Just a few years ago, Tim Lincecum was one of the most feared and prolific pitchers in baseball. When he was on the mound, you automatically assumed the opposing team was going to fall victim to his searing fastballs and mystifying breaking pitches, unless a miracle happened and guys actually found a way to make contact. In his back-to-back Cy Young award seasons in 2008 and 2009, Lincecum racked up over 500 strikeouts, 30 victories and amassed just 12 losses. He was a key component of his San Francisco Giants’ World Series titles in 2010 and 2012, and a perennial All-Star.
However, as is the case sometimes with dominant, hard-throwing pitchers, injuries began to get he best of Lincecum beginning in 2012, and they became too much to play with during a shortened 2015 campaign. His contract was not renewed by the Giants, and just like that, one of the most prolific pitchers of a generation was a free agent.
Recently, Lincecum held a throwing exhibition attended by many teams, and one of them may have been impressed more than others: the Los Angeles Angels. ESPN is reporting today that Lincecum is close to a deal with the Angels that would have him pitching from a major league mound for the first time this season.
The Angels who are 16-21 but less than 6 games out of first place in their division, could surely benefit from a return of “The Freak.”
