Brad Eric Lincoln (born May 25, 1985 in Lake Jackson, Texas) is an American professional baseball pitcher with the Pittsburgh Pirates.
[edit] Amateur career
Lincoln played baseball for Brazoswood High School of Clute, Texas, though he was also a quarterback for the football team, and did not concentrate exclusively on baseball until after his sophomore year.[1] After his senior season, the Texas Rangers selected him in the 28th round of the 2003 draft, but he elected to attend college rather than turning pro at that time. He matriculated at the University of Houston, where he built on a strong year in the Cape Cod League in 2005[1] to emerge as a top-level talent during his junior season in 2006. He posted a 12-2 won-lost record and a 1.69 ERA, with 152 strikeouts in 127 2/3 innings pitched, and also excelled with the bat, achieving a .295 batting average with 14 home runs and a team-leading 53 RBI.[2] At the end of the season, he was recognized as Conference USA Player of the Year, and he won several major national awards, including the Dick Howser Trophy[3] and the Brooks Wallace Award.[2] He was also one of four finalists for the Roger Clemens Award, but lost out to Andrew Miller of the University of North Carolina.[4]
[edit] Professional career
Scouts regarded Lincoln as one of the best players eligible for the 2006 draft, and the Pittsburgh Pirates chose him with the fourth overall selection of the first round, with the intention of advancing him through their system quickly.[5] Lincoln received $2.75 million to sign with the Pirates, and almost immediately encountered injury problems. An oblique strain limited him to 24 innings in 2006, and then he had Tommy John surgery on his right arm in April 2007, which sidelined him for the entire year.[6] He first experienced elbow pain while pitching in the Florida Instructional League in late 2006,[7] and then the pain recurred in spring training in 2007,[7] leading to the discovery of the injury and the subsequent operation, performed by Dr. James Andrews in Birmingham, Alabama.[7] Lincoln returned with the class A Hickory Crawdads in 2008, and was promoted to the advanced class A Lynchburg Hillcats at midseason. In 2009, he started 13 games for class AA Altoona Curve with a 1-5 mark but a 2.28 ERA.[8] before moving up to the Bucs AAA Affiliate, the Indianapolis Indians, in June, 2009. Lincoln started 12 games, compiled a 6-2 record with a 4.70 ERA.[9]
Lincoln made his MLB debut on the mound on Wednesday, June 9, 2010 vs. the Washington Nationals. He went 6 innings giving up 5 earned runs allowing 2 walks and recording 3 strikeouts. His first strikeout was against John Lannan. He was 6-2 with a 3.16 ERA in 11 starts for Indianapolis prior to that point.[9]
Lincoln earned his first Major League victory on June 30, 2010 by pitching a shutout against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. He pitched seven innings, striking out six and walking just one as the Pirates won 2-0. "I felt like it was going to be my day. With the wind blowing in, I used it to my advantage," said Lincoln.[10]
Lincoln was demoted back to Triple-A after his fourth loss of the season on July 25, 2010 against the San Diego Padres.[11] It marked the third time in four July starts where he allowed 5 or more earned runs, including a night where he was spotted a 9-0 lead to work with after the 1st inning against the Milwaukee Brewers yet failed to get out of the 3rd inning. Pirates General Manager Neal Huntington cited a drop in Lincoln's velocity since he was promoted and that he had strayed from the mechanics that made him a prolific starter with Indianapolis. "For me, it's probably the best move," said Lincoln.
Brad was called back to the majors on July 2, 2011 to pitch in a Game 2 of a Pirates doubleheader against the Nationals. During the game, he pitched six innings and gave Pittsburgh a chance to sweep the doubleheader in front of 39,638 at Nationals Park. However the Pirates bullpen failed to hold on to game allowing the Nationals to a 4-3 rally. The Pirates optioned Lincoln back to Indianapolis the next day, when they recalled Chris Leroux to take Lincoln's spot on the roster and add much-needed depth to the bullpen. Pirates' manager, Clint Hurdle stated "[Lincoln] did nothing to disappoint. He obviously made a very good impression. I don't have a starter I'd put him in front of right now, but as we move into the second half we might look at how we shuffle things. What I saw coming out of his hand last night was crisp, clean and firm. I would like to think we haven't seen the last of Brad Lincoln." [12]
[edit] References
- ^ a b Anderson, Shelly. "Pirates sign 1st-round pick Lincoln", The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, June 22, 2006.
- ^ a b "Pirates' first-round pick earns award", The Associated Press, July 5, 2006.
- ^ "Houston pitcher Lincoln wins Howser Trophy", The Associated Press, June 17, 2006.
- ^ "UNC's Miller wins Roger Clemens Award", The Associated Press, July 13, 2006.
- ^ Rutter, Joe. "Pirates want top pick on fast track", The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, June 7, 2006.
- ^ Baseball America Prospect Handbook 2008, Ed. Jim Callis, Will Lingo, and John Manuel. Baseball America Inc.: Durham, NC, p. 355. ISBN 1932391193
- ^ a b c Kovacevic, Dejan. "Pirates Notebook: Lincoln has major elbow surgery", The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, April 4, 2007.
- ^ Kovacevic, Dejan. "Hot Stove: Pirates set to push Alvarez", The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, December 21, 2008.
- ^ a b MiLB.com
- ^ "Pirates 9-3 vs. Cubs on Lincoln's 1st MLB win". ESPN. http://espn.go.com/mlb/recap?gameId=300630116.
- ^ "Pirates reshuffle pitching staff". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. 2010-07-25. http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10206/1075343-100.st. [dead link]
- ^ "Pirates option Lincoln to Triple-A, recall Leroux". MLB.com. http://pittsburgh.pirates.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20110703&content_id=21347424&vkey=news_pit&c_id=pit.
[edit] External links
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| Persondata |
| Name |
Lincoln, Brad |
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| Date of birth |
May 25, 1985 |
| Place of birth |
Lake Jackson, Texas |
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United States
