Tim Lincecum

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Timothy LeRoy Lincecum (Franchise)

Bats Left, Throws Right
Height 5' 11", Weight 160 lb.
School University of Washington
High School Liberty High School (Renton, WA)

Debut May 6, 2007

Born June 15, 1984 in Bellevue, WA USA

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[edit] Biographical Information

Pitcher Tim Lincecum made his major league debut in 2007 after being a top prospect in the minors for one year.

Lincecum led his team to a 3-A state title in high school and won the Gatorade Washington State player of the year award. As he was headed to college, he was a low draft pick - selected by the Chicago Cubs in the 48th round of the 2003 amateur draft - and did not sign.

Lincecum debuted at the University of Washington with a 10-3 record and 3.53 ERA in 2004, striking out 161 in 112 IP. He led the Pacific-10 Conference in strikeouts and was named the Conference's Freshman of the Year and Pitcher of the Year, though he failed to make the All-Conference team while another freshman, Ian Kennedy, was chosen. He was the first Pac-10 player ever to win both pitcher of the year and freshman of the year in the same season. He was third in NCAA Division I in strikeouts behind Jered Weaver and J.P. Howell and ahead of Philip Humber and Justin Verlander. In strikeouts per 9 innings, he tied Verlander for second behind Weaver. He made the Baseball America Freshman All-American team.

In 2005, Tim was 8-6 with a 3.11 ERA. In 104 innings, he allowed just 62 hits and struck out 131, but walked 71. He was second in the Pac-10 in strikeouts behind Kennedy and made the All-Conference team. He tied for 11th in NCAA Division I in strikeouts and was 11th in strikeouts/9 innings buit was second in walks. The Cleveland Indians took him in the 42nd round of the 2005 amateur draft but he did not sign. In summer ball, he was 2-2 with a 0.69 ERA for the Harwich Mariners, whiffing 68 and allowing only 14 hits in 39 innings. He was a Baseball America Summer League All-American and a Cape Cod League All-Star. He was raed the #15 prospect in the Cape Cod League by Baseball America.

Lincecum was even better in 2006, posting a 12-4, 1.94 record with 3 saves. In 125 innings, he allowed 75 hits and walked 63 while striking out 199 batters. Baseball America named him a first-team College All-American and he won the Golden Spikes Award as the top player in college baseball according to one major authority. He led NCAA Division I in strikeouts, 27 ahead of Eddie Degerman, in innings pitched and in strikeouts per 9 innings. He was 13th in ERA. He won the Pac-10 Pitcher of the Year Award again and made the All-Conference team again. During the season, he broke the career Pac-10 strikeout record held by Rik Currier (449), finishing with 491 in his collegiate career.

He was selected by the San Francisco Giants in the first round of the 2006 amateur draft (the 10th overall pick) and signed for $2,025,000. He made his pro debut that year with the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes before quickly being promoted to the San Jose Giants. Between the two clubs, he was 2-0 with a 1.71 ERA and 58 strikeouts in 31 2/3 IP. Baseball America rated him as the top Giants prospect.

Tim skipped AA and made it to AAA by his 9th professional start, pitching for the Fresno Grizzlies. He went 4-0 with a 0.29 ERA, striking out 46 and allowing 12 hits in 31 innings. That earned him a call-up to the majors to fill in for the injured Russ Ortiz, having only thrown in 13 games in the minor leagues.

His first pitch in the majors was a 97-mph fastball past Jimmy Rollins but Rollins wound up reaching and Shane Victorino followed with a home run. Overall, he allowed 5 walks, 5 hits and 5 runs in 4 1.3 innings while striking out five and getting a no-decision.

Lincecum went 7-5 with a 4.40 ERA for the 2007 Giants for a 111 ERA+. He fanned 150 in 146 1/3 innings.

While he had pitched well as a rookie, Lincecum blossomed in his second season in the majors. He had a 18-5 record and a 2.62 ERA (167 ERA+) in 2008 despite pitching for a 68-94 team. In 227 innings, he surrendered just 11 gopher balls and 182 total hits. He struck out 265. He was second to Johan Santana in ERA in the 2008 NL, .09 behind the lead and he was second to Brandon Webb in wins. Lincecum nearly led the league in winning percentage despite his team's poor play. He allowed the fewest hits per 9 innings in the league and had the most strikeouts per 9 innings. He easily led in Ks, 59 ahead of Santana, Edinson Volquez and Dan Haren. One of the few negatives was his 17 wild pitches, tied with Manny Parra for most in the NL. Lincecum won the 2008 National League Cy Young Award. He was the second San Francisco Giants hurler to win a Cy Young Award, following Mike McCormick 41 years prior.

Primary Sources: 2004-2007 Baseball Almanacs, MILB.com, MLB.com