Tomorrow at Lakewood, it’s Game Three of the South Atlantic League Championship, and Lexington has yet another promising hurler on the mound. Here’s a quick overview of the Legends starter, Daniel Lynch.
Lynch has seemingly cruised through his short stint here in Class-A. Lynch’s arsenal is centered around a fastball that sits comfortably around 90-92 and dials up to 94 from time to time. He gets a bit of tail and sink on it, and it will dive a bit, complimenting his change of pace, especially against right-handed batters.
He also deals a curve in the high-70s that’s offset by a slider around 80-83 and a change-up at 83-84, and he spots all of these fairly easily. The change may be his X-factor, as it is at times his best secondary offering. The curve has good downward movement at its best, and he’s not averse to bringing it inside against righties.
As noted previously, his mechanics are quite sound for a pitcher of his height, and his windup and delivery quite consistent. He often has a bit of a cross-body delivery that seems to add life to both his fastball and change, as one might expect, but it doesn’t appear to significantly affect his location or command.
Lynch displays a cool confidence on the mound and doesn’t seem to get rattled.
Possibly-notable are these hitters who have knocked around lefties, this season; Jake Scheiner had a .969 OPS vs. LHP in 169 PA; Matt Vierling batted .397 (.907 OPS), albeit over a short span (75 PA); Jose Antequera batted .328 over 79 PA, though with virtually no power; and Madison Stokes set a hot pace at .389 (1.005 OPS) in 78 PA. Lynch has only nine appearances under his belt in Class-A but has recorded a sterling 1.91 ERA vs. RHH, as well as a 1.08 ERA in five road appearances.
It will be an interesting matchup to watch. Game time is 7:05 PM tomorrow night at FirstEnergy Park.