by Stuart Appley

Created on: August 21, 2008   Last Updated: October 31, 2008

This topic can be settled in a matter of two words. "The Freak." The winner of the 2008 National League Cy Young Award will be TIM LINCECUM of the San Francisco Giants. There is no doubt in my mind that he is the best pitcher in all of baseball this year. If you even watch him pitch one inning he is so amazingly good that it makes your mouth drop open. If you doubt this, please look at his stats. This man, kid, franchise, freak, or whatever you may call him has an outstanding record of 13-3 with a National League LEADING 2.60 era, and a national league LEADING strikeout total of 192. What even convinces me more that he is the greatest pitcher this year is what his record should be. If you take a look at his stats, there are nine starts in which he has pitched at least 7 innings allowing less than two earned runs, and he has gotten the no-decision in all of these games. The sickening thing is that the Giants WON all of these games. If the bullpen had not blow 7 games for Tim Lincecum this year then he would be an oustanding and remarkable 22-2. There is no way that anyone can deny he is the best pitcher this year.

To me though, what makes a Cy Young or an mvp player is not only how they perform on the field, but what they bring to the team. You can argue all you want for Brandon Webb or Edinson Volquez, but neither of those guys bring the attitude, hype, or excitement as Tim Lincecum does. He is the face of the franchise now and any Giants fan will agree with me on this; the only games that we care about this year are the ones in which Tim Lincecum pitches. You are absolutely certain that he will pitch outstanding every time he comes onto the field. He is loved and adored so much by the Bay Area and he still performs with all that pressure. One of his 3 losses was a week after he collpased, and another was when he allowed 1 run in 7 innings and lost 0-1. Total all that together and he could be an unbelievable 22-1. How can you argue with those stats? Brandon Webb is great too but he is inconsistent and pitches for a great offensive team while Lincecum has 0 ground to lose ever. If he gives up 3 runs in a game then he is certain he wont get the win. The great thing is though, that never happens!

I emplore you to look at what he has done this year and agree with me when I say that there is absolutely no other option in the Cy Young voting. Lincecum HAS to win. Whether you perfer to call him "The Franchise," "Timmy the Kid," "Baby Face," or "The Freak," you cant deny that he is a freak on the pitching mound and is the best candidate for this award.

Learn more about this author, Stuart Appley.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.