Former Giants ace Lincecumwows scouts atworkout
Former Giants star Tim Lincecum inched closer to a possible return to the major leagues Thursday when he showed off an improved fastball in a workout for scouts from 15-20 teams.
TheGiants andMariners were among the teams on hand to see the new Lincecum at Driveline Baseball Academy in Kent, Wash.
Lincecum, who was out of baseball last season after a disappointing 2016 showing for the Angels, clocked between 9093 mph, according to FanRag Sports’ Jon Heyman.
The two-time Cy Young Award winner showed off a better fastball than he had in 2016while going 2-6with a 9.15 ERA with the Angels — he averaged 87.7mph, according to FanGraphs.
The Seattle Times’ Ryan Divish reported that Lincecum’s command was also much better than the last time we saw him pitch. Lincecum reportedly threw all four of his pitches well and his curveball had “a better shape and bite .. than in past years,” one scout told the Times.
The scout also said there should be a lot of interest in the 33-year- old, fourtime All-Star.
ARBITRATION CASES »
Cleveland’s Trevor Bauer, Houston’s Collin McHugh and Tampa Bay’s Jake Odorizzi won their salary arbitration cases Thursday, and Toronto’s Marcus Stroman and Minnesota’s Kyle Gibson lost. Decisions for all five pitchers had been held for simultaneous announcement to prevent any of the cases from being affected by the rulings.
Football
AGENT SAYS JANIKOWSKI NOT DONE » Even though he turns 40 in less than three weeks, former Raiders kicker Sebastian Janikowski still intends on playing for an NFL team next season.
Janikowski will become an unrestricted free agent at the start of the new league year on March 14.
“At 39, Sebastian is too young to retire,” his agent, Paul Healy, told the Bay Area News Group.
Janikowski has played more games than any player in franchise history (268) but missed the entire 2017 season while on injured reserve because of a back issue. The Raiders found a viable replacement last season in Giorgio Tavecchio, who made $465,000 on a one-year deal compared to Janikowski’s $3 million (after a $1 million pay cut). Tavecchio is an exclusive rights free agent and can be retained with a qualifying offer.
The Raiders released a statement from owner Mark Davis on Thursday, thanking Janikowski for his contributions.
“The Raider Nation salutes Sebastian Janikowski as the sun sets on his illustrious career with the Oakland Raiders,” Davis said. “He joined the team as a surprise first-round pick in the 2000 Draft and fin- ishes his time in Oakland as one of the greatest or perhaps the greatest kicker in pro football history.”
The Raiders made Janikowski the league’s richest kicker in 2009 with a four-year, $16 million contract. In 2013, he received a $15.1 million extension. FITZGERALD RETURNING » New Arizona coach Steve Wilks said wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald, arguably the most popular and certainly the most prolific player to don a Cardinals uniform, has told him he’ll return for a 15th NFL season. Wilks made the comment in an interview on Phoenix’s “Doug & Wolf” sports talk radio show. MCCARRON A FREE AGENT » AJ McCarron won his grievance against the Cincinnati Bengals and will become an unrestricted free agent next month, making him one of the more attractive quarterbacks on the market.
Motorsports
PENSKE DOMINATES » Chase Elliott won the second qualifying race for the Daytona 500 in Daytona Beach, Fla. The win temporarily put the brakes on what has been a TeamPenske route of Speedweeks.
Elliott’s victory gives him a starting spot in the second row of Sunday’s race. He’ll line up next to Ryan Blaney, winner of the first qualifier Thursday night. Blaney’s victory was the second of Speedweeks for Team Penske.