Hot Stove: Lincoln bold about future with Pirates
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The biggest number for Brad Lincoln in 2009: 136 1/3 innings pitched between Class AA Altoona and Class AAA Indianapolis.
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Brad Lincoln has come -- and gone -- a long way as the Pirates' top pitching prospect, from missing all of 2007 to Tommy John elbow surgery, to traveling to Europe last fall and winning the gold-medal game of the World Cup for the United States.
Now, management is sending strong signals that he will arrive in Pittsburgh, likely after a brief trip back to Class AAA Indianapolis.
"It's been on my mind the whole offseason," Lincoln said. "It's my goal to work my way up and show these guys that I deserve to be there. It's been my dream my whole life, from when I was a kid to the Tommy John to now. And I hope to fulfill it this year."
Meaning the full year, as he quickly clarified. Management's projection is that the one rotation vacancy will come down to Kevin Hart or Daniel McCutchen, but Lincoln has not been ruled out.
"I'm going to go in thinking I want to make the team out of the spring," Lincoln said. "I don't want to wait for a midseason call-up. I've put in hours every day, on the field and in the gym, and I'm doing that because I want to show them that's what I deserve."
Lincoln, 24, made progress in 2009, rising from Class AA Altoona to Indianapolis, but the numbers make for a tough read: He was 1-5 with a 2.28 ERA for Altoona, 6-2 with a 4.70 ERA for Indianapolis, meaning his record was deceiving at each stop. What the Pirates liked most: He pitched 136 1/3 innings, showing he is all the way back from surgery, and had good control, with 107 strikeouts and 28 walks.
On the less quantifiable level, he has a sound fastball in the 92-mph range, a sweeping curveball, and his work ethic and competitiveness draw some of the strongest praise in the system. Still, management would welcome seeing one solid stretch at Indianapolis before a promotion.
Oh, and about Europe: Lincoln was a late choice by USA Baseball for its starting rotation, and he went 3-0 with a 2.70 ERA, including 41/3 innings of relief -- three runs, six hits -- in the 10-5 championship rout of Cuba in Nettuno, Italy.
First Published January 24, 2010 12:00 am
