Top Cardinals starter prospect fueled by competitiveness
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — Cardinals Double-A pitching prospect Lance Lynn doesn’t remember facing Cardinals outfielder Colby Rasmus in the 1999 Little League World Series. Unfortunately, another at-bat from that game sticks in his head.
“All I remember is giving up a walk-off grand slam,” Lynn said.
Rasmus, who shares the same agent as Lynn, remembers that game as well.
“They were beating us 4-1 in the last inning with two outs, and a boy on my team hit a grand slam to win the game,” Rasmus said. “Lynn was good. He was a big kid; I remember he was throwing hard. I remember that game because of the walk-off. It was late in the tournament, knocked them out. He was dominating us. He pitched good.”
Almost 10 years to the day since one of Lynn’s greatest heartbreaks on a baseball field, the big righty is now the top starting pitching prospect in the Cardinals system. But at 22 years old, Lynn doesn’t allow himself to look ahead.
“None of us really think about the prospect stuff,” Lynn said. “Everybody just goes out and tries to get the job done. It’s all about getting the job done and doing what you’re supposed to do and keep progressing, and that’s what I feel like I need to do to be the best I can. I don’t really think about if I am the top pitching prospect or the worst; it’s all about going out and getting outs and doing what I can.”
Lynn, who starts Thursday for Springfield in one of the games of a doubleheader, has put together an impressive season in his first full year since being drafted in 2008. He is 9-4 with a 3.13 ERA in 18 starts for Springfield after having a 2.30 ERA in 15 2/3 innings to start the year at Class A Palm Beach.
“You look at guys in his class and most of them are probably still pitching a level below,” said Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak. “And for him to be doing what he is doing, I think it’s great for him. He’s getting good experience. I think he’s maturing and learning a lot.”
The former Ole Miss star kind of surprises you when you watch him pitch. Despite his 6-foot-5, 250-pound frame, he doesn’t possess a high-powered fastball. Instead, he uses his 91-92 mph fastball to help get ahead in the count and set up his other pitches.
“Stuff-wise,” Mozeliak admits, “he doesn’t necessarily overwhelm you.”
Lynn throws strikes and attacks hitters in the zone. He can get the strikeout — he has 83 in 103 2/3 innings — but is fine with making them put the ball in play. He has given up only five home runs all year and has kept opponents to a .258 average.
“Early on, he scuffled a little bit with his command, but I think that was a product of coming here to Double-A and the strike zone is a little bit smaller,” said Springfield manager Pop Warner. “He had to shrink his zone up a little bit and command his pitches and keep them down, but he’s been impressive. The guy goes out there and competes, and he wills his way to victories sometimes.”
That seems to be the theme for Lynn, whom his college coach once called the most competitive player he has ever coached. While he won’t overpower or dominate on most nights, Lynn can usually make the big pitch when needed.
With his high school team a perfect 34-0 and one inning away from the Indiana State Championship, Lynn trotted to the mound for the final inning with his team up, 6-2. He quickly gave up two runs and loaded the bases with no outs. With the tying run at second base, Lynn struck out the next hitter before getting a double-play ball to end the game.
“I feel like as a pitcher, you have to rise to the challenges and rise to the occasions, and that’s one of the challenges you face,” Lynn said. “You are going to get in tough jams and if you’re the guy who is able to step up and do what he needs to do to get out of them, it makes you competitive and makes you a better pitcher.
“That’s one of the things that was instilled in me when I was a young kid by my father. It’s stuck with me. That’s just the way I play the game, very aggressively. I pitch very aggressively. You don’t see that much with starters — you find them here and there — but that’s just what I’ve always done and it’s a big reason that I am who I am.”
During a start last week with Mozeliak in the stands, Lynn got in a first-and-third situation in the first inning. But he struck out Tulsa’s Ryan Harvey to end the jam.
“He is someone that brings it every time,” Mozeliak said. “You talk about competitiveness and willingness to win and compete — clearly, he’s done that.”
Anyone wanting a CliffsNotes version of Lynn can look no further than that start on Aug. 7. Lynn went five innings and gave up nine hits but he struck out six, walked none and gave up only one earned run. The Cardinals eventually won the game, 4-3.
“When things are going bad, I’ve always been able to keep my team in the game,” Lynn said after the game. “And that’s part of being mentally tough and being a competitor, because if you can do that, you’re going to win some games. I’ve never been a guy where things blow up on me; I can usually keep them in control, and that’s helped me.”
Lynn, who projects as a No. 4 starter in the Major Leagues, has continued to improve since the year started. But he knows he’s still a long way from being ready to pitch effectively in the big leagues.
And like his fastball, he’s in no hurry.
“I’ve been working on a lot of things since Spring Training and I’ve been able to make a lot of progress throughout the year,” Lynn said. “I think it’s shown with how well I’ve done. This being my first full season, I think I’ve done really well. I’ve done a lot better than expectations and I’m still not happy and still not done. I have a lot of work to do to get where I want to go.”
B.J. Rains
MLB.com
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