Timothy Leroy Lincecum ( ; born June 15, 1984), nicknamed "the Freak", "the Franchise", "the Freaky Franchise" and "Big Time Timmy Jim", is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Francisco Giants (2007 to 2015) and Los Angeles Angels (2016). A two-time Cy Young Award winner, Lincecum helped the Giants win three World Series championships from 2010 through 2014.
A graduate of Liberty Senior High School in Renton, Washington, Lincecum played college baseball at the University of Washington, where he won the 2006 Golden Spikes Award. That year, Lincecum became the first Washington Husky to be selected in the first round of an MLB Draft when the San Francisco Giants selected him tenth overall.
Nicknamed "The Freak" for his ability to generate powerful pitches despite his slight physique (5 feet 11 inches, 170 pounds), the power pitcher led the National League in strikeouts for three consecutive years in a span from to . He also led the league in shutouts in and won the Babe Ruth Award in 2010 as the most valuable player of the MLB postseason. Lincecum won consecutive Cy Young Awards in and , becoming the first MLB pitcher to win the award in his first two full seasons. He also appeared in four consecutive All-Star Games from 2008 through 2011 and pitched no-hitters in 2013 and 2014. Lincecum won World Series rings with the Giants in 2010, 2012, and 2014. After an injury-plagued 2015 season, he made nine starts for the Angels in 2016.
Lincecum is one of only three pitchers in Major League history to win multiple World Series championships, win multiple Cy Young Awards, throw multiple no-hitters, and earn multiple All-Star selections; the others are Justin Verlander and Hall of Famer Sandy Koufax.
Early life
Lincecum's mother, Rebecca Asis, is the daughter of Filipino immigrants. His father, Chris, worked at Boeing and is distantly related by marriage to actress Natalie Wood. From the age of four, Chris helped his son refine his pitching motion, filming his practices and games and analyzing the video. Lincecum attended Liberty Senior High School in Renton, Washington, where he played two seasons of varsity baseball. As a senior, he was named the state's Player of the Year and led his school to the 2003 3A Kingco Athletic Conference title. He was selected by the Chicago Cubs in the 48th round (1,408th overall) of the 2003 Major League Baseball (MLB) draft, but he did not sign, opting to attend the University of Washington instead.
College career
In both 2004 and 2006, Lincecum was named the Pac-10 Pitcher of the Year for the Washington Huskies. He was selected by the Cleveland Indians in the 42nd round (1,261st overall) upon re-entering the draft in 2005. Again, he did not sign, rejecting an offer including a $700,000 signing bonus as he had been holding out for a larger signing bonus so that his father could retire. He finished 2006 with a 12–4 win–loss record and a 1.94 earned run average (ERA), 199 strikeouts, and three saves in innings. He was the recipient of the 2006 Golden Spikes Award, which is awarded annually to the best amateur baseball player.
In 2005, Lincecum played collegiate summer baseball for the Harwich Mariners of the Cape Cod Baseball League. He was named a league all-star for Harwich, and posted a 2–2 record with a league-leading 0.69 ERA, striking out 68 batters in 39 innings.
Professional career
Drafts and minor leagues
Lincecum was selected by the Chicago Cubs in the 48th round (1,408th overall) of the 2003 Major League Baseball (MLB) draft, but he did not sign, opting to attend the University of Washington instead.
In 2006, Lincecum was drafted tenth overall by the San Francisco Giants, becoming the first player from the University of Washington to be taken in the first round. His $2.025 million signing bonus was, at the time, the most the organization had ever paid to any amateur player.