MLB Hot Stove: Tim Lincecum preparing for comeback, will throw for teams Feb. 15
Lincecum did not pitch at all in 2016
By
Mike Axisa
•
1 min read
The Freak is on the comeback trail.
Next week free agent and two-time Cy Young award winner Tim Lincecum will throw for teams at Driveline Baseball's facility outside Seattle, it was announced Tuesday.
UPDATE: Tim Lincecum will throw for scouts Thursday, February 15th at Driveline Research Lab. Emails and texts will go out to teams later today. No media passes will be distributed.
— KyleB @ Driveline (@drivelinebases) February 6, 2018
Back in December, Rockies right-hander Adam Ottavino snapped a photo of Lincecum working out at Driveline, and soon thereafter it was confirmed the former Giants ace was indeed preparing for a comeback. Supposedly his velocity is up.
This is cool for any number of reasons.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) December 19, 2017
1) Baseball with Tim Lincecum is better than baseball without Tim Lincecum.
2) He is throwing hard again.
3) He is healthy.
4) He has worked himself into absurd shape after ... not exactly being in absurd shape. Motivation is high. https://t.co/MqAOk4M9no
Lincecum, now 33, did not pitch at all least season. He last pitched in the big leagues in 2016, when he had a 9.16 ERA and a 2.37 WHIP in nine starts and 38 1/3 innings with the Angels. Lincecum was arguably the best pitcher in baseball from 2008-11, throwing 881 2/3 innings with a 2.81 ERA. He then had a 4.94 ERA in 615 2/3 innings from 2012-16. He crashed hard and quick.
Let us all take a moment to remember how incredible Lincecum was at his peak, shall we? He was as dominant as anyone in the game.
At this point I have to think Lincecum's days as a starting pitcher are over. It has been an awfully long time since he was last effective in that role, and the last time he started, it was a disaster.
Assuming everything goes OK with the showcase next week, I'm guessing more than a few teams will be willing to give Lincecum a shot in a relief role. Bullpens are more important than ever, and Lincecum has always been a bit of an adrenaline junkie. Letting him air it out for an inning or two out of the bullpen might bring out the best in him in the latter phase of his career.
