Houston Astros Claim Outfielder Che-Hsuan Lin off of Waivers

The Houston Astros made one of their first moves in the offseason leading to their migration to the American League. According to R. J. White of CBSSports.com, Che-Hsuan Lin, an outfielder in the Red Sox organization, will be heading to Houston via waivers.

It was not long ago that Che-Hsuan Lin was considered to be a top prospect in the Boston Red Sox organization. The 24-year-old native of Hwa-Lian Taiwan signed with Boston as an 18-year-old star on the Junior World Championship team. In 2008, he was named the MVP of the Futures Game.

Before the 2010 season, Jim Callis of Baseball America listed Lin as having the best strike zone discipline and the best outfield arm in the Red Sox organization.

By 2012, he made it all the way to the majors and showed off his defense. His diving catch on May 23rd against the Orioles was described by John Tomasse of the Boston Herald as "a game saver."

He only played in a handful of games for Boston. Then, in October, the Red Sox claimed Sandy Rosario off waivers from the Miami Marlins and Lin was the odd man out from the 40-man roster.

So now Lin will be getting a chance to compete on a very young Astros club. Outfielders J. D. Martinez, Justin Maxwell, Fernando Martinez and Jordan Schafer might have the inside track for starting jobs in Houston. But none of those players played like All Stars last year.

The Astros could have stumbled across a solid player who could give their outfield much needed depth. It wasn't that long ago that Lin starred in the Futures Game. Maybe his future is now.