Tim Lincecum looks jacked and ready for a comeback

Tim Lincecum looks great and might be ready for a comeback. (AP Photo)
Tim Lincecum looks great and might be ready for a comeback. (AP Photo)

The baseball world hasn’t heard much from former San Francisco Giants pitcher Tim Lincecum lately. After an unsuccessful comeback attempt with the Los Angeles Angels in 2016, Lincecum spent 2017 un-signed and away from the game.

That may change in 2018. An offseason photo of Lincecum emerged Tuesday, and he looks to be in … uh … exceptionally great shape.

Remember the Tim Lincecum of old? The skinny kid who was listed at 170 and threw gas? Well, this version of Lincecum can’t be 170 pounds anymore. Lincecum wasn’t really known for his physical strength when he played, but he looks pretty ripped here.

Lincecum has spent some time training at Driveline Baseball this offseason. They do a lot of work with weighted balls. They’ve also had success helping players gain velocity through training.

It’s not a guarantee that will be the case with Lincecum, but it is encouraging to think he could get back some of his velocity back. Early in his career, Lincecum could hit 94.5 mph. That dropped to 88 mph toward the end of his run. Velocity may not have been the biggest factor in his decline, but it definitely played a role.

We won’t really know the results of all that training until Lincecum throws for teams during the offseason. He plans to do just that, according to Kyle Boddy of Driveline.

Lincecum has attempted to make comebacks before, but they haven’t fully panned out. Still, he’s just 33 years old, and his physique and new training regimen does actually give some optimism this time around.

Lincecum still has a long ways to go if he wants to pitch effectively in the majors again. But this seems like an encouraging start.

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Chris Cwik is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at christophercwik@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik