MESA, Ariz. – Seven pitches, seven strikes and less than 10 minutes.

That’s all it took for Royals No. 3 prospect Asa Lacy to make his point in the first inning of his Arizona Fall League debut for the Surprise Saguaros on Wednesday at Sloan Park.

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The lefty powered his way through two impressive innings in the 5-0 victory against the Mesa Solar Sox, curtailing any questions about his command and health along the way.

“I was very motivated just considering how the season went,” Lacy said. “I knew I was a lot better than that. It’s been fun so far, and I look to keep building on it. They told me we are going into 2022 and we want to end ['21] on a good note.”

Lacy, who was drafted in the first round (fourth overall) in 2020, comes in at No. 66 on MLB.com’s Top 100 Prospects list.

In his first pro season, Lacy posted a 5.19 ERA in 52 High-A innings with a .222 opponent average and 79 strikeouts before getting shut down with minor shoulder issues in late July. He gave up 41 hits and walked 41 batters.

The left-hander said he made a few mechanical changes and has been building up his arm strength since mid-September. He’s thrown three times during the club’s instructional league.

“It was nice to get out there and not have any doubts and have trust,” Lacy said. “Kudos to the training staff to get me back. I’m very thankful.”

On Wednesday, he showed high velocity with a fastball in the 93-to-97 mph range and good command immediately. He retired Luis Vazquez (Cubs), the first batter he faced, on one pitch, and struck out the next two batters -- Marlins prospect JJ Bleday and O's prospect Kyle Stowers -- on six pitches.

He gave up a two-strike infield single to Nelson Velazquez (Cubs) to start the second inning and then struck out Miami’s Kameron Misner on three pitches for his third punchout of the game. The lefty eventually picked off Velazquez off first base for the second out.

He lost his command for a stretch when he walked Oakland’s Logan Davidson on four pitches. He rebounded quickly and wrapped up his impressive afternoon with another strikeout, this time sitting down Toronto’s Spencer Horwitz.

“The fastball was good. The slider was good,” Lacy said. “I’m still making the adjustments to the big league ball. My curveball and changeup, you’ll probably see more of those the next outing. Overall, it felt pretty good.”

The Saguaros’ bullpen kept Mesa’s offense in check the rest of the way. Surprise tacked on four runs in the top of the ninth to put the game away.

“I just want to go out there and work on my pitches and give my team the best chance to win,” Lacy said. “That’s what we are here to do.”