Add the Detroit Tigers to the list of teams attending the showcase of a former two-time Cy Young winner and three-time World Series Champion, who is attempting to making a Major League Baseball comeback. The Freak, aka Tim Lincecum, is attempting to make his way back into The Show after his career slowly derailed following the 2011 season. Lincecum, who made his major league debut in 2007 at the age of 23, had a ridiculous four-year stretch from 2008-2011 where he won back-to-back National League Cy Young Awards (2008 & 2009), lead the National League in strikeouts (2008-2010), was top-10 in Cy Young voting (2008-2011), was a four-time All-Star (2008-2011), and pitched well over 200 innings (2008-2011).
http://gty.im/142721026
However, in 2012 the downfall of The Freak began, as his ERA jumped from 2.74 to 5.18, his earned runs jumped from 66 to 107, and his strikeouts, which averaged between 220 and 265 from 2008-2011, dropped to 190. His velocity on the fastball went from 94 in his first two seasons, to low-90’s the following two years, and then down into the high-80’s from 2012 on. And it never really got much better after that. From 2012-2016, Lincecum’s ERA stayed above 4.00 and, following hip surgery and being released by the Giants in 2015, ballooned to 9.16 in his nine games with the Los Angeles Angels, who subsequently released the three-time World Series Champion. As of right now, Lincecum’s career numbers are 110-89 with a 3.74 ERA and a WHIP of 1.293.
Lincecum disappeared from baseball after that, until a recent photo popped up showing the former Cy Young-winner sporting a completely different look from the slim Freak we were all used to seeing.
Tim Lincecum is attempting another comeback and he looks kinda swole these days. 🤔 https://t.co/zT8pThKw2Z pic.twitter.com/eWUhuPuzrR
— Yahoo Sports MLB (@MLByahoosports) February 7, 2018
It seems the 33-year-old Lincecum has spent the last year working on his frame as well as his game, as the man looks absolutely yoked nowadays. And news of his comeback attempt is definitely piquing interest throughout the league as multiple organizations, including the Tigers, San Francisco Giants, Milwaukee Brewers, and Atlanta Braves have announced they will attend Lincecum’s showcase. “The Freak” will showcase his stuff this Thursday, and it will be hosted by Driveline Baseball, which is where he has been working his way back.
