This tweet is another example --
Is Tim Lincecum already the best pitcher in #SFGiants history?
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The talk is a little premature, to say the least. Here are the top San Francisco Giants pitchers of all time, by rWAR:
| Rk | Player | WAR | From | To | Age | GS | IP | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Juan Marichal | 64.7 | 1960 | 1973 | 22-35 | 446 | 3443.2 | 125 |
| 2 | Gaylord Perry | 41.2 | 1962 | 1971 | 23-32 | 283 | 2294.1 | 119 |
| 3 | Matt Cain | 22.3 | 2005 | 2011 | 20-26 | 178 | 1146.0 | 126 |
| 4 | Tim Lincecum | 20.7 | 2007 | 2011 | 23-27 | 130 | 866.1 | 144 |
| 5 | Jason Schmidt | 19.5 | 2001 | 2006 | 28-33 | 162 | 1069.2 | 126 |
| 6 | John Montefusco | 18.9 | 1974 | 1980 | 24-30 | 175 | 1182.2 | 105 |
| 7 | Mike McCormick | 16.5 | 1958 | 1970 | 19-31 | 245 | 1741.1 | 98 |
| 8 | Vida Blue | 14.1 | 1978 | 1986 | 28-36 | 166 | 1131.1 | 99 |
| 9 | Jack Sanford | 13.1 | 1959 | 1965 | 30-36 | 211 | 1405.2 | 100 |
| 10 | Ed Halicki | 11.6 | 1974 | 1980 | 23-29 | 151 | 1027.2 | 103 |
And in graph form --
As you can see, Lincecum's got a lot of work to do before he catches up to Juan Marichal. Marichal was excellent for the Giants over 3400 innings. And while Lincecum's arguably been better than him, he's only tossed roughly 900 innings. In fact, if I had to guess, I'd say he doesn't surpass Marichal's 65 rWAR as a Giant. I just don't see him sticking around with this team long enough to approach it. At his current pace, he'd probably have to be a Giant for another eight or so years.
I don't think Lincecum's even claimed the title of best single season by a San Francisco Giants pitcher. Consider this: in 1965, Marichal tossed 295 innings with an ERA+ of 169, an FIP of 2.59, and a K/BB ratio of 5.22. He was worth 9.2 wins above replacement, per Baseball Reference; in Lincecum's best season, 2008, he tossed 227 innings with an identical ERA+, 169, and a nearly identical FIP at 2.62. But his K/BB ratio was much less impressive (3.15). All in all, he was worth about 6.9 wins above replacement. Even had Lincecum maintained his WAR pace over 295 innings, he wouldn't have matched Marichal in value.
Anyway, let's wait a little while before we start these talks. Like, say, five to ten years.
And how about some love for Matt Cain? By rWAR, he's the third best San Francisco Giants pitcher of all time. I haven't heard him getting much recognition for that achievement...
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