Daniel A. Lynch (born November 17, 1996) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Kansas City Royals of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2021.
| Daniel Lynch | |
|---|---|
Lynch with the Omaha Storm Chasers in 2021 | |
| Kansas City Royals – No. 52 | |
| Pitcher | |
| Born: (1996-11-17) November 17, 1996 (age 25) Richmond, Virginia | |
Bats: Left Throws: Left | |
| MLB debut | |
| May 3, 2021, for the Kansas City Royals | |
| MLB statistics (through 2022 season) | |
| Win–loss record | 8–19 |
| Earned run average | 5.32 |
| Strikeouts | 177 |
| Teams | |
| |
Lynch played baseball at Douglas S. Freeman High School in Henrico, Virginia. As a junior, he compiled a 0.97 ERA.[1] After high school, he enrolled at the University of Virginia where he played for the Virginia Cavaliers baseball team.[2] During his freshman year at Virginia, he appeared in 13 games with nine starts and went 1–3 with a 5.49 earned run average (ERA) and 37 strikeouts. As a sophomore, he made 14 starts, going 7–5 with a 5.00 ERA with 45 strikeouts. The following summer in 2017, he pitched for the Orleans Firebirds of the Cape Cod League, where he made six starts and posted a 4–0 record with a 2.04 ERA and 25 strikeouts and was named a league all-star.[3][4] During his junior season, Lynch went 4–4 over the course of 13 starts with a 3.96 ERA and 105 strikeouts.[5]
Lynch was selected by the Kansas City Royals with the 34th overall pick in the 2018 Major League Baseball draft.[6] He signed with the Royals on June 10, 2018 for $1.7 million.[7] He made his professional debut with the Burlington Royals of the Rookie-level Appalachian League[8] before being promoted to the Lexington Legends of the Class A South Atlantic League. In 12 starts between the two clubs, he went 5–1 with a 1.58 ERA and a 1.01 WHIP.[9]
Lynch spent 2019 with the Wilmington Blue Rocks of the Class A-Advanced Carolina League and was named a Carolina League All-Star midway through the season.[10][11] Over 15 starts, he went 5–2 with a 3.10 ERA. He was selected to play in the Arizona Fall League for the Surprise Saguaros following the season,[12] earning All-Star honors.[13] He did not play any minor league games in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
On May 2, 2021, the Royals announced that Lynch would be promoted for the next day's game and be the starting pitcher against the Cleveland Indians.[14] Lynch was officially added to the 40-man roster on May 3, and given the number 52.[14]