Tim Lincecum To Pitch For Clubs Friday In Comeback Bid
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Two-time NL Cy Young Award winner Tim Lincecum will pitch for major league clubs in a showcase event Friday as he attempts to make a comeback from hip surgery last year.
The free agent right-hander is set to hold his much-anticipated throwing session Friday in Arizona, according to Paul Kuo, spokesman for Lincecum's agency, Beverly Hills Sports Council. A location and time were not yet announced for the showcase, but dozens of scouts and executives are expected to be in attendance with their radar guns at the ready.
The San Francisco Giants will be there as planned all along, general manager Bobby Evans said Sunday night. That does not necessarily mean they will re-sign the pitcher who helped them win three World Series in five years - 2010, '12 and '14 - though they certainly have interest in how Lincecum looks after his lengthy rehab, not to mention an overall care and concern given what "The Freak" has meant to the franchise.
San Francisco could consider offering Lincecum a creative contract that would give the team some flexibility if the move didn't work out.
The 31-year-old Lincecum underwent an arthroscopic procedure on his hip Sept. 3. He hopes to get a chance with a big league team this season.
He didn't pitch after June 27 last year because of degenerative hips and went 7-4 with a 4.13 ERA in 15 starts. That's after he pitched two no-hitters in an 11-month span against San Diego, first in July 2013 and again in June 2014.
Lincecum wrapped up a $35 million, two-year contract that paid him $18 million last year. He spent the offseason rehabbing in Arizona rather than his regular Seattle-area routine.
In 2010, he pitched the Game 5 World Series clincher at Texas and then was a key reliever during the 2012 title run and four-game sweep of Detroit. While Lincecum pitched his second no-hitter against the Padres on June 25, 2014, the four-time All-Star was moved to the bullpen in late August of that year. But manager Bruce Bochy made it clear he would start 2015 back in the rotation.
While Lincecum said in late September he had "hope" of being back with the Giants, he was most focused on his health first and foremost so he gave himself the best chance to mount a meaningful comeback this year. Lincecum's showcase was pushed back multiple times because he wasn't ready. His father and longtime pitching coach, Chris Lincecum, guaranteed in an interview with Comcast Sports Net Bay Area that his son would be pitching again this year.
Copyright 2016 The Associated Press.