Name: Tim Lincecum
Position: Starting Pitcher
Age: 25 (26 in June)
Overview: "The Freak," Tim Lincecum, is perhaps the best pitcher in baseball. Just looking at him, his 5'11'', 172 lb. stature may deceive you; he looks like a high school kid, but with his unorthodox pitching mechanics, he can bring the heat as well as anyone else in Major League Baseball.
In this year's talent pool for fantasy baseball, there are only a small handful of starting pitchers who deserve to be drafted in the first round, and given the 25-year old Lincecum's dominance of the National League since his 2008 breakout, he is certainly one of the few candidates.
Because the past couple of years he's pitched for some light-hitting San Francisco teams, his win total has suffered, which is why if you are in a Head-to-Head Points league with an emphasis on wins, you might be better off choosing Halladay, or even CC Sabathia, who will probably get a couple more wins. Nonetheless, Lincecum is a top-three pitching talent in Major League Baseball, and the kid is an ultra-durable, strikeout machine. Draft him and enjoy the ride.
2009 Stats: 15-7, 225 IP (32 starts), 2.48 ERA, 2.34 FIP, 261 K, .209 BAA, 10.42 K/9, 2.72 BB/9
2010 (Bill James projection): 18-7, 228 IP, 2.80 ERA, 2.62 FIP, 261 K, .215 BAA, 10.3 K/9, 3.16 BB/9