It’s safe to say that 2021 did not go as Daniel Lynch and the Royals planned it would. He finished the season with a 5.69 ERA across 15 starts, including a memorable second start that saw him give up eight earned runs while recording just two outs.
He isn’t the first young Royals pitcher to struggle out of the gate, as both Brady Singer and Kris Bubic have had their hiccups. However, neither of them had the prospect profile that Lynch had. He is arguably the organization’s best pitching prospect in a farm system built on arms.
Needless to say, 2022 will be an important year for all three of these pitchers, but nobody will be watched more intently than Lynch, who takes the mound this afternoon for the first time this spring.