ENTRIES:

Jose Iglesias