San Francisco Giants

Tim Lincecum / RHP / starter

Lincecum looks like a little kid with a bad haircut. However, those skinny arms and that cartoon delivery can pump 95 mph fastballs right by the best hitters. Timmy’s fastball also gets some unpredictable movement. It can run, cut, or appear to rise as it approaches home plate. Lincecum famously uses a 2-seam grip for all his fastballs, not a 4-seam grip like you would expect. Throughout his baseball life, Lincecum has been known for his power curve, a 12 to 6 hammer that racks up Ks. However, since his first Major League start, he has made great strides with his changeup, so much so, that Tim will use the changeup as his second strikeout pitch, not just for show. He holds his changeup with a modified split-finger grip that gives the pitch some incredible sink. Then, as if he needs another weapon, Lincecum has also tried a slider as his fourth pitch. The slider has tightened up considerably since 2011 and it has become a real weapon for Timmy. Ironically, it looks like his curveball is being fazed out by the improved slide-piece.

Lincecum has gotten a lot of scrutiny over his pitching motion, a delivery that appears to put an abnormal amount of stress on his throwing shoulder. On the plus side of his mechanics, he uses plenty of leg drive to generate velocity and has minimal scap-load. Listed at only 5′ 11″, the University of Washington product is simply known as “The Freak”. 9/5/11

[fastball(89-96), curve(74-80), changeup(81-85), slider(85-90)]



Matt Cain / RHP / starter

Cain is a powerhouse that uses the typical four pitches at a plus level. He throws a hard fastball with late life and movement, while his curveball is a big 12 to 6er. Matt's slider is often a very sharp breaker, but can soften as the game goes on and his arm tires. Cain also deals a moving changeup in the mid to upper-80s.

Cain's only obstacle used to be his control. He issued too many walks and had to pitch out of trouble often. However, Matt has drastically dropped his walk rate since 2009, and has become a complete pitcher. Even with the improvement in control, Cain is still known as a "tough luck loser" that gets little run support.

Cain was nicknamed "Big Sugar" in high school. 10/19/11

[fastball(89-95), curve(73-79), slider(84-89), changeup (84-88)]

Brian Wilson / RHP / closer

A closer with bad hair and tight pants, Brian Wilson reminds many of a right-handed Mitch Williams. Wilson struggles with his control at times, but will never be as erratic as Wild Thing. Brian Wilson uses an upper-90s fastball and a high velocity slider. He has the potential to blow a hitter away, but he often works himself into tough situations. Wilson has improved during his time in the Major Leagues and has become one of the most reliable relief pitchers in baseball.

During the 2010 playoffs, Wilson showed an amazing ability for painting the arm side corner with his slider. It was his go-to pitch all postseason, and it ended the World Series with a Nelson Cruz swing and miss.

Wilson has also proven to be an epic interview, doing his comedy routine for the likes of Jim Rome and Jay Leno. 6/7/11

[fastball(93-99), slider(86-91), changeup, curve]

Madison Bumgarner / LHP / starter

Bumgarner became a World Series hero at age 21, when he pitched a gem in Game Four of the 2010 Classic. The left-hander was a 1st round draft pick in 2007 and posted some amazing ratios in the minor leagues. Madison passed up a scholarship to UNC to sign with the Giants.

Bumgarner owns a fastball that usually sits around 92-93 mph. The velocity itself isn't overpowering but the pitch appears to get onto hitters very quickly. Madison prefers his slider as his second pitch. He will use it like a cutter to RHs, throwing it to the inner part of the zone, occasionally trying to backdoor it. Against LHs, the outside slider will produce swings-and-misses. Bumgarner owns a standard curveball that he'll try and get taken strikes with. His vulcan changeup is a bit erratic and lacks deception. At this point, none of his secondary offerings scare hitters, but his fastball is good enough to succeed. 4/23/11

[fastball(88-94), slider(84-88), curve(75-78), changeup(82-85)]

Sergio Romo / RHP / setup reliever

Romo has proven that there is more than one beard to fear in the San Francisco bullpen. Sergio has been outstanding in his short career with the Giants. He has a major league WHIP under 0.9 and is one of Bruce Bochy's unsung weapons.

Romo's success has everything to do with his slider. He spins a wicked breaking ball that sweeps across home plate out of a low 3/4 arm angle. Hitters say that it is difficult to pick up the spin of his slider, making pitch recognition nearly impossible. Romo uses a sinking 2-seamer and changeup to set it up. He throws strikes and batters do not want to fall behind, where they will almost certainly be finished off with the slide-piece. 8/14/11

[fastball(88-93), slider(78-83), changeup(77-82)]

Ryan Vogelsong / RHP / starter

Vogelsong nearly vanished off the face of the Earth when his disasterous tenure with the Pirates came to an end after the 2006 season. Well, not really, he just went to Japan. He had a career record of 10-22 with a 5.86 ERA at the time and things looked bleak. However, Vogelsong took a chance with the Japan Central League, where he found some confidence while pitching for Hanshin and Orix. Now he joins Colby Lewis and Kameron Loe as pitchers that recently went East to revive their pitching careers.

Vogelsong uses a good four-pitch mix, but I wouldn't rate any of his pitches as "plus". He begins with a moving fastball that sits in the low-90s. He backs it up with a good curve and sinking changeup. Lastly, Ryan owns a tight cutter that he won't overuse to LHs. Vogelsong became a first time all-star in 2011. 8/14/11

[fastball(90-94), curve(73-78), changeup(83-85), cutter(87-89)]

Jeremy Affeldt / LHP / setup reliever

Affeldt is still a hard thrower with 90+ mph heat from the left side, sometimes mixing in a lower arm slot to get some movement. Affeldt deals an overhand curveball for his breaking pitch. When facing RHs, Affeldt will mix in straight changeups. In the past he has tried throwing a tight cutter/slider pitch, but has scrapped that in recent years. Affeldt arrived in the majors with a big arm and big expectations with the Royals. Instead he has made himself into a serviceable setup man. 7/23/11

[fastball(91-96), curve(76-80), changeup(87)]

Santiago Casilla / RHP / reliever

Casilla only knows one way to pitch, and that is "throw every pitch as hard as I can". He throws his moving fastball in the low to mid-90s, often touching 95 mph with it. Santiago's best pitch is his slider, a pitch he'll spin to the plate often. His third offering is a curveball and Casilla also throws a high velocity changeup that can touch 90 mph at times. 7/23/11

[fastball(92-96), slider(81-88), curve(77-78), changeup(85-90)]

Barry Zito / LHP / starter

Barry Zito is a nice guy. He does yoga and gives money to injured veterans. Unfortunately his fastball is slow and his changeup looks like a little league pitch. In his prime, he pumped in a 90 mph fastball and was tough to hit. Always known for his curveball, the pitch has become a lob that is hard to throw for a strike. A couple years ago he added a tighter breaking ball that he uses like a slider to LHs. I actually feel bad for him, because most likely there is nothing he can do to recapture his lost velocity. 4/8/08 CSJ

[fastball(82-86), curveball(67-71), changeup(71-74), slider(75-77)]

Javier Lopez / LHP / reliever

Lopez is a left-handed specialist and his gimmicky delivery can produce results. He'll vary his arm angles slightly, but he's always slinging the ball across his body from 3/4 or sidearm. He primarily uses a fastball and slider, but has introduced a cutter that gives him a second breaking ball. When facing RH hitters, Lopez has begun to use his changeup more often. Lopez has awful control and I'm surprised he has stuck around this long.

During the 2010 NLCS, Tim McCarver gave us some professional insight into what left-handed batters might be thinking when facing Lopez, "when Javier Lopez drops down like that you have a conversation with your rear-end with your brain". 9/5/11

[sidearm fastball(85-90), slider(74-79), changeup(79-82), cutter(82-84)]

Clay Hensley / RHP / setup reliever - starter

Hensley is known as a sinkerballer, throwing a moving high-80s 2-seamer to try and get groundballs. He throws a very slow curveball that seems to freeze hitters. Clay also deals a sinking splitter and a standard slider. Hensley always seemed destined to be a reliever due to the fact that he lost velocity as his starts wore on, but in 2011 the Marlins have moved him back into the rotation out of necessity.

Hensley pitched at Lamar University in Beaumont, Texas, which is the same school as current teammate Brian Sanches attended. 8/5/11

[2-seam fastball(85-91), curve(66-72), splitter(79-83), slider(78-83)]

Guillermo Mota / RHP / reliever

Mota is a fastball/changeup pitcher and he can make both pitches tail considerably. He owns a sharp slider as his backup plan. Despite a plus repertoire, Mota normally produces negative results. 10/6/08 CSJ

[fastball(94-95), changeup(84), slider(86)]

Brian Burres / LHP / starter - reliever

Burres attacks hitters with an average, moving fastball, and a tight slider. He likes throwing the slider inside to RHs and away from LHs. Burres uses a big curveball as well, often dropping that in for strike one. A straight changeup is his distant fourth pitch. 6/18/08 CSJ

[fastball(85-90), slider(80-85), curve(69-73), changeup(76-80)]