San Francisco Giants Mailbag: Lincecum, LF Power, Leadoff Spot

Apr 4, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Tim Lincecum (55) in the Giants dugout before the exhibition game between the Oakland Athletics and the San Francisco Giants at O.co Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Bob Stanton-USA TODAY Sports

These questions were so similar that I decided to answer both. I’ll preface my answer to Nick’s question by answering Jamie’s question.

If Lincecum starts to struggle again over the course of several starts, then he will end up in the bullpen. That’s not in question in mind, but what is in question is how long Bruce Bochy will wait or how much leeway he will give Lincecum before sending him to the bullpen.

In addition, if Linecum loses his spot in the rotation, it would most likely be Ryan Vogelsong who would replace him. If Vogelsong was already set to do a spot start for another starter or was unable to start on the particular day that Lincecum was ruled out, then, of course, Yusmeiro Petit could fill in too.

As for Nick’s question, I, unfortunately, don’t think that Lincecum will make it through the full season as a starter. I don’t necessarily think that he’ll lose his spot in the starting rotation for a significant period of time, but I do think that he will be replaced at some point in the season for at least a couple of starts.

Although I think that Lincecum can (and will) improve upon his 4.74 ERA last season, I don’t think it will be a drastic improvement. I think that he can get close to the 4.00-4.25 ERA range, but he will still go through periods where he struggles to consistently execute proper mechanics on his delivery.

Bochy could decide to skip one or two of Lincecum’s starts and have Vogelsong fill in during these lulls, which is why I believe he won’t have a full season in the starting rotation.

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