By A.J. Hayes
With his shaggy blue-black hair, boyish good looks and slight frame, the Giants pitcher Tim Lincecum looks as if he stepped out of an audition for American Idol. He could also pass as a record store clerk, a college student or a wine steward.
The point is, Lincecum (he's listed at 5-foot-11, 170 pounds, but appears to be smaller) looks as if he could do anything for a living except play major league baseball.
But not only does the Bellevue, Washington native draw a nice check every two weeks from the Giants, the 23-year-old has quickly become the ace of San Francisco's staff and arguably most exciting hurler to matriculate through the orange & black's farm system since John "The Count" Monetfusco back in 1975.
Some in the media have nicknamed Lincecum, "The Franchise." We prefer (with apologies to Rick James) "Super Freak."
How else would you describe an average-sized dude expelling hardballs as if there's a howitzer attached to his right side? Whether it's from the torque generated from his "windmill" delivery or just unexplainable natural ability, Lincecum (lin-suh-COME) brings his pitches with markedly abnormal velocity.
That power pitching led to 150 strikeouts in 2007 over just 90 innings - tops among all rookies. Two seasons after he was selected as the 10th overall selection in the 2006 amateur draft, Lincecum has already lapped every player selected ahead of him, including No. 1 pick Luke Hochevar of Kansas City, who was bombed last weekend in Oakland, a day after Lincecum tossed seven shutout frames in a 3-0 Giants win at St. Louis.
With the victory, Lincecum solidified his position as the Giants "stopper," i.e. the pitcher you turn when you absolutely need a win or to halt a losing streak.
Lincecum has become even more of a complete pitcher this season. In 2007, the righty authored a 7-5 record and 4.00 ERA with basically a dazzling fastball and an overhand curve. This season he's introduced a darting slider and criminal change-up to his repertoire.
All that makes the recent news that the Giants brain-trust is seriously contemplating a move to an unheard of six-man starting rotation all that more disheartening.
The theory is that because the Giants are destined to finish out of the money this season, they could "save" the arms of Lincecum and fellow young starters Matt Cain, Jonathan Sanchez, Kevin Correia, the presently inactive Noah Lowry and veteran Barry Zito by reducing their work load.
Wrong move. Not only would it send the wrong message to fans and the team that the Giants have given up on the year, it would have a counter productive effect on these pitchers down the line.
What happens when the team shifts back to a more conventional five man rotation?
The babying their arms would receive from the six man rotation could very well lead to injuries down the road when the club has to revert to a more normal numbered rotation.
The six-man rotation would also deny the home town fans chances to see the pint-sized pitcher work. Giants' home stands run generally run from five to 10 games. With the five man rotation, San Francisco supporters are guaranteed a shot to see the young ace throw at least one to two times on any given stretch of consecutive dates that they are playing in the home creams.
The half-dozen rotation would throw that plan to the wind.
Furthermore, Lincecum in particular likes the frequent work. He's never had an arm injury; heck, he doesn't even ice his arm after starts.
He's as old school as a cloak room. Just give him the ball. He is after all, the "Super Freak."
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