It wasn’t that long ago now that Daniel Lynch was a bonafide top prospect for the Kansas City Royals. According to MLB Pipeline, he was the team’s fourth-overall prospect in 2019. In 2020 and 2021 he was named the team’s third-best prospect and peaked as high as the 29th-overall prospect in baseball.
Since his debut, Lynch has hardly lived up to his draft pedigree or prospect potential. Where did it all go wrong? A look at Pipeline’s 2021 scouting report on Lynch shows what could have been. Lynch was given a 65-grade fastball, 60-grade slider, and 55-grade changeup with above-average command.