Kansas City Royals Daniel Lynch continues to impress

Kansas City Royals first round pick, and the 34th overall selection in the draft, Daniel Lynch, is impressing early on in his professional career.

It has not taken long for Kansas City Royals first round draft pick Daniel Lynch to make an impression. The 34th overall selection in the draft, Lynch was assigned to the short season Burlington Royals, where he would get himself used to the routine o being a professional baseball player.

Instead, Lynch dominated during his time with Burlington. In his 11.1 innings, he allowed just three runs, two earned, on nine hits and two walks, striking out 14 batters. Given that performance, Lynch was quickly moved up the ladder, joining the Lexington Legends in the South Atlantic League.

If anything, Lynch has been even better with the step up in competition. In his 34 innings with Lexington, his has allowed seven runs, five earned, on 30 hits and six walks, striking out 39 batters. He is also yet to allow a home run, showing that his impressive strike throwing ability does not mean a tendency to put the ball over the middle of the plate.

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Lynch was not thought to have the type of arsenal that would lead to such dominance. The lefty has a fastball that sits in the lower 90s, but can occasionally get to around 94 or 95 MPH. His best pitch may be his changeup, which is considered a potential plus offering with excellent movement. Lynch also has a curve and a slider, the latter of which is considered a potential weapon in the future.

There were signs that he could potentially be an excellent selection during his college career. While Lynch’s 3.93 ERA over 88.2 innings at Virginia was not exactly impressive, he did record 105 strikeouts. Lynch also has a knowledge of hot to pitch, allowing him to use his arsenal to the best of his ability.

However, whatever Lynch has done thus far in his professional career is working. He has dominated in the minors, the somewhat surprising first round selection proving to be well worth the Royals selection. It would not be a surprise if he received another promotion before the end of the season, rising up to High-A ball, with the potential of joining AA at the start of 2019.

Daniel Lynch has been a dominant force since being drafted by the Kansas City Royals. If he continues to produce at this level, his ascension through the ranks will be swift.