Tim Lincecum simply destroyed the Cardinals last night, pitching a 2-hit shutout, with 8 strikeouts and no walks. Now 8-2, leading the world in strikeouts, and running out an utterly dominating June, (4-1, with 48 strikeouts in 48 innings pitched), Lincecum would seem to be moving into position to start the All Star Game. As the reigning Cy Young, the choice would seem obvious.
A quick look at his stats shows some awe-inspiring trends. Now halfway through '09, he has gotten better each year, and is approaching Pedro Martinez country:
2007 2.31 K/BB .308 OBP .364 SLG .669 OPS allowed WHIP 1.278 BB/9IP 4.0
2008 3.16 K/BB .297 OBP .316 SLG .609 OPS allowed WHIP 1.172 BB/9IP 3.3
2009 4.71 K/BB .275 OBP .305 SLG .576 OPS allowed WHIP 1.070 BB
/9IP 2.2
His pitches per inning and per batter have gone down this season, as evidenced by yesterday's 96 pitch gem, and whatever early season issues he was having seem long gone. In his last 4 starts, he's had 37 strikeouts and 3 walks in 35 innings, with three complete games and one 8 inning stint. Read that sentence twice.
In 73 starts, he's now 33-12 for his career. Dwight Gooden, to whom he's occasionally compared, started 66 games his first two seasons, and at the end of his second, (when he was 20 years old!), Gooden was 41-13. Timmy's got a shot to have a similar record at the end of this season, and certainly appears to have a good shot at back to back Cy Young Awards.
The Giants have no excuse not to open up the checkbook, right fucking now, and get him signed to a long-term contract. Under no circumstance can he be allowed to see the light of day.
And Even more bullshit that goes unremarked upon in the sycophantic msm.
With the exception of Jeremy Afeldt, Giants lefthanded pitching is horrible
To wit: Right handed starting pitching vs left handed starting pitching Yeah. Cain and Lincecum are having knock-out seasons, but it is overshadowing the really blah to putrid left handed starting we’re getting.
RH Cain Lincecum Sadowski (2starts)
LH Johnson, Zito, Sanchez
——————————–Rhp———————-LHP
Games Started ————–35————————45
Innings Pitched ————-242.2———————251
W-L ————————–20-4———————-14-21
K——————————235———————–219
BB——————————78———————–120
k/9—————————-8.71———————-7.85
k/bb—————————3.01———————-1.83
ERA—————————2.23———————–4.91
WHIP————————-1.12———————–1.47
There are 19 Left handed starters in the NL with a minimum of 60 innings
Johnson, Zito, and Sanchez are ranked 13, 14, and 17 respectively in ERA at 4.70, 4.82, and 5.30. Mike Hampton is ranked in front of all three. Randy Wolf and Clayton Kershaw of the Dodgers are ranked 8 and 9 respectively with ERAs of 3.49.
They are 12, 15, and 17 in OPS against out of 19 qualifiers. Clayton Kershaw and Randy Wolf are ranked 1 and 4 respectively.
And while Johnson’s 8 and 5, he gives up a homerun almost every 5 plus innings (15 in 16 starts) More than any lefthanded starter in the league except for Ted Lilly and Jamie Moyer That would help explain his untoward 4.70 era. When you watch Johnson pitch, he sure seems more dominant than that. But those 15 dingers are a lot to overcome.
Aside from a really nice compelling biography, and his erstwhile professional demeanor on the mound (reminds a little of John Burkett in his prime) This seems like just one more reason to root like hell for Ryan Sadowski.
+mia,
Knew it hd to be bad with Zito and Sanchez performances so far…and RJ dingers is no surprise(add 3 more). But, when you have a Lincecum,Cain, and now throw in Sadowski’s records….it’s tough to match those righties.
Hopefully RJ’s injury is not bad…otherwise look for even more of Zito.
Not a knock on any of the pitchers. But more of an observation on how unbalanced the matchups are. Now I can see why Bochy had slotted Johnson between Lincecum and Cain. Can you imagine a 3 game series featuring Johnson, Zito and Sanchez in a row? Would have been more brutal than it has been. I give Jupiter Skull credit for that.
Up until yesterday, the Giants had been the only contending team to have escaped without having a frontline player hit the DL. Obviously this has helped them keep up with the pack of 10 teams who are actually viable in the playoff chase.
The Giants have been fortunate to escape major injury setbacks up to this point. Johnson’s swing yesterday was horrible looking in the way you never want to see a 46 year old guy who is already having command issues hurt his throwing shoulder swinging a bat. He lasted 1 third of an inning after that and couldn’t even reach third base on a routine fielding play. Did not look promising.
Right now there are a few things that are really aggravating right now.
Renteria on defense. He is a human sundial
No Second Baseman. Still. Juan Uribe doesn’t count.
Aurillia getting any playing time whatsoever.
Zito in a Giants uniform
All of which are Sabean Free-Agent signings.
“first base” duh.
+mia,
Maybe the only silver lining in RJ’s injury is that Sanchez gets a 2nd shot. Hopefully…he is not dealt in a package deal during the break.
Speaking of a million dollar arm and ten cent head…Brian Wilson ranks up there. I’m sure you saw it last night. Bouncer back to mound with bases loaded one out…taught from Little League on…to go home to first. Always cut down the run when possible and keep the tying run from reaching third if you dont get DP. Basic fundamentals. One of the toughest throws a pitcher will ever make is to 2nd on a DP…the timing is the toughest. Wilson, with the play right in front of him…opts for 2nd. Almost blows it….and Ish make great stop to keep Renteria’s throw from going into dugout. Those are plays that prevent you from winning. We lucked out. One has to wonder about Wilson’s mental make up.
Affeldt has closer stuff…and Wilson’s days may be numbered.
Zito tonight. Let’s see if he makes it to the 5th.
Stay hot Gigantes.
I wasn’t kidding when I went off on the whole Zito/Wilson off-season mentoring thing. Zito is a great teacher LOL. And Renteria was slower than constipated jello on getting the pivot throw off. A guy under the age of 47 would have succeeded in turning that dp even though Wilson spaced as you say, by not going for the 1-2-3 DP.
You have to give Bochy credit though. He had Romo up for two innings. By the time Wilson was working on his 52nd batter of the inning, Romo had pitched a tent in the pen and set his alarm for the 3rd inning for today’s game.
Speaking of Bochy, you ever notice how much he sounds like Denver Pyle, the guy who played Uncle Jesse in the Dukes of Hazard. Except Uncle Jesse sounds smart.
+mia,
You’re right about the Unc Jesse/Bochy sound alike…been sometime since I saw the Dukes…and only watched for the babe in hot pants.
I do give Bochy credit for having Romo up…looking over Wilson’s shoulders. Affeldt might be our closer by years end.
I am not a fan of Renteria’s fielding…or range. But…he is hitting in the clutch…and his rbi’s are almost what I thought he’d get for the year. He ranks in the top 3 ss’s in that catagory. He is not our biggest worry. My dream come true…Zito/Renteria/Bochy for F. Sanchez…and we eat 50% of all salaries to boot.
All kidding aside…the Zito situation needs to be seriously addressed…and the RJ injury almost gives Zito new life. If Sanchez returns to form…and Zito continues with his normal ways…something has to be done. Like I said earlier…look for Sanchez to be dealt during the break.
Which again…leaves us with more of Zito.
Zito is a constant reminder of of rule #1…Life’s Not Fair. In the dictionary under PUSSY…is a picture of Zito.
Enough said.
Stay hot Pablo.
“Which again…leaves us with more of Zito.”
Needs more cowbell. Or disinfectant
Trading Zito would require a HUGE eat. Probably 12 mil/year. no way the Giants will eat that.
I was hoping they make Zito a pinch bunter or something. Make it clear he is not only not gong to pitch, but they are not releasing him either. Try to encourage him to retire, and negotiate a settlement out of that white elephant contract. One can hope!
The Giants should be glad to pay $12 million per year to screw up a competitor’s pitching staff. Talk about “win-win”.
Amen brother.
Trantor,
Eating only 12 mil at this point is a deal…and they will end up eating much more the longer they wait. No way Zito will ever negotiate out…as +mia would probably tell you…his ego is too huge. Now is the time to find a team in desperate need…and there are many…and eat the 12 mil or more….just to free up a roster spot…and partial salary dump. The Gigantes have better waiting in the wings…and this will prove to Lincecum, Cain, and the rest…that this team is into winning…now. I am hoping the Gigantes ownership group realizes that this is a special team w/o Zito…and that time is of the essence.
Feeling better about the Gigantes run differential now?
HE’s (!) t-h-a-t good!
+mia
Now you are just pissing me off because you just dragged me through that nightmare scenario again and because I agree with almost everything you just wrote. Alou was a yes man for Magowan, yes. I wouldn’t put Bochy in quite the same category. I admit, I’m prejudiced when it comes to Bochy because he managed the Padres, who the Giants walked all over for so many years that the thought of him managing the Giants makes me want to throw up, but it is unfair to judge him that harshly. Alou was a tool, Bochy not so much.
But, oh my god, I really didn’t need to be reminded of that game.
Turn about is fair play. From a Sporting News story in 2002 Ken Rosenthal writes:
“Sabean, assistant general manager Ned Colletti, player personnel whiz Dick Tidrow–they all seem to like working for Magowan. They’ll hire a competent manager. They’ll find a way to replace Kent’s bat, if necessary, without missing his sagging defense or grating personality. They’ll prove what Magowan maintained all along–that Baker wasn’t the sole reason for the Giants’ success.”
Have a safe and happy 4th of July.
“They’ll find a way to replace Kent’s bat, if necessary, without missing his sagging defense or grating personality. They’ll prove what Magowan maintained all along–that Baker wasn’t the sole reason for the Giants’ success.”
That was simply this assholes opinion. Unfortunately, because this fucker is q rated in MSM, what he says has a lot of credibility with fans and hence with sponsors and ownership groups. The way this was written was to imply to the casual reader that Magowan and Sabean thought Kent was a bad actor, a bad teammate and was a clank artist with the glove.
These are the types of opinions that get passed off as “facts” by the sensationalists that work for broadcast media. Its 90 percent bullshit meaning it is out of context and not in perspective. This is just another example of why most ballplayers hate guys like Rosenthal, Lupica, Verducci, Marriotti, Plashke, Neyer et al.
And since were taking a trip down memory lane….. here’s a more recent one.
WARNING!! Chicken Choking Choad Alert!!
———————————————–
St. Louis – Bottom of 1st
Barry Zito pitching for San Francisco
B Ryan singled to right.
S Schumaker hit a ground rule double to deep left, B Ryan to third.
A Pujols intentionally walked.
R Ludwick reached on infield single to shortstop, B Ryan scored, S Schumaker to third, A Pujols to second.
Y Molina walked, S Schumaker scored, A Pujols to third, R Ludwick to second.
C Duncan grounded into fielder’s choice to first, A Pujols scored, Y Molina out at second, R Ludwick to third.
STL 3 SFO 0
Game Over.
Highlight: Barry Zito manning up after an out-of-position Fred Lewis misplays Schumaker’s line drive into a double, IBBs Pujols and than proceeds to give up 3 consecutive runs. Aaron Rowand would drive in 2 useless runs late in the game to make the final 5-2.
+mia,
For the record…I am not a ZIto fan…but, Lewis has misplayed four of the last five balls hit to him…and I have been saying since day one…he cannot play outfield at the major league level. How this wasn’t noticed in the minors is beyond me. If Lewis makes the play…different inning…and game. Look for Lewis to be DFA at the break, and bring Bowker up. All said, Zito didn’t pitch that bad…but, he is a 5th starter at best on a non-contender @ 2 mil a year…or less.
The Gigantes could also insert Sanchez again in the rotation, and move Zito to the pen. Most likely will not happen…but it should.
The wild card is still ours to lose.
I’m with you to a certain extent on Lewis. His outfield play is beyond explanation. How a guy with those kinds of obvious flaws can get signed, let alone be in the majors. He is the classic case of bouncing eyeballs. He tracks and catches like a kid who runs on his heels making the ball impossible to pick up.
Insofar as Mr. Ilovemyself, my issue with him is not of stuff (command, velocity etc.) but of make-up. I can count on one hand, the number of times he has picked up any of his teammates in his 81 damned pussified demoralizing starts where he has picked up one of his teammates after a goof up or error.
The first thing Roger Craig told off his pitching staff about when he took over at the end of 1985 was he didn’t give a damn what your ERA was, he wanted to know whay your goddamned Unearned Average was. That was the mark of a team pitcher. Somebody who picked up his teammates. And that was the pitching philosophy that Craig insisted upon, and the results were 2 division titles in three years with a collection of nobodies and retreads for a pitching staff.
Meantime, Mr Zito, after one his games when he has again let everybody down with his minor league talent and WWE ego, he has the god damned gall to spout off shit like this:
“I’m so secure in myself I couldn’t care less what people think of me.”
“I refuse to be molded into some stereotypical ballplayer that has no interests, really, no life, no depth, no intelligence.”
Everytime this puke opens his mouth I want top shove Bochy’s head into it.
And for all the media propaganda about how much better he is pitching , Zitpuck is still floating along at barely under a 5.00 ERA…almost the same shit he put up last year. He is 25 and 38 since he got here. Thats a won loss percentage under .400 and I don’t give a shit about so-called “run support”. Under .400 is unacceptable for a no. 4 starter. That kind of shit gets you left off the roster for the playoffs yet he is making more than the entire rest of the staff combined.
He is taking up a roster spot. Keeping him around for the next two years until they finally get the stones to release him is like hoping an infected tooth will heal itself.
+mia,
Hope the 4th for good…as the Gigantes made everything taste that much better. 22-0 in last two days…can we get a fews Amens to that.
Totally agree about Zito lack of ability to pick up a teammate. Just shows his lack of mental toughness….much like a Tomko meltdown of past. I heard a scout say of Tomko almost tens years ago..”that he had a million dollar arm…and a ten cent head”. But, in this case…Zito doesn’t have a million dollar arm. I quit listening to Zito almost two years ago…so I am not familiar with the statements you posted…but it does sound like Zito. With his contract pressures…and his performance to date…he’s feeling insecure…regardless of his comments. He knows he’s dragging this team down. He can drown in all his greenbacks for all I care…just don’t take the Gigantes down with you.
My biggest worry is that the Gigantes(Sabean) will package Sanchez in a deal over the break now that Sadowski is proving himself as a 4-5 starter in the bigs. Eat at least half of Zito’s contract and package him…there are plenty of AL teams in need. Just wishful thinking. I think we’ll see a diferent Sanchez if he gets another shot. At least he has 95 reach-back on his fastball.
Spot on about the bouncing eyeballs. I noticed early last year that Lewis has a difficult time catching the ball in the pocket…and he seems to close his glove too early…with the ball on the heel of his glove. Just poor technique. Think somebody would have corrected this in the minors.
TI is coming around. Still has difficulty on the down and in breaking ball…but, is crushing mistakes. His play at first is solid. If he continues to improve…all we need is Posey to reach his potential. Still saying that 2b has always been the biggest issue.
You got me back watching…and I thank you for that.
I haven’t given up on the division…and I think we will the front runner for the wild card.
Stay hot Gigantes.
Still saying that 2b has always been the biggest issue.
———————————————————-
You mean since Rosenthal pronounced the problems solved in 2003 as quoted by Robert above?
“They’ll find a way to replace Kent’s bat, if necessary, without missing his sagging defense or grating personality.”
Giants management is nothing if not consistent. As is the idiotic Fox Sports commentary
+mia,
I’m into positives today. Hope it lasts for a while. I’m enoying watching the development of Shierholz and Ish…not to forget Sadowski. Glad mgmt gave Ish enough ab’s to prove himself. I would still like to see Bowker brought up…and Lewis DFA’d.
Durham did have his moments…unfortunately they were in option/contract years.
Try not to listen to FSC…especially McCarver.
Speaking of pitchers. The Giants are carrying 13 this week. Romo shoves it in spite of Renteria throwing to the wrong base on what should have been out number 3, and strike 3 being called ball 4. Great job. So Bochy goes to Affleldt in the 8th who uses 11 pitches to get 2 ks and retire the side in order. LaRussa, desperate to break a 5 game losing streak, brings in his closer, Franklin, in a tie game to pitch a scoreless 9th. Bochy counters by replacing Affeldt not with Wilson. Not with Valdez. But with 0-3 and 3 blown saves Bobby Howry (who has now lost and blown almost as many games (7) in 30 appearances this year as he has the previous 3 years. Nine, eleven, and nine in 72, 78, and 84 appearances respectively. Its not that he is horrible, its that he has not demonstrated any damned thing this year to justify being put into a critical high-leverage situation. Especially when you have already forced LaRussas hand.
I have no idea what Bochy’s response would be, to: “Why the fuck did you have your 13th best pitcher start the 10th inning? Is this not similar to the brilliant strategy that Abner Doubleday Alou, employed against Steve Finley and the Dodgers in Game 161 of the 2004 Season? In case you forgot:
——————————–
DODGERS 9TH: RANSOM REPLACED CRUZ (PLAYING SS); Green singled to
left; Ventura walked [Green to second]; Cora was called out on
strikes; HERNANDEZ BATTED FOR ROSS; Hernandez walked [Green to
third, Ventura to second]; CHOI BATTED FOR BRAZOBAN; Choi walked
[Green scored, Ventura to third, Hernandez to second];
CHRISTIANSEN REPLACED HERMANSON (PITCHING); A. PEREZ RAN FOR
CHOI; Izturis reached on an error by Ransom [Ventura scored,
Hernandez to third, A. Perez to second]; HERGES REPLACED
CHRISTIANSEN (PITCHING); Werth singled to right [Hernandez
scored, A. Perez to third, Izturis to second]; FRANKLIN REPLACED
HERGES (PITCHING); Finley homered [A. Perez scored, Izturis
scored (unearned), Werth scored]; 7 R (6 ER), 3 H, 1 E, 0 LOB.
Giants 3, Dodgers 7.
————————————————————————–
It is games like last nights and the clusterfuck in Milwaukee last Saturday that makes me want to strangle this asshole. Just like Alou, a company-man sycophant who is mediocre to below average, but never creates a scene, and allows the front office to step in the spotlight when shit occasionally goes right.
“Abner Doubleday Alou”? LOL! Good one…
“Dwight Gooden, to whom he’s occasionally compared, started 66 games his first two seasons, and at the end of his second, (when he was 20 years old!), Gooden was 41-13.”
The biggest difference is that the Mets were actually good in Gooden’s first two season. The Giants not so much, making Lincecum’s achievements even more impressive.
Mets
1984: 90-72
1985: 98-64
Giants
2008: 72-90
2009: who knows, probably not 98-64 though.
Yeah, but again, Gooden was 20 years old when he went 24-4 with a 1.50 ERA. No matter how good the team was, Gooden was 20 games over .500 as a 20 year old, an accomplishment of almost singular brilliance. There can’t have been more than perhaps two or three pitchers in baseball history who did that.
i agree with disco
i too believe that in his heart, timmy wants to go and play in seattle
thing is, playing in the nl benefits him….and playing in the nl west benefits him even more
i think that if the giants do happen to fall into the playoffs this season, that might help in negotiations
but it seems to me, thanks to the awful zito contract, we are gonna lose either timmy or cain to fa
so heres hoping that both madbaum and alderson pan out
if not, come 2011, this team is in deep doodoo
Hey, Unc:
I know that his dad still lives there and that is where he grew up, but aside from that, has he or anybody that knows him alluded to that? I’ve heard this a couple of times and I wonder what the source is.
I never fail to not understand such things as when arbitration happens or rule 5 stuff, so I just say “okay”.
The Giants will never get rid of Zito unless they eat most of his salary, so that’s not really an option. Brings new meaning to the words “sunk cost”.
Really, honestly, if I were Lincecum or Cain, I wouldn’t sign a damn thing until they see Sabean gone and someone with a modicum of judgment in his place. Not comparing GMs in any way, but it’s like Texeira and Washington – does a player really want to spend their peak with a losing team? Evil Yankees and all that, sure, but I can’t blame the man. Washington might be going places, but it ain’t soon, might is a pretty big word, and careers are short.
Same thing with those two. I can sure as hell see them both bide their time if Sabean sticks around. You think the last few years have been a travesty? That’ll be nothing if they walk.
Yes, but think of the possibilities if Sabean lets Lincecum bolt. For $20M to $25M, we could populate the outfield with Dustan Mohrs and still have a spare Mohr to spell the other three, stock Rich Aurilias throughout the infield, and pocket a couple mil to chase an aging Yadier Molina when Posey slips away in a couple years. I see no downside.
About as good a pitching performance as anyone I’ve seen in recent memory. Everything just right. About a k per inning, and virtually unhittable. No doubt he is enfuego right now.
I just don’t have strong opinion one way or the other on a long term contract. I know I don’t want Sabean involved. And I believe that the ownership doesn’t want him involved either after the fiasco’s of the Rowand, Zito, and Renteria deals. I think Sabean can still recognize talent, but I don’t believe he knows market valuations anymore and I don’t think he commands the respect of his contemporaries as much as he used to…hence his ability to negotiate is somewhat weaker than it used to be
there’s no benefit to NOT waiting longer ( see: Carpenter, Chris). That said, there is no way they should let him leave. They should be building a budget to upport his salary for his year 6 and when becomes a free agent- plan ahead Giants. Oh, but we’re talking about Sabean here- he’ll probably prefer 3 Michael Tucker clones to the Franchise.
“there’s no benefit to NOT waiting longer”
Well that’s just not true. There’s value in guaranteeing money earlier to the player – and that value can be accounted for by giving the player a contract with a smaller total amount. Obviously sometimes the player will outperform the contract and sometimes the player won’t live up to it. That’s a risk both sides have to evaluate and decide what’s best for them and try to negotiate that position. Hopefully Lincecum’s preferences and the Giants preferences match up and they can reach an agreement that works for both parties. The point is there is a benefit to doing the contract earlier, but it also entails some risks.
“The Giants have no excuse not to open up the checkbook, right fucking now, and get him signed to a long-term contract. Under no circumstance can he be allowed to see the light of day.”
Other than the cost may be more than he is actually worth. I can’t imagine him signing for anything less than the highest paid pitcher in baseball, which means the Giants just threw away Lincecum’s most profitable years. Even in arbitration he’ll get less than what he’d demand on the open market (and thus in a long term Giants contract) so the Giants are much better off waiting until he’s closer to being an unrestricted free agent, unless he appears to be willing to give a good sized discount, basically as his insurance policy against getting injured.
If the Giants can, instead use the win-profit that Lincecum is generating (which according to Fangraphs were over 33M last year) to acquire one or two good bats, that’s the best chance they have of getting Lincecum to give them any sort of “home-field” discount when it’s time to talk contracts.
Well, they’re not negotiating with him as a FA right now. In buying out his arbitration years, the money they offer is going to be compared to what he’d get in arbitration, not what he’d get in the open market. Look at what the Rays did with Longoria, or what the Cardinals did with Pujols (buying out 3 of his arbitration years), or any other examples of players being signed long before they hit the open market.
In all those cases, the teams got good values for the players, because the scale they used for the contract was based on arbitration pay, which is set up to be a good value for the team. It also bought out 1 or more years of free agency in doing so (1 year I believe with Longria, 4 with Pujols, varying amounts for others). So there is no need to make Lincecum the highest paid pitcher in baseball. In the end these contracts mean someone like Longoria (and hopefully Lincecum in the future) end up with less total money but a lot more guranteed money up front. The more FA years bought out the better, but obviously each one will cost the team more.
In the end the Giants should try to negotiate a long term contract with Lincecum as soon as possible, and buy out as many FA years as possible. Who knows how much Lincecum is willing to accept, but if the Giants realize he’s set to make unprecedented amounts in arbitration (for a P), they will give him a very generous offer for a player so far from free agency. Hopefully it ends up being something like what Pujols got, and in the end turns out to be a great deal for both parties.
John,
Totally agree that the Gigantes need to do whatever it takes to make Lincecum a lifetime Gigante. I’m not sure Timmy or his agent would be willing to sign anything at this point. Getting into the playoffs would be a starting point…and making a clause in his contract which states he will always be the highest paid pitcher in baseball might help.
Will need to dump Zito before you can even approach him with any serious discussions. Because, if you are using Zito’s contract as a reference starting point in negotiations…the Gigantes will have to pay in excess of 35+mil per season.
The Gigantes will need to prove to Timmy that they are serious perenial contenders for the division…meaning putting together a better supporting cast behind him.
Much will depend on this year…and next.
Ownership needs to know he is the next Koufax…if not better. A once in a lifetime deal.
Hmm, perhaps nevermind my comment above. Seems Tim is eligible for arbitration after this season, which means he’ll get paid. A lot. So the Giants should start trying to sign him for as long as they can.
Yeah, his K/BB is 4.7. His K/9 is 10.4. Check here: http://www.fangraphs.com/statss.aspx?playerid=5705&position=P
also, i sometimes fear that Tim really wants to go back to Seattle when he hits free agency.
That first stat can’t be his k/9ip. Is it K/BB?
Yep. Fixed it.
From what I understand, Tim and his agent want to play it year-by-year, which gets Lincecum a bit more cash each year with the attendant risk that he gets injured and doesn’t get paid the next year. I find baseball contracts a lot harder to understand than football contracts, but I’m not sure they’re going to get him to sign long term for anything less than free agent quality money…which there’s not much reason to do, when they can have him for cheap now and then sign him for free agent quality money later.
My guess? Lincecum won’t sign long term with the Giants until they’re able to show that they are behind him–not only financially (which will be substantial, obviously), but also competitively. He’s got to know he’s good enough to carry a team all the way. If the Giants aren’t able to keep up, then he’s got no reason to stay when there’s similar money elsewhere. Start getting to/winning in the postseason in the next couple seasons, though, and AT&T park’s a nice place to pitch.
Timmy was a certified animal yesterday, who knew the lil guy was that quick too? Leave it to Sabean to give our 4th starter 20m/per and our best two are combining for less than 2m/per…That said didn’t Timmy get some form of a raise in the offseason?