SCOTTSDALE — Tim Lincecum has yet to schedule a showcase for MLB teams, but the man who built that unique delivery said the longtime Giants star is progressing well from September hip surgery and already has drawn interest from around the league.
Chris Lincecum told CSN Bay Area on Thursday that his son has received multiple offers from teams "sight unseen," and the two-time Cy Young Award winner is close to being ready. While the showcase is the item of interest for outsiders, Tim's focus during rehab has been on a bigger goal.
“We’re not preparing for a showcase, we’re preparing for a season and his career,” Chris said during an interview on SportsTalk Live. “The showcase is just a piece of it. Once that’s over, he can go somewhere.”
Tim underwent season-ending hip surgery in September to repair a torn hip labrum and he spent the offseason rehabbing in Arizona. Chris joined about a month ago, and he has been at Tim’s side as he’s thrown five bullpen sessions in the past two weeks. The main focus has been on flat-ground throwing, and Chris said that during one session at a local facility Tim threw from one goalpost of a football field to the other, a distance of 120 yards.
“We haven’t put a (radar) gun on him,” Chris said. “All I know is that his velocity when he’s out on flat ground is quite acceptable and increasing each time I see it.”
[PAVLOVIC: Giants spring training Day 9: Team not ruling Cain out]
The velocity readings will get the headlines whenever Tim throws for scouts and executives. But teams still don't know when they'll get a first look at a healthy Lincecum.
“We’re in no hurry. The whole idea is to get him to a point where he feels confident and his strength is built up,” Chris said. “He will continue to build up that strength. Whatever that day is, he will decide. We’ll just let him do it.”
Chris said Tim is again able to throw with his whole body, likening last year’s efforts to trying to pitch from your knees, with all the stress on your arm.
“He got tired as the year went by because his lower body wasn’t creating enough leverage and it was making his upper body do all the work,” he said. “Now he’s got leverage, he’s got drive, and that’s what we’re working on.”
A free agent for the first time, Tim, who stopped by Scottsdale Stadium on Sunday to chat with old teammates, has hired his own trainers to help guide him through the rehab process. Chris said his understanding is that every MLB team has requested his son’s medical information.
The Padres and Marlins have been rumored as potential suitors, and Giants officials plan on attending the showcase. They have cautioned, though, that they do not have a rotation spot open, even after the news that Matt Cain had a cyst removed from his pitching arm.
“He’s going to go where he wants, where he’s needed — he’s done well (in San Francisco),” Chris said. “(He’ll go where) he’s happy. He’ll make the last choice (with) whatever choices he gets. My part of it is that I just want to make sure that he’s happy and he has a career. If he has to go somewhere else, I don’t care if he goes to Canada or wherever he goes. Whatever makes him happy.”
That will all be decided after Tim throws in front of teams. For now, Team Lincecum is focused on the rehab process
"He has a high bar for himself. He’s a perfectionist,” Chris said. “We’ll see what happens.”
