Lincecum has pitched like a Giant

Brandon Webb has been a popular choice for the NL Cy Young award for various baseball writers, bloggers and message board posters around the Web. There's no doubt he is a very strong candidate. Webb's 19 wins are four more than any other NL pitcher and he's tied for third in WHIP (1.12). Oh, yeah, WHIP is walks + hits divided by innings pitched, for those who don't know.

Anyway, Webb has been outstanding, even posting a 3.08 ERA (it can be a useful stat) and a 1.18 WHIP at his home park, formerly known as the B.O.B., now known as Chase Field, either way a very good hitter's park.

But there has been one pitcher better than Webb in the National League. Okay, actually two but CC Sabathia hasn't been in the NL long enough this season to provide serious competition to Webb and.....Tiny Tim Lincecum. The nickname is cute....his fastball is not.

Being the Dodgers fan that I am, it feels sinister to hold such high regard for a despicable Giants player, but Lincecum has been a dominating force all season long. He's posted a 15-3 (.833 win percentage) record on a team that is 59-74 (.444). In fact, the Giants are 19-9 (.679) when Lincecum toes the rubber. Talk about a need for cloning. (It should be noted that Lincecum's first outing this season, a win, was a four-inning relief appearance).

He's pitched 22 quality starts (a quality start constitutes allowing three earned runs or less in at least six innings) in 27 starts. Webb's at 21 QS's in 28 starts. Lincecum has the highest quality start percentage in the Majors for all pitchers who've made at least four starts.

His 1.18 WHIP can't match Webb's aforementioned 1.12 WHIP, but he does have a better ERA (2.43) than Webb (2.96). Lincecum's batting average against is third-best in the NL at .221. Webb has a .235 BAA. You can't say that Lincecum's .221 is a matter of good luck (if you're of the belief that there is any other type of luck than good luck), since his .306 batting average on balls in-play is a relatively average mark for his opponents.

Lincecum's strikeout ability is what really sets him apart. His 210 strikeout leads the Majors by 13, over CC Sabathia. The difference in physical appearance between Lincecum (5'11, 170) and Sabathia (6'7, 290) is striking. It doesn't seem possible that such a small pitcher can throw so powerfully, but his strikeout total and 10.2 K/9 rate (Webb's is 7.5) are indicative of his amazing pitch velocity.

For a pitcher of his physical stature, Lincecum has an amazing mound presence. I witnessed it in person during his July 8 appearance at Shea Stadium against the Mets. He is as intimidating as any other pitcher in the game. He has seven 10-plus strikeout games, including four in his last seven outings. He's been dominant all season long, and isn't that what the Cy Young is really about? Wins are often given too much weight when determining the Cy Young winner. Lots of other things go into a win besides just a pitcher's performance. A pitcher can't control how his team fields or hits. What voters can control is who receives the Cy Young award and mound dominance should be a primary factor in the final decision. And Lincecum has been dominant.