Lynch: Competition for rotation a 'good thing'

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Daniel Lynch IV will enter the 2024 season with a new number and more competition for a spot in the Royals’ rotation. But after an offseason geared toward strength for better health and a unique experience pitching in the Dominican Republic, the 27-year-old is ready for it all.

Last season was largely a lost one for Lynch, who was limited to just nine starts because of shoulder injuries and shut down for most of the second half. After throwing just 52 1/3 innings -- and posting a 4.64 ERA -- Lynch needed to log some extra frames throughout the winter, so he made one start in the Arizona Fall League and threw live bullpens to college players around the Nashville area before heading to the D.R. for a month of winter ball.

At first, Lynch was hesitant about the idea of leaving home for another month, but he didn’t want any innings restrictions heading into Spring Training. Time in the Dominican would help him achieve that goal, so after talking with his wife, Millie, he joined Leones del Escogido in November. He became teammates again with Franmil Reyes, who cooked a meal for Lynch and other American teammates at his house on an off-day.

“Put a new perspective on it and looked at it as a really cool opportunity,” Lynch said. “And it turned out to be just that. A really neat experience. It was like baseball I’ve never played before. The environment was awesome. … Bands are playing. The announcer is, like, cheering you on while you’re pitching. They’re doing ads during the game over the loudspeaker. It’s a crazy environment. But it’s also like every game is the World Series. There’s not even anything I can compare it to.

“It was like playing baseball just for fun again and trying to win over anything else. Not really worrying about anything else other than that specific pitch, that specific at-bat, trying to win that game that day.”

Lynch made five starts and threw 20 1/3 innings, recording a 2.66 ERA with 23 strikeouts and 13 walks. There wasn’t any specific plan for working on his pitches; his goal was simply to get outs. A different schedule and lack of routine put him out of his comfort zone, which was another learning experience.

“I don’t really do a good job sometimes of letting go and just going out there to pitch,” Lynch said. “A lot of the time, I’m constantly working on something rather than settling down into, ‘This is who I am, and this is what I’ve got, and I’m going to go out there and get guys out.’ That was the attitude I took.

“And I think I accomplished that. It’s great to work on stuff, but at the end of the day, when you’re out there, it’s about getting guys out. Making that the top priority and not always chasing the better thing or better metric. Because that’s like, a subtle dig at yourself, saying you’re not good enough. When you take the attitude of, ‘I am good enough, this is who I am, go out there and pitch,’ it makes it easier.”

Some starts, the strikeouts came from his fastball-changeup combination. One start featured sliders down and into a heavy right-handed lineup he was facing. The idea was to expand his strikeout ability to his whole arsenal and compete with his best stuff.

That’s the mindset Lynch will take to Arizona in a few weeks. He’ll be wearing No. 41 now, after Michael Wacha took No. 52 when he signed a two-year deal with the Royals last month. There’s no special meaning associated with No. 41 for Lynch -- only that it was available and a lower number than what he previously had. Plus, it used to be Danny Duffy’s number, and “the lefties have to stick together,” Lynch said.

And Lynch will be competing for a spot in the same rotation as Wacha. The Royals made significant upgrades to their pitching staff this offseason by signing Wacha and Seth Lugo as starters and adding a host of new relievers, including Will Smith and Chris Stratton. Where Lynch fits is to be determined -- with Wacha, Lugo, Jordan Lyles, Brady Singer and Cole Ragans the presumed rotation, Lynch will have to stay healthy and pitch his way to a starting spot.

The competition is fine with him.

“Honestly, my mindset is that if I pitch how I know I can pitch, if I’m as good as I can be, I know I belong in a Major League rotation,” Lynch said. “Obviously, I understand there’s competition. And I think that’s a good thing. It makes me think about teams that are consistently good, they find people to bring in and create that competition. It’s going to be what pushes guys to be the best.”