Lance Lynn

From BR Bullpen

Michael Lance Lynn

Bats Right, Throws Right
Height 6' 5", Weight 250 lb.

School University of Mississippi
High School Brownsburg (IN) High School

Born May 12, 1987

[edit] Biographical Information

Lance Lynn was a supplemental first-round pick in the 2008 amateur draft.

Lynn helped Brownsburg, Indiana make it to the 1999 Little League World Series. He hit .509 with 14 homers as a high school junior; on the mound, he was 10-3 with 3 saves, a 1.26 ERA and 160 strikeouts in 100 innings. He was All-State for Indiana. In 2005, the senior went 16-0 with 2 saves and a 0.71 ERA and batted .400 with 14 long balls. Baseball America named him as a third-team All-American high school utility man, behind first-teamers Colby Rasmus and Zach Putnam and second-teamers Buster Posey and Jordan Schafer. He was All-State and won the Gatorade Player of the Year award for Indiana. His school became the second in Indiana history to go unbeaten, following one led by Don Mattingly in the 1970s. Overall, he had gone 39-4 with a 1.10 ERA and 455 strikeouts in 288 IP in high school and batted .479 with 92 RBI. The Seattle Mariners took him in the 6th round of the 2005 amateur draft but he decided to go on to college.

Lynn was 7-3 as a freshman in 2006. In 2007, the big sophomore set an Ole Miss strikeout record by whiffing 146 in 123 1/3 innings. He went 8-5 with a 2.85 ERA. Lynn was 5th in the Southeastern Conference in ERA, second to David Price in strikeouts and third in opponent average (.209). Lynn was 5th in NCAA Division I in strikeouts, trailing Price, Brian Matusz, Wes Roemer and Preston Guilmet.

Lynn was chosen for Team USA's college edition. He was 2-1 with a 1.80 ERA on the summer, allowing only 12 hits in 25 innings. In the 2007 Pan American Games, he allowed 5 hits and 3 runs in 7 innings in his lone start, a 8-4 win over Nicaragua. The USA won Silver in the event. Lynn left the team partway through the summer due to fatigue concerns and missed the 2007 World Port Tournament.

Lynn was taken by the St. Louis Cardinals with the 39th pick of the 2008 amateur draft; the pick was compensation for the loss of Troy Percival to free agency. He made his pro debut with the Batavia Muckdogs on June 21 and worked two innings against the Mahoning Valley Scrappers, walking one and striking out one while allowing no hits or runs.