San Francisco Giants manager Bruce Bochy all but confirms that Tim Lincecum will start the season in the rotation.
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Giants right-hander Tim Lincecum is on the road to redemption…again. After his third disastrous season in a row, Lincecum decided to try something that he has apparently eschewed for these last three years. That something is his dad, Chris, the guy that invented his mechanics in the first place. Lincecum spent this last offseason repairing his personal and professional relationship with his dad in an attempt to dig himself out of the longest winter of his career. In the last three seasons, he’s posted ERAs of 5.18, 4.37 and 4.74, and he’s due to hit MLB free agency again after this season. If he can’t turn it around, there aren’t going to be many, if any, teams willing to give him yet another chance.
However, as pitchers and catchers report to spring training this week, there seems to be some hopeful things coming out of the Giants camp regarding Lincecum. Manager Bruce Bochy all but confirmed on Wednesday that Lincecum would be the fifth starter in the rotation, with recently signed Ryan Vogelsong going to the pen, along with Yusmeiro Petit. Both would be available to spot start if necessary.
“My dad knows my mechanics better than I do,” Lincecum said Wednesday as pitchers and catchers reported to spring training at Scottsdale Stadium. “He’s always been the one who kind of reaffirmed and reignited that idea of ‘our mechanics.’ I lost grasp of that over the past few years trying to do it myself.” (via San Francisco Chronicle)
Lincecum went on to describe how he and his dad had become estranged in the last three years as the pitcher struggled to right the ship. He confirmed that his dad got in the habit of quizzing him after every bad outing and he started trying to avoid that conversation because it got “tedious”.
In the end, Lincecum said he had to swallow his pride and apologize before asking his dad for help this last offseason. Even with all that, Lincecum said he still had times where he stubbornly refused to listen and ended up throwing alone in the net while his dad took a smoke break.
Lincecum says that the ball is now coming out more efficiently and easier. He described it as not having to put out 150 percent effort for only 60 percent result. His dad plans to remain in Arizona through spring training, ready to give Lincecum advice if he falters.
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