I find the discussion of Lincecum’s offspeed stuff particularly interesting:

Lincecum appears to locate his change well while hiding the pitch and offering a huge speed difference from his fastball. Sounds like a plus plus pitch to me. So why isn’t he throwing it more often? He still must not feel completely comfortable with it or he might be leaning on his fastball a little too much. If he does start to throw his changeup more often, look out.

Sounds like analysis a team can use…

Post from: Knuckle Curve

You know the drill by now. The question before the court is, Who would get your vote for NL Rookie of the Year and why?

In my mind, this is a two-man race between Milwaukee “third baseman” Ryan Braun and Colorado shortstop Troy Tulowitzki. Guys like Hunter Pence and Josh Hamilton would have merited serious consideration had they remained healthy all season. Actually, you could make a strong case for Pence anyway.

Similarly, right-handers Yovani Gallardo and Tim Lincecum might have been part of the conversation if they’d been called up a little sooner. Micah Owings? The crazy thing about him is that he adds value as a pitcher and as a hitter.

And then there’s Owings’ teammate, Chris Young. He’ll get some consideration for the 32 homers and 27 stolen bases — very sexy. Young might have as promising a future as anyone among the current crop of rookies, but that .295 OBP is tough to ignore.

So. I ask again: Who do you like, and why?

Post from: Knuckle Curve