Former San Francisco Giant ace Tim Lincecum is attempting another MLB comeback. After having injury problems and having hip surgery in 2015, Lincecum has not pitched much over the past three years. He attempted one comeback in 2016 with the Los Angeles Angels and it went very poorly. Just recently he had another showcase for scouts from several teams. MLB insider Jon Heyman reported that he was throwing better than his 2016 showcase and was hitting 93 on the gun.
There are several reported teams interested, and the Los Angeles Dodgers are one of them.
The Dodgers and Texas Rangers are said to be the teams willing to give him an MLB contract (as opposed to a minor league one) according to Heyman. A decision is said to be coming soon. Going to the Dodgers could potentially give them a little more depth to their staff. It is a bit risky, but he could be a low risk, high reward signing considering it is hard to see him getting any big offers.
tim lincecum threw for 25-30 scouts this afternoon in seattle (at least 15 teams, likely 20). said to have thrown 90-93 mph, better than two years ago. chance for a job: improved.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) February 15, 2018
Lincecum's track record
"The Freak" as he has been called was once one of the best pitchers in baseball.
From 2008-2011 he was a four-time All Star, two-time Cy Young winner (08, 09) and won the first of his three rings with the Giants. In that span he pitched to a 2.81 ERA, 2.81 Fielding Independent Pitching, 1.17 WHIP and 977 strikeouts in 881.2 innings. He averaged roughly 244 strikeouts per season and got nearly 1000 strikeouts in just four seasons.
The next few seasons (2012-2014) there were some tweaks to his mechanics and the durability started to slip as did his performance. While he won two more rings and threw two no-hitters in that span, he put up a total 4.76 ERA, 4.05 FIP and 1.39 WHIP in 539.1 innings. In 2015 he started having the big injury issues that would eventually require surgery, he played in just 15 games that year and posted a 4.13 ERA.
His career with the Giants was over.
After signing with the Angels in 2016, Lincecum played just 38.1 innings and put up a 9.16 ERA. He gave up 11 home runs, 68 hits and overall a 2.37 WHIP. It looked like he was at the end of the road.
What he may bring
Heyman reporting that Lincecum looked better in his latest showcase and the increased interest from teams shows maybe he can come back and be effective. As an ace? Doubtful. He may not even be a full-time starter. The Freak is only 33 years old, which is pretty young considering how many pitchers have long career and it feels like he has been pitching forever. When one brings Lincecum's name up, it is easy to think of him as an upper-30s guy when he was only 30 the last time he started 25+ games in a Giants uniform in 2014.
A decision should come soon, and the Dodgers seem very interested. There or the Rangers seem most likely right now, though Lincecum may be persuaded to go to the Dodgers to give him a good chance at ring number four in 2018.
