When the Pirates selected fourth overall in the 2006 MLB draft, they passed up on Clayton Kershaw, Tim Lincecum, Drew Stubbs, Brandon Morrow and many other notable Major Leaguers to selected University of Houston pitcher Brad Lincoln. Unlike other drafts where they took a player they could afford to sign (Daniel Moskos) over a player they thought would cost too much (Matt Wieters), the Pirates selected the player who was considered the best on the board in Lincoln. In his 2006 season with the Cougars, Lincoln posted a 12-2 and a 1.69 ERA which catapulted him to the top of the draft boards. But as with many other things with the Pirates, things with Lincoln didn’t work out the way they thought it would.
Surrounded by injuries including an oblique strain and Tommy John surgery, Lincoln made his debut for the Pirates in 2010, two years after the original plan. Since that point, Lincoln has been sent down to Indianapolis and called back up to Pittsburgh a few times. After starting the season in Indianapolis this year, Lincoln earned a call up on April 18 and has been in Pittsburgh since.
Manager Clint Hurdle has utilized Lincoln in many different ways this year including middle relief, back of the bullpen and spot starter. Lincoln posted a 2-0 record and a .98 ERA in the month of May and contributed his success to confidence.
“Mentality is everything,” Lincoln said. “The stuff has always been there, it’s just the fact of knowing how to use it and in that situation, becoming the pitcher they know you can be and putting guys away. For me, that’s the biggest change this year is putting the foot down.”
Lincoln said the adjustment from going from a full-time starter to the different roles he has been placed in this season hasn’t been that difficult.
“I still use the same attitude out there, I’m going to come right at you and not be afraid of the bat,” he said. “I am able to go out there in short stints and let it all come out and throw hard to put guys away when I need to. In starting, you kind of throw 80-85 percent during the game and then at the end, you use what you have left in the tank and go at guys late in the game. But to go one or two innings, it’s something that allows me to go out there and go hard from the start.”
Lincoln was so impressive in his outings, that when Charlie Morton was placed not he 15-day disabled list, Lincoln was put into the rotation to take his spot. Lincoln said that he felt his arm was still stretched out enough that he could be put into the rotation and he welcomed it. Since taking Morton’s spot however, Lincoln has struggled. He has a 0-2 record and a 9.00 ERA in his two starts since being ushered into the rotation. With Lincoln guaranteed a start on Sunday against the Indians, he said he isn’t worried that it may be his last as a starter, he just has to pick himself up.
“It’s not how you get knocked down, it’s how you get back up,” Lincoln explained. “You go forward and with playing 162 games a year, you’re going to have a rough patch every now and then. The way you bounce back from that says a lot more than the way you get hit around and struggle. For me, that’s the biggest thing. I leave everything I have on the field and play hard and go at them everyday.”
Depending on his outing tomorrow against the Indians, Lincoln could very well be pushed back into the bullpen as Jeff Karstens will be returning soon and Rudy Owens is just a phone call away in Indianapolis. If the Pirates to decide to trade Joel Hanrahan, how would Lincoln feel about being groomed as the full-time closer?
“I just want to be on the hill regardless of what it is,” Lincoln said. “Wherever they believe in me, whether it’s relieving, starting or closing, then I have to become that person and do everything possible that day that when my time is called, to perform well. When it comes down to it, I want to help this team win.”
Photo credits: Getty images
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