September 1, 2017
ANALYSIS
The 6-foot-3 right-hander opened 2017 at High-A Lynchburg, and posted an impressive 0.78 ERA over 19 appearances with the Hillcats. Linares was deservedly promoted, but stumbled in his time at Double-A Akron, managing a 4.25 ERA and 1.89 WHIP through 21 games. At 23 years old, Linares appears to be headed in the right direction after four professional seasons, and he projects to challenge for an MLB bullpen job in the near future.