Daniel Lynch to start in MLB debut for Kansas City Royals on Monday

Courtesy UVA Media Relations

Left-handed pitcher Daniel Lynch, the No. 24 overall prospect in Major League Baseball, according to MLB Pipeline, will make his MLB debut on Monday for the Kansas City Royals.

Lynch pitched for Virginia from 2016-18 before becoming the 34th overall pick of the Royals in 2018 MLB Draft.

Lynch has been named the starting pitcher for the Royals series opener against the Cleveland Indians. First pitch in the American League Central matchup is scheduled for 8:10 EST.

Lynch will be the 50th former Cavalier to appear in an MLB game and the 27th former player coached by Brian O’Connor in his 18 seasons at Virginia. Virginia is one of four schools to have multiple players make their debut in 2021.

In three seasons at UVA, Lynch developed into one of the top pitchers in the Atlantic Coast Conference that culminated with a banner year in 2018.  As a junior he boasted a career-low, 3.96 ERA and struck out 105 batters in 88.2 innings pitched. He became the first Cavalier pitcher to reach the 100-strikeout mark since 2015. He fanned 10 or more batters in four-consecutive starts, all against ACC opponents, from March 17 – April 6. Only UVA Baseball Hall of Famer Danny Hultzen, the second overall pick in the 2011 MLB draft, was able to strikeout out 10 or more in four-straight starts at Virginia.

A native of Henrico, Va., Lynch appeared in 40 games on the mound for UVA including 36 starts. He logged 217 innings and struck out 187 batters in a Cavalier uniform. Lynch was won 12 games in three seasons, seven of them coming as a sophomore in 2017. In his final season he was named to the ACC All-Academic Team and listed on the ACC Academic Honor Roll.