(610 Sports) -- Daniel Lynch, the #2 prospect in the Royals' organization and #24 prospect in all of MLB, is set to make his major league debut this evening against the Cleveland Indians.
With the way the Royals are playing right now, sitting at the top of the American League Central and owning the best winning percentage in baseball, fans are understandably excited to see the 6'6" left-handed pitcher who Kansas City selected in the first-round of the 2018 MLB Draft, make his big league debut. That excitement doesn't stop with the fanbase, as Royals second baseman Whit Merrifield explained to Cody & Gold during his weekly show on 610 Sports.
"What are debuts like for you guys in the clubhouse," Merrifield was asked by show co-host Alex gold? "I know what our level of excitement is, what's it like for you as a teammate?"
"You feel the energy, you really do," said Merrifield. "Whenever somebody gets called up, whether it be position player-wise, pitcher-wise, starting pitcher-wise, especially, you feel that energy. You feel that... I don't want to say rejuvenation, because we're in a really good spot right now as a team, but there's that freshness to it, there's almost like a youth aspect when a young guy comes up and makes his debut. It just gets your juices flowing a little bit more than say another player would."
Lynch owns a 2.72 era in 147 2/3 innings in the minors but is making the jump to the big leagues without any Double-A or Triple-A experience. This should speak to how the Royals view the young pitcher, who had originally been scheduled to begin the 2021 season in Triple-A.
"We're fired up for Daniel, he's obviously a great talent and hoping that he just settles in out there, pitches his game, and realizes that all he's gotta do is execute his plan, pitch his pitches, and he'll be just fine," said Merrifield. "He doesn't have to do any more than he needs to. We're excited to play behind him and look forward to a good outing, tonight."
Click the audio player below to listen to the rest of Whit Merrifield's interview: