For everything that went wrong for the San Francisco Giants in 2008, there was one model of consistency that stood alone as the best pitcher the franchise has seen quite some time.
Tim Lincecum, in his first-full season in the majors, let it be known he will be the anchor of the team's hopes in the future.
Lincecum was rewarded for his outstanding performances with the National League Cy Young Award by a landslide Tuesday, something that he so rightfully deserves. He recieved 23 of the 32 first-place votes, seven second-place votes and one third-place vote, for 137 points total.
Brandon Webb finished second with four first-place votes and 73 points. The Mets' Johan Santana was third with four first-place votes and 55 points.
It's hard to believe that Giants general manager Brian Sabean imagined a Cy Young coming to San Francisco just two years after drafting him No. 10 out of the University of Washington in 2006.
"In Obama-like fashion it wasn't close. I wonder what we were even worrying about," Sabean said at a press conference following the announcement.
"I thought it was going to be a lot closer," Lincecum said. "I definitely don't want to say I had it in the bag. I was thinking somebody else would have it, Johan Santana, CC or Webb. Those guys are all great players. I think they're all three Cy Young winners previously. I figured they had a better shot, or as good a shot as I did."
We all know his stats: 18-5 record with a 2.62 ERA.
The remarkable thing about the kind of season he turned in is that he was playing on not only one of the worst teams in the NL, but also a team that had one of the worst offenses in all of baseball. The Giants were just three runs ahead of the San Diego Padres for least amount of runs scored and were the only team in the majors to not hit 100 home runs in 2008.
He compiled a league-best .783 winning percentage to go along with his 18-5 record. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the .339 difference between Lincecum's winning percentage and the Giants' was the seventh-largest in Major League history among pitchers with at least 15 victories. He also becomes only the 12th pitcher in the history of the game to win the Cy Young Award on a team with a sub-.500 record.
To steal a line from a previous article, "How many pitchers would get 18 wins on a team that has Bengie Molina hitting cleanup?"
But such a small man blowing away professional hitters with such ease is something to take notice of, no matter what the team is doing in the standings.
His 265 strikeouts, a Giants single-season record and the first ever Giant to lead the league in that category, were by far the most in all of baseball. While he did only win those 18 games, they were 30.5 percent of his team's. And while Webb had 22 wins, Lincecum would have had that many, if not more, if it wasn't for a sub-par bullpen letting him down.
Lincecum led Webb in all but one major category, walks. And other than innings pitched and WHIP, The Franchise had him beat with a considerable margin.
But while people seemed to rule him out of the race at times, much like ESPN doubting that the Tampa Bays Rays would stay in the race, Lincecum put it in their face, dealing gem after gem and racking up the strikeouts in the process.
When the pressure was on, Lincecum came through, going 14-3 after a Giants loss. Down the stretch, he did nothing to hurt his position as one of the top contenders, going 6-2 in his final ten games.
The 24-year-old shaggy haired wonderkid now joins Mike McCormick as the only Giants pitcher to win the award. McCormick, a two-time All-Star, won the award in 1967. Gaylord Perry (1970), Bill Swift (1993), and Jason Schmidt (2003) are Giants who finished as runners-ups in the voting.
Not only is this a great achievement for Lincecum, but also for a team that is rebuilding around younger players.
This solidifies Lincecum, if hadn't been known already, as the face of the franchise. Barry Zito may be making $126 million, but we all know that Lincecum is living up to his nickname.
So enjoy this one fans, but with talent this kid has, this might not be the last time San Francisco is celebrating a Cy Young winner.
46 comments Last one added 7 months ago — Leave a Comment
Nathan Lowe 7 months ago
I listened to a lot of Lincecum on KNBR last season. Although I'm not a Giants fan I, like many others, got caught up in his dream of a season. Lincecum is an awesome talent and he looks like a real cool young bloke. Saw him pitch too from field level club seats. Giants might actually be exciting in a year or two!
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Danny Penza 7 months ago
You touched on it. His talent is insane, but he's also a great person. Unlike former Giants stars (cough cough Barry Bonds cough cough), he sticks around until the final out of the game and cheers on his teammates. He really is a class act.
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Evan Aczon 7 months ago
I'd also like to point out that, even though some people mark him as "washed up" and "waste of money," the last 24 year old to win the Cy Young was Barry Zito, in 2004. It means a lot to have two Cy Young winners on the staff, so if that doesn't give a good vibe to the team, I don't know what will. Lincecum is a part of this team for a long time. Good for him, and good for the Giants.
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Danny Penza 7 months ago
Great point. Zito was great at some point. But now, nobody remembers it. Hell, I didn't even think about it when I was writing this.
It's great for him, but finally brings some good press to the Giants, which at this time, is always good.
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Dimitry Yakubovich 7 months ago
I can't beleive the East Coast media had me doubting that The Franchise would win.
And such a landslide victory shows the respect he has earned around the country.
Last year, I was at a Giants game in Milwaukee, and told the surrounding fans to remember the pitcher's name, because they would hear it again.
As so many "homer's" opinions about their players, this notice went in one ear and out the other of those Brewers fans.
Now that Timmy beat the Brewers Ace out, maybe some of these fans will recall that day in July in 2007.
BTW, Lincecum was 1 inning short of his 1st CG shutout that day, but the Giants scored 4 runs in the top of the 9th to take an 8-0 lead, and Bochy pulled him.
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Danny Penza 7 months ago
They pulled Lincecum after seven or eight quite a few times this year. And while it cost him some wins, I really didn't have a problem with it. Obviously they kept him in games down the stretch, but he put in enough innings throughout the year. If he didn't get pulled, he probably would be up around 250, which is quite a bit for such a young guy, even though he could probably handle it.
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Dimitry Yakubovich 7 months ago
Danny, I meant 2007. That game was 7/21/07 I beleive, not this season. This season Timmy was already becoming well known. Last season, nobody knew him when I told them they would hear from him again.
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Danny Penza 7 months ago
Yeah you're right. I knew he had pitched against the Brewers this year, just got it wrong. Although he was known, he certainly wasn't getting the attention that he might of deserved from the national media. Obviously he has great potential, he probably wasn't on a lot of peoples radar. For example, Michael Wilbon on PTI this week that he has four pitchers ahead of Lincecum if he had a vote for the Cy. That's just hard to believe from such a good journalist like Wilbon.
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Rory Davis 7 months ago
Great article Daniel...Very well written...
GO TIMMMMMYYYYY!!!!!!!
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Danny Penza 7 months ago
Thank you my friend. It was certainly a fun article to write. I had it ready to go when they made the announcement. I'm glad I could write this instead of something ripping the Baseball Writers Association.
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Nathan Lowe 7 months ago
Lincecum winning the Cy Young opens the door for Zito to have a big year. Certainly Zito will be under much less pressure. Yes, that's one thing I like about Lincecum, he's always fucking around in the dugout the next day after a start, always grinnin' and shooting the shit with someone. Pardon my french...
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Danny Penza 7 months ago
It's alright. We're adults here. He's a great player to model yourself after. Plus, he ain't too shabby on the mound either.
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Evan Aczon 7 months ago
agreed. He's also established himself as one of the best attitude guys in the league. I've never heard anything bad about his character, and I've also heard that friends of friends who have interacted with him that he's such a calming presence in the club house, not demanding anything and just playing the game. Hopefully that translates to a level-headed guy in the future who doesn't throw a fit when the Giants don't offer him $30 million a year.
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Danny Penza 7 months ago
Giants announcer Dave Flemming was on the radio after the news came and he said that Lincecum's character has only improved since he came into the league. Obviously he was the new kid last year, but this season guys are coming up to him and asking him for advice. Shows a lot to have veteran pitchers asking a second-year guy for advice.
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Brandon Heikoop 7 months ago
It's too bad that the BBWAA screwed up on the rest of the Cy Young voting. Getting Lincecum as the winner was the right move, but giving Webb first place votes, en route to finishing second place is a joke and diminishes the value of this great accomplishment by the young Giant.
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Danny Penza 7 months ago
Yeah, I think Santana should've taken the second spot. Both him and Lincecum would have had over 20 wins if not for crappy bullpens and their ERAs were almost a run lower than Webb's.
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Yama Hazheer 7 months ago
Well earned! Lincecum is the real deal.
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Dracula's Buttocks has teeth 7 months ago
Tim Lincecum is awesome, but this award would have been Johan Santana's hands down if his idiotic bullpen hadn't blown 8 saves for him. Had those mutts converted half those save attempts he would have won 20 games. 20 wins plus the ERA title and most innings pitched equals Cy Young Award. Congratulations to Lincecum though. He is a terrific pitcher.
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Evan Aczon 7 months ago
Agreed, but you could make the case for Lincecum, who left the game many times and had the bullpen blow it, or just didn't have the offense to get a win anyways. Santana made a great transition to the National League, and he's a great pitcher too.
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Danny Penza 7 months ago
It was almost as bad for Lincecum. Obviously the Giants bullpen's failures didn't get the attention that the Mets' did, mainly because the Mets actually had a shot at the playoffs, but they were just as bad at times. Lincecum left the game with a lead five times and got a no decision. Not as many as Santana, but it's close.
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Andrew Nuschler 7 months ago
C'mon, man. I agree Santana should have been second and, had his bullpen held together, it would have been a toss up. But his ERA was .09 points lower and he had 7.1 more IP. Meanwhile, Lincecum had 59 more Ks and, even with Santana's extra wins, would have kept pace in the win-loss column despite pitching for the Giants. The Mets weren't world-beaters, but they were the Red Sox compared to SF.
And, as has been mentioned, it's not like the Freak didn't have his share of games blown.
Santana was good and better than his paper resume, but so was Lincecum. Even Santana's improved resume
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Nathan Lowe 7 months ago
Santana didn't pitch that great in the beginning of the season. Lincecum owned all year.
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Anthony Carollo 7 months ago
Lincecum can only get better!!!! Congratulations Tim!
I was thrilled when Zito first signed with the Giants. I thought we were going to be at least a playoff team for sure. I haven't been disappointed just because he has been playing bad, but also because of the amount of money he makes. Just think about it...if Zito is back next year playing at the top of his game. Plus Lincecum...I get chills...
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Danny Penza 7 months ago
I think at this point, if Zito gets to .500 next season, I would be happy about it. If his ERA is around four and isn't so freakin inconsistent as he was in the first half last year, people should take it.
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Nino Colla 7 months ago
It's great to know that the writers still value the ERA stat over Wins when it really matters. Congrats to Tiny Tim, he really deserves it and I'm sure this won't be the last.
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Danny Penza 7 months ago
Yeah exactly. Timmy dominated Webb in the ERA department. Hopefully this is the first of many. Maybe I hope so because I'm a Giants fan. I dunno.
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GoBears 2008 7 months ago
Great article.
Lincecum is obviously a great pitcher, but he's also the perfect representative for the new Giants: young, humble, and very, very talented.
Now he needs an offensive side-kick (or three): hopefully Villalona, Posey, Sandoval, or someone yet to drafted will fill that role.
Nice writeup, and congratulations to Tim!
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Danny Penza 7 months ago
Thanks for the kind words my friend. He is definitely a great person to lead the franchise into the next few years of things. You're right about the hitters coming along. But they will. Just have to be patient because other than Posey, a lot of them are still teenagers and still at A-ball.
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GoBears 2008 7 months ago
No problem.
Hopefully, the hitters will come from the draft and farm system rather than through free agency or trades (unless they're really good). If management doesn't panic (like they almost did in the infamous Rios episode), everything should come together in 2-3 years.
There's no rush; whatever it takes to contend is fine with me. The Giants can afford to spend some money in free agency as well as keep their key players, as long as their judicious with their contracts.
Of course, there are some pretty darn good pitchers left in the system as well. In those 2-3 years, SF could have a rotation that's stacked like the Rays (except with a true ace at the top). Tim, Cain, Bumgarner, Sanchez . . . not bad at all.
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Danny Penza 7 months ago
I completely agree with you. Somebody wrote on here that the Giants need to make the playoffs next year because Giants fans patience is running out. I kinda went off on him because he told me that 4-5 years is enough to evaluate players is plenty of time. However, he missed the fact that a huge number of players on the current roster weren't even with the team five years ago at the end of the 2002 season.
If you take a look at what Baseball America Prospect Handbook, the most respected baseball prospect publication and one of my bibles, says, the Giants rotation in 2011 will be: Lincecum, Cain, Zito, Tim Alderson, and Madison Bumgarner. And while some position players have jumped ahead of others in the organization pecking order, seven of them will probably home grown. I'll take it.
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Andrew Nuschler 7 months ago
That's WEAK Daniel.
"Somebody wrote on here that the Giants need to make the playoffs next year because Giants fans patience is running out. I kinda went off on him because he told me that 4-5 years is enough to evaluate players is plenty of time. However, he missed the fact that a huge number of players on the current roster weren't even with the team five years ago at the end of the 2002 season."
That is a gross and cowardly misrepresentation of our exchange.
Unfortunately (for you), the truth is in black and white for anyone who cares to read:
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/79885-san-francisco-giants-wearing-the-fans-patience-thin
Where did I say they had to make the playoffs next year? And I absolutely DID NOT miss the fact that Burriss, et al weren't with the squad back then.
As a leading Giants writer and someone who obviously cares about the squad, I naively expected more from you. Even after you insulted me, then cut and ran like a bitch when I called you on it.
Guess it proves that even our fanbase has those fans who can throw stones, but lack the fortitude to face return fire with integrity.
Too bad.
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Ari Kramer 7 months ago
Just imagine all the wins he would have had with some offense. Put him on a team like Boston, the Angels, the Cubs... Johan had the offense but didn't have the bullpen.
The Freak didn't have either. Don't forget his closer who had 41 saves also had an ERA of 4.62.
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Danny Penza 7 months ago
Yeah, you gotta think that he would've been up around 25 if he had some sort of an offense and a bullpen working for him. While Wilson blew six saves this year, a good chunk of his runs were given up in non save situations.
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Jeff Breen 7 months ago
I agree. As a Brewer fan, I would've liked to have seen Sabathia win, but you cant argue what this youngster did with such a poor team. 265 strikeouts and an era under three; he def deserves it.
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Danny Penza 7 months ago
Yeah. I wrote an article earlier this season saying that pitching on a poor team should help his case as strange as it may seem. Sabathia did completely deal with the Brew Crew, but being in the National League for half the season took him out of serious contention.
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C. J. Krasyk 7 months ago
Great article. Totally agree with you. If Lincecum did not win it then the baseball writers would have had some serious explaining to do.
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Danny Penza 7 months ago
They would've no doubt. Surprised it was such a landslide considering that Webb and Santana have already won one and we know that sometimes the writers do vote not strictly on the stats.
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Tommy 7 months ago
He earned it - he's so damn dominant. Saw him pitch in a Mets game this year, he was insane!
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Danny Penza 7 months ago
That's weird because he didn't do much in that game. But yeah, the kid is insane.
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Steven Jarjees 7 months ago
Johan Santana should have won it. Lincecum never had to pitch in pressure situations like Johan did. Johan dominated the 2nd half of the season when it matters most. Johan led the league in ERA and quality starts. Lincecum is a great pitcher and has a bright future ahead of him, but i think that Santana is more deserving of this award.
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Danny Penza 7 months ago
Really? So pitching on a team that scored the second-fewest amount of runs in all of baseball doesn't mean he shouldn't earn it? I know this is the argument that Peter Gammons made, but he supports anybody as long as they pitched on the East Coast. Only Steve Carlton pitched on a worse team when he won the Cy Young. Not taking anything away from Johan, he certainly had the numbers to win, but come on, saying that he didn't pitch in ass many pressure packed games is a bad thing to base your argument on.
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Andrew Nuschler 7 months ago
Yeah, Santana had to pitch under the pressure of NY and a pennant race, but Lincecum had to pitch under the pressure of zero margin for error every single game. That's a different kind of pressure, but no less unsettling. Look at what it's done to Cain's numbers, whose mound presence and stuff are not that far behind Tiny Tim's.
And I cannot believe Gammons argued for Santana. Sad to see how much the old man has lost off his fastball; he's beginning to follow ESPN into the tank. Johan should have finished where Webb finished - a distant second.
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Steven Jarjees 7 months ago
look at Johan and Lincecum's run support. they had the same exact run support. The only difference is Johan had the worst bullpen of all time which costed him at least 3 or 4 wins.
http://baseball.espn.go.com/mlb/stats/pitching?sort=ERA&split=0&league=mlb&season=2008&seasonType=2&type=pitch3&ageMin=17&ageMax=51&hand=a&pos=all&minip=0
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Danny Penza 7 months ago
The same can be said about the Giants bullpen Steven. They blew leads all the time. As a Padres fan, you should remember that a few of those games were in San Diego.
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Rob Kildoo 7 months ago
Sad Peavy's about to be traded watching Peavy, Webb and Lincecum go round and round this year was amazing. This kid's ceiling in Randy Johnson, he's destined for a 300 k season.
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Danny Penza 7 months ago
Yeah it was great to watch them go against each other. It's rare, other than the first few weeks of the season, that you have to legit aces going against other so many times in a season.
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