Pirates Reach Deal With Lincoln

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By Joe Rutter
PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Thursday, June 22, 2006

It didn't take a Rocket scientist for Pirates first-round draft pick Brad Lincoln to realize he had a lot in common with Roger Clemens.

Being a hard-throwing right-hander who lives in the Houston suburbs and crafted an impressive college resume, Lincoln knew comparisons existed on several levels.

Like Clemens, Lincoln has Texas-sized tenacity, a trait that was evident when he approached his idol last year.

Clemens was watching his eldest son, Koby, compete in a summer-league game at the same University of Houston field where Lincoln eventually would excel. Lincoln spotted Clemens in the seats and decided it might be the only time he could get insight from the six-time Cy Young winner.

"It was kind of intimidating," Lincoln said Wednesday after coming to terms on a $2.75 million signing bonus. "The guy is huge, and he's as big a name as there is. It's hard to go up and introduce yourself. But once we started talking, it was great to get to know the guy. I told him I might have a chance to move on, and we talked about pro life and what it's like compared to college."

Clemens' best piece of advice?

"He told me to keep my head on straight when the bad times come," Lincoln said.

So far, the 21-year-old Lincoln hasn't had many.

After going 12-2 with a 1.69 ERA in 17 starts and reaching 97 mph on the radar gun during his junior season at Houston, Lincoln elevated himself into the first round of the amateur draft.
The Pirates selected Lincoln with the fourth overall pick and needed little more than two weeks to wrap up negotiations.

Lincoln embarked on his professional career last night when he boarded a flight to Bradenton, Fla., site of the Pirates' Gulf Coast League affiliate. Because he hasn't thrown a pitch in several weeks, Lincoln will work out under the supervision of minor-league pitching coordinator Gary Ruby. Then, he will pitch in several games for the rookie-level Pirates before likely being sent to Single-A Hickory for the remainder of the minor-league season.

Coming off a season in which he threw 1272/3 innings -- more than seven per start -- Lincoln will have his workload strictly monitored and probably won't exceed 80 pitches in any outing this summer. Considering that Lincoln had three complete games, two shutouts and 151 strikeouts this past season, it's not surprising the Pirates want to use the kid-gloves treatment on him.

"We're cognizant that he was a high-pitch guy, and we want to bring him along slowly," Pirates general manager Dave Littlefield said.

That's fine with Lincoln, who can't wait to begin his pro career. Asked whether he wanted to start at Bradenton, Williamsport or Hickory, Lincoln said, "If there's some dirt on a hill in the middle of a field, I'm ready to throw off it."

Lincoln's contract, which includes an invitation to the 2007 major-league camp, was negotiated almost as quickly as his fastball reaches the catcher's mitt.

"The ultimate goal is to get Brad to the big leagues," said Peter Vescovo, Lincoln's adviser. "The only way he's going to do that is by getting out there and playing."

After some loose ends were wrapped up, Lincoln arrived in Pittsburgh on Tuesday to take his physical.

"I didn't want to be one of those guys who holds out until December or January," he said. "It's huge to let people know you're not a greedy guy. You just want to get a chance. I'm getting a very good opportunity to excel in what I do."

If Lincoln encounters any bumps along the way, he can always reflect back on his talk with Clemens.

"I took some great things from that conversation," Lincoln said. "He knows what he's doing, so maybe I can follow in his footsteps."

Joe Rutter can be reached at jrutter@tribweb.com.