The Tim Lincecum Experiment Isn't Working Out So Great For The Angels
I feel bad for Tim Lincecum. On one hand, he is a former first-round draft pick, number ten overall, and high expectations come with being selected that high.
But for most of his life, he has been an underdog. That’s why they call him The Freak. He wasn’t supposed to be as good as he was. It defied logic. He’s five-foot nothin’, and I’m sure his trophy case weighs more than he does. He’s got two Cy Young awards and three World Series trophies in there, and he’s earned them. But it’s been a long time since Lincecum has looked like the pitcher who earned those awards and trophies.
On Sunday, the right-hander allowed 8 earned runs on 7 hits over 1.1 innings. That was the sixth time in seven starts that Lincecum was unable to give his team at least 6 innings, and the only time he was able to do that was in his first start of 2016 against Oakland. The Lincecum Experiment has been a colossal failure for the Angels, as the 32-year-old now sports an ERA of 8.70, and opponents are hitting .391 with an 1.139 OPS against him. Out of the 336 pitchers who have thrown at least 30 innings this season, Lincecum is 334th in ERA, 336th in WHIP (2.30), 336th in opponents batting average, and 335th in opponents OPS. Basically, he’s the worst pitcher in baseball. That’s what I’m trying to say.
Angels manager Mike Scioscia has maintained that he won’t put Lincecum in the bullpen, but why would he? The Angels are in last place, and they have nothing to play for, so they might as well stick to the plan. The plan, of course, was to sign Lincecum, hope that they strike gold in a pitching-starved trade market, and flip him for something valuable at the deadline. It’s too late for him to have some miraculous turnaround before the non-waiver deadline, but they could always trade him in August if he clears waivers. Even if he’s claimed, they could hope to work out a deal with a contender looking to add a starter.
But if what we’ve seen so far is any indicator of what he’s going to be, it looks like the Angels signed themselves a dud starter that they’ll likely have to chalk up as a sunk cost. If that’s how the story ends up, I can’t say I blame the Angels for trying. The logic behind the signing was certainly there, and they had absolutely nothing to lose, except for the $2.5 million that it cost to sign him, which is essentially pennies to a team like that. It’s just unfortunate that it didn’t work out. Not because I care about the Angels getting a decent prospect for him, but rather because I just enjoyed watching Lincecum pitch when he was at his best.