A's getting long look at prospect so good you forget he's just 20

This story was excerpted from Martín Gallegos’ Athletics Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

MESA, Ariz. -- Wei-En Lin didn’t know much about baseball as a kid growing up in Taiwan. In fact, his first time trying out for a team in elementary school, it took him a while just to realize what type of glove he actually needed to play.

“I played catch with my left hand because I only had a righty glove,” Lin said through translator Danny Sung. “I would catch the ball with my left hand, then take off the glove and use my left hand to throw.”

Coaches at the park where tryouts were being held eventually noticed Lin’s bizarre antics and advised him to buy a left-handed glove. After that, it didn’t take long for Lin to take off.

Lin quickly ascended as an elite pitcher in his native territory. By his sophomore year at Ping-Zhen High School, scouts were flying in to catch a glimpse of the talented teenage lefty. In 2023, he represented Taiwan in the WBSC U-18 Baseball World Cup, playing a key role in helping his team win a silver medal at the tournament. One year later, the Athletics signed him in June 2024, rewarding him with a bonus of $1.13 million.

You can say that money was well spent. Making his professional debut in 2025, Lin dominated hitters with both Single-A Stockton and High-A Lansing, earning a promotion to Double-A Midland after just 24 games. He ended the year by helping the Rockhounds in a playoff run. Between the three levels, Lin posted a 3.72 ERA in 26 games (13 starts) with 117 strikeouts and 22 walks across 87 innings, all as a 19-year-old.

“He throws strikes,” A’s director of player development Ed Sprague said of Lin. “He’s got good stuff. It’s a loose arm. It’s a good body. … The strikes and the command of the zone have been pretty impressive. He’s a fun kid who loves to compete. Given what he’s been able to do at his age in his first full year of pro ball was fun to watch. You had to remind yourself he’s only 19.”

Lin handled himself like anything but a 19-year-old. He showed superb control of all his pitches, a five-pitch arsenal that includes a fastball, a cutter, a sweeper and a knuckle-curve.

Lin’s most impressive pitch, however, might be his Vulcan changeup.

What exactly is a “Vulcan changeup,” you ask? It’s a modification of a changeup with a V-shaped grip that has become much more popular in recent years, offering more downward movement than a traditional changeup.

After noticing his regular changeup started to lose effectiveness last May, Lin sought to teach himself the Vulcan grip by watching YouTube videos.

“The first video I saw was of Trevor Bauer when he played in Cleveland,” Lin said. “It was a slow-motion video, and I found the grip he used to throw his changeup. I learned from that. After that, I saw videos of Tarik Skubal and Jonah Tong’s changeup, and that’s how I learned.”

Armed with an improved pitch, Lin began using it with Lansing to massive success. He kept using it in his two starts for Midland, where he got a taste of what is required at a higher level.

“The hitters are totally different there,” Lin said. “Double-A hitters are more patient. They know their strengths and look for their pitch. There’s a lot of top prospects at the Double-A level, so I just want to see them as much as I can to get ready for the next level.”

Before the season begins, Lin, who ended last season ranked by MLB Pipeline as the A’s No. 19 prospect, is soaking in as much as he can from his first Major League Spring Training, picking the brains of veterans on the staff like Luis Severino and Jeffrey Springs, as well as A’s pitching coach Scott Emerson.

“First day, I talked to Luis Severino and Jeff Springs,” Lin said. “They were talking about how to hide your hand, your grip, from the second-base runner. That’s important, because the runner can see your grip and see what pitch is coming.”

Next week, Lin will leave camp to join Team Chinese Taipei in the World Baseball Classic, where he, along with fellow A’s prospects Chen Zhong-Ao Zhuang (No. 28) and Tzu-Chen Sha (No. 29), will represent their home territory.

Group stage will not be easy, as Chinese Taipei is in a pool that also includes Australia, Czechia, Korea and Japan. That means Lin could be in for a potential matchup with Japanese stars Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, two of his favorite players to watch.

“I want to face Ohtani, for sure,” Lin said with a smile. “And go up against Yamamoto. Then, after the game, maybe ask Yamamoto how to throw his curveball, because his curve is very good, and then ask both of them to sign a jersey.”