Anatomy of a player: Tim Lincecum—The Hardball Times

So Lincecum’s change has produced some amazing results. What is he doing to make it so effective? First, he is throwing the pitch very similarly to his fastball. It has nearly the same horizontal break as his fastball, but with less “rise.” It isn’t as hidden as Tom Glavine’s change up, but still is well hidden.

Second, he throws it much slower than his fastball, checking in under 85 mph. That 10 mph difference is very large for a changeup. For instance, Johan Santana has less than an 8 mph difference. Cole Hamels has a difference around 9 mph and rookie changeup specialist Carlos Villanueva has less than a 7 mph difference. That huge separation really helps him get all those swings and misses.

I must admit I have a man crush on Lincecum. If he develops into a dominating ace for my fantasy team, my affection will only deepen.