KC Royals: Is it time to buy into the Daniel Lynch hype?

Local and national media are taking note of the KC Royals’ young pitcher, Daniel Lynch. Is it time to buy in and get on the hype train?

As the KC Royals advance through their spring training, storylines are being made on a daily basis. Something non-spring training related that jumped out at me recently was Keith Law’s Top 100 rankings for prospects. Although the likes of Brady Singer and Jackson Kowar were nowhere to be found, one name ranked high on the list: Daniel Lynch.

Law’s article (subscription required) pegged the 6-foot-6 lefty No. 13 among all prospects in teams’ farm systems. Law notes that although Lynch’s delivery may not be as consistent as the Royals would like, his stuff is premium and his ceiling is high. Lynch ranked 61st on MLB.com’s official list, highlighting the disparity between some opinions on him.

Our friends over at Royals Review were some of the first to arrive at the Lynch party. It’s apparent that people are starting to see just how good of a talent he is. While there are a couple of minor things to work on, the stuff is there. The potential is there. And he’s already pretty damn good.

Between rookie ball and Advanced-A last season, Lynch posted a 2.99 ERA with 96 strikeouts in 96.1 innings. He was shut down due to some shoulder soreness that seems to be in the rearview as the 2020 season approaches but as a 22-year-old, he proved to be ready for a bigger challenge.

That challenge should come this season. As he’s now 23 and entering his third season in the KC Royals’ minor league system, there’s legitimate buzz about Lynch possibly joining the MLB club at some point this year. If he can endure a steady workload at the MiLB level and prove he can dominate against better competition, the ultimate test won’t be that far away.

In short, the answer to the question “Is it time to buy into the Daniel Lynch hype?” is yes. His pitch arsenal is as good as pretty much any prospect out there. His big frame should allow him to accept more responsibility in 2020 after his 2019 was cut short. The tools are there for sustained success.

Although Singer seems to be the most MLB-ready pitching prospect the KC Royals have right now, don’t be surprised to see Lynch turn some heads.