PIT
Daniel Lynch, P
Edit player ✎
Baseball Reference →
FanGraphs →
MLB →
Scouting report
Lynch's velocity slowly climbed over the two years prior to the pandemic. On the Cape and during the first half of his junior spring at Virginia, Lynch looked like a solid third round prospect, a pitchability lefty sitting 88-92 mph with mostly average stuff. In the month or so leading up to the 2018 draft, his velo ticked up, and down the stretch he sat 92-94, touching 95 mph deep into starts, with an assortment of offspeed pitches that all flashed above-average. He then sat 93-95 during the summer of 2019 and was often 94-97 during the 2019 Fall League, where he went to pick up innings after missing time with an arm injury. Lynch still brings big lefty velo (four- and two-seamers) to the party, as well as a bevy of solid secondary pitches. He throws a spike slider, curveball (really just a release variation on the slider, based on my 2019 high speed footage), and changeup. They're all mostly average, but the slider flashes plus and I think the changeup has room for growth. There are some questions about his fastball's playability but I think the velocity and the repertoire depth here make Lynch a very safe mid-rotation sort who'll likely contribute to the Royals rotation this year. (Alternate site, Fall Instructional League)