Texas Rangers rumors: Rangers attending Tim Lincecum showcase

Texas Rangers rumors: Tim Lincecum and the Texas Rangers almost were a match in 2006, when the Rangers were hoping the righthanded pitcher would fall to them with the #12 pick in the MLB Draft. Unfortunately for Texas, Lincecum went to the San Francisco Giants at #10, and after the Arizona Diamondbacks selected Max Scherzer at #11, the Rangers took Alabama high school lefty Kasey Kiker — a pick that did not pan out.

However, the Rangers have another chance at Lincecum, and they will be attending a showcase in Seattle on Thursday, according to Jon Heyman, where Lincecum, who didn’t pitch in 2017, will be throwing for teams as he works to try to get back into the majors in 2018. Lincecum has been working with Driveline Baseball in an effort to revitalize his career.

Lincecum was one of the best pitchers in baseball in 2008 and 2009, winning the Cy Young Award in the National League both years while putting up a 2.55 ERA in 452 innings, good for a 15.4 bWAR. Lincecum regressed the next two seasons, but was still quite good, putting up a 7.9 bWAR in 229 innings.

Lincecum fell apart after that, though, putting up a 4.68 ERA in 615 innings from 2012-15, and ultimately needing hip surgery. Lincecum attempted a comeback with the Angels in 2016, but had a 9.16 ERA in 38 innings in 9 starts before being released.

Its reasonable to be skeptical of Lincecum’s chances of being a productive major league pitcher again, though it doesn’t hurt to go take a look at the 33 year old and see what he shows. The Rangers found a useful reliever, after all, in a Golden Corral parking lot, so it seems to be worth the effort to head out to Seattle and see what the former Cy Young Winner looks like at this showcase.