By Dalton Del Don – Senior Writer
Not much else can be said at this point, but suffice it to say, I’m pleased with the decision to finally call up Tim Lincecum. With a roster chalk full of the elderly, and one, maybe two great years left of Barry Bonds, the Giants have a short window of opportunity, and the 29 innings pitched by Russ Ortiz this year were 29 too many. It’s sad that it took an injury (which appears to be legit) to make the switch happen – in what other profession does seniority beat out performance by this much? With Lincecum being smallish in build and carrying health concerns, every pitch he threw in Triple-A was a waste; after all, he’s older than Matt Cain for crying out loud, Lincecum needed to be in the majors yesterday.
Lincecum isn’t just the best prospect in baseball – he’s one of the best in recent memory. The numbers are staggering: 4-0, 0.29 ERA, 12 hits allowed in 31 innings, 46 strikeouts. The fact his first start will come during a nationally televised game is fitting. Lincecum, aka “The Franchise,” aka “Seabiscuit,” is no doubt long gone in most fantasy leagues. To put it in perspective – if I had all $100 left of my FAAB, I’d put in a $100 bid on Lincecum. There simply won’t be another free agent pick up this year that even resembles the type of immediate impact he’ll have.
As a Giants’ fan, and I must be considered a fairly serious one after going to Thursday night’s game and sitting through a rain-filled, 3 hour and 47 minute debacle at AT&T Park, I still admit the team is unlikely to make the playoffs. Still, a top-3 of Lincecum, Cain and Zito would be tough to beat in a short-game series. But my hopes for Lincecum don’t stem purely from being an SF fan, this kid is legit, and he’ll prove it with a gem Sunday night. And after that he’ll walk on water and then turn the water into wine.
Leave a Reply