MLB Power Rankings: Tim Lincecum and The Top 10 Changeups in Baseball History
The World Series champion San Francisco Giants boast arguably one of the most violent young pitchers in the game in Tim Lincecum.
However, despite his jerky wind up and fast pace, Lincecum is also known for having one of the better off-speed pitches in the majors.
So, how does Timmy stack up with MLB's all-time crawlers? Here's a list of the top changeup pitchers in the history of baseball.
Ubaldo Jimenez
1 of 10
Ubaldo is a Dominican pitcher who likes to take things slow.
Quickly becoming a household name after having an outstanding 2010 season that included a no-hitter, Jimenez is arguably the best pitcher currently in the game.
He's known for a variety of pitches, including a menacing fast ball, but his changeup packs quite a punch.
Jimenez is currently 50-36 with a 3.52 career ERA.
Jamie Moyer
2 of 10
Jamie Moyer, a current free agent who just finished a tenure with the Phillies, is currently MLB's winningest active pitcher.
He's also credited with the most strikeouts out of any active pitcher, and he's best known for his changeup.
The southpaw's earned numerous career awards, as well as an All-Star appearance and a World Series championship in 2008.
Edinson Volquez
3 of 10
You have to give some new and upcoming players credit where credit is due, and Edinson Volquez definitely has impressed in the early years of his career.
The current Cincinnati Reds starter hails from the Dominican Republic, where the changeup gained momentum (for lack of a better word).
The 27-year-old has a career 28-22 record but has been an escalating and exciting young player.
Volquez pitches changeups at a very high rate. In 2008 he threw it 32 percent of the time, which helped him earn an All-Star selection.
Rich Harden
4 of 10
Canadian Rich Harden is another young pitcher who's shown off a nice slow ball.
Harden, who's now with the Oakland Athletics for a second stint by the bay, has a 55-34 record and a career 3.63 ERA.
He throws two pitches, one being a fastball, and the other, of course, is his crawling change.
Harden may not be a superstar in most people's minds, but anyone who's had the success he has with two pitches certainly deserves a spot on the list.
Tim Lincecum
5 of 10
The 27-year-old Giants star is coming off a World Series championship and has two NL Cy Young awards and three All-Star selections to boot.
His trademark segmented wind up has quickly become infamous for throwing hitters out of the loop. The violent motion is hard enough to deal with when the fastball is coming, but it's the way Lincecum masks his changeup under that same motion so well that lands him on this list.
His current record is 56-27 with a 3.04 ERA, and he has 907 career strike outs.
Mark Buehrle
6 of 10
Mark Buehrle's changeup might even be harder to nail than his last name, and that's saying a lot.
The 31-year-old pitcher's career with the Chicago White Sox has resulted in countless accolades, including a no-hitter in 2007 and a perfect game in 2009. He has four All-Star appearances, as well as a World Series championship.
His 3.85 career ERA and 148-110 record are also pretty darn impressive.
While Buehrle might have just recently become a household name, his off-speed pitches have helped him to a dominating career.
Pedro Martinez
7 of 10
One of the more dominating pitchers in MLB history, Pedro Martinez raised eyebrows in earlier parts of his career with his 100 mph fastballs.
But the Dominican pitcher's fastball had a formidable sidekick.
Martinez throws a changeup with outstanding control, which helped him to an incredible 219-100 career record.
Martinez has three Cy Young awards, eight All-Star selections and a World Series championship.
Mike Mussina
8 of 10
As he got older, Mike Mussina didn't have the burst in his pitches he'd always posessed.
That's the primary reason he's on this list.
Mussina lost fastball velocity through the years but made up for it by lowering his changeup speed accordingly.
His 270-153 record is outstanding and accolades include five All-Star selections and seven Gold Gloves. His last Gold Glove was 2008, which is a testament to his adjustment.
Johan Santana
9 of 10
This dangerous Dominican southpaw epitomizes a changeup pitcher.
His change of pace pitch has helped him to a very impressive 133-69 record, with a 3.10 ERA and 1,877 strikeouts.
Santana's career with the Twins and Mets also has resulted in a long list of awards, which includes Sports Illustrated's all-decade team.
Tom Glavine
10 of 10
The legendary career of Tom Glavine was highlighted by his pitching style, which included an outside changeup that was nearly impossible to hit.
The 44-year-old left the game with a 305-203 career record, 10 All-Star selections and two NL Cy Young awards.
Glavine was in a different league than the flashier, violent pitchers of today. His changeup became a primary pitch which helped him to 2,607 career strike outs.
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