The Baltimore Orioles will be among the teams in attendance of 33-year old free agent pitcher Tim Lincecum’s showcase in Seattle at Driveline Baseball’s facility.
Lincecum was a highly successful pitcher at one point, winning the Cy Young Award twice and being named to the All-Star Game four times. In nine seasons with the San Francisco Giants, Lincecum went 108-83, with a 3.61 ERA, 3.36 FIP and a 1.268 WHIP. Unfortunately for Lincecum, he has struggled with injury for the past few seasons.
As a 32-year old in 2016, Lincecum joined the Los Angeles Angels after missing some time with a hip injury. Though it was believed that he had recovered, Lincecum couldn’t return to the form that put him at the top of pitchers in the National League. He went 2-6 record, with a 9.16 ERA (allowing 39 runs), 7.16 FIP and a 2.374 WHIP over the span of just 38.1 innings. Lincecum did not pitch in 2017, but Orioles general manager Dan Duquette is willing to take a look at him.
“There will be a good contingent at that showcase, from what I understand,” Duquette said on “MASN All Access.” “Tim’s been working out at Driveline. He’s a big Driveline guy. He’s had some great years. Very colorful player. So we’ll be keeping an eye on that.”
Adam Jones, Jonathan Schoop extensions?
The Orioles haven’t been in extensive talks to sign center fielder Adam Jones. Jones, 32, will become a free agent at the end of the season and has spent the last 10 years of his career in Baltimore. He slashed .285/.322/.466, driving in 73 runs and hitting 26 home runs in 635 plate appearances in 2017.
Duquette did joke, however, about “extensively” being in talks with the agents of second baseman Jonathan Schoop and starting pitcher Kevin Gausman.
Though Schoop will not become a free agent until 2020, the Orioles may want to look at extending their star second baseman early. The 26-year old from Curacao had a breakout season in 2017, slashing .293/.338/.503, driving in 105 runs and hitting 32 homers. He also owned a 5.1 WAR on the year. The better than Schoop plays, the more that his price will shoot through the roof and it would be wise for Baltimore to extend him soon.
As for Gausman, 27, he is one of two known serviceable pitchers on Baltimore’s staff as of right now. He becomes a free agent after the 2019 season. Gausman has a career record of 34-43, an ERA of 4.18, FIP of 4.08 and WHIP of 1.344.
Jones, Tim Beckham, Trey Mancini and Anthony Santander show up at camp
The quartet of Jones, third baseman Tim Beckham, left fielder Trey Mancini and outfielder Anthony Santander arrived at camp early. Beckham, 28, is set to play third base during the 2018 season, which will just be the ninth time that he has done so in the Majors. However, this time, it will be for the entire season, as Manny Machado will move to shortstop.
Other than the large task of swapping defensive positions with Machado, Beckham will look to continue to swing a hot bat with the Orioles. In 230 plate appearances in Baltimore, Beckham slashed .306/.348/.523, driving in 26 runs and 10 RBI.
Mancini, who will be 26 at the beginning of the regular season, began his first full season in Baltimore with a bang. In 586 plate appearances, Mancini had a slash line of .293/.338/.488, batting in 78 runs and hitting 24 home runs. What’s even more impressive is that during the beginning of the year, Mancini didn’t have a set position. He has since landed in starting left fielder’s role and occasionally fills in at first base for Chris Davis.
In a rehab assignment, Santander showed why he has drawn comparisons to Victor Martinez, slashing .382/.453/.745, driving in 14 runs and hitting five home runs in 64 plate appearances between High-A Frederick and Double-A Bowie. Santander, 23, will have a chance to make it onto the big club as a bench bat if he can continue to sharpen his skills at the plate.
(Photo Credit: Rob Carr/Getty Images)
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