Texas Rangers: What will be Tim Lincecum’s role?
Former Giants’ pitcher Tim Lincecum has agreed to a one-year deal with the Texas Rangers. The two-time Cy Young award winner drew interest from several teams before landing with Texas. What might the Rangers get from Lincecum?
Tim Lincecum last pitched for the Los Angeles Angels in 2016. He pitched just 38.1 innings that season and had an ERA of 9.16. His season ended abruptly due to a hip injury. Lincecum threw a session for scouts in Arizona recently with the hopes of making a return to baseball. Now that he has his chance with the Texas Rangers, what might be his role?
Lincecum unlikely to return to a rotation
Lincecum’s best years are behind him. It’s hard two beat two Cy Youngs, two no-hitters and three World Series Championships. But still, there’s apparently still use for him in baseball, however unique to him it may be.
Given his age and injury history, Lincecum likely won’t have the durability required to be an effective starter again. He’s more likely to come out of the bullpen for the Rangers, and there’s never been a better time to be a bullpen pitcher.
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Unfortunately for Lincecum, the stat sheet may disagree with his moving to the bullpen. Of all nine innings, his first inning is his statistical worst. In 270 first-innings, his career ERA is 4.47. His 269.1 second-innings drop off significantly to an impressive 3.31. The issue for Lincecum moving the pen is that usually when a manager pulls a pitcher, it’s because he needs immediate outs. If Lincecum struggles to get his first three outs, his effectivity from the bullpen might be limited.
The Rangers don’t have a closer
Currently, the Rangers don’t have a clear ninth inning pitcher for their 2018 season. They do, however, have candidates for Lincecum to compete with.
Alex Claudio recorded the most saves for the team with 11. His numbers were impressive; he had an ERA+ of 188 in 82.2 innings. But the 25-year old apparently wasn’t able to lock up the job in 2017 so Lincecum could have his shot.
The Rangers nearly finished a deal with former Cardinals’ closer Seung-hwan Oh. Oh recorded 39 saves and had an ERA of 2.85 with the Cardinals in 2016 and 2017. However, his signing with the Rangers fell through after he didn’t pass his physical. Oh has since agreed to a deal with the Toronto Blue Jays. The Rangers’ closer role could ultimately come down to Lincecum and Claudio.
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The Texas Rangers believe Tim Lincecum isn’t done being an impact player at the major league level. He’ll return to the league after many presumed his career to be over, but the exact nature of what his role will be is still to be seen.