Pittsburgh Pirates Top 5 Prospects From A Decade Ago: How They Did, Where They Ended Up

Number 5 – Pitcher Brad Lincoln

The 2006 MLB draft included some pretty legendary names. Evan Longoria, Clayton Kershaw, Max Scherzer, Tim Lincecum, and Andrew Miller are just to name a few. 4th overall pick in the draft, Brad Lincoln was not one of those All-Star caliber names.

Lincoln was one of the many disappointing draft picks by the Pirates in the early 2000’s. Throughout his minor league career, he never showed stuff to be an ace-level starter, but pretty much your typical middle rotation, back-end kind of guy. His best minor league season came in 2009 when he posted a 3.37 ERA, 3.32 FIP, and 1.19 WHIP in 136.1 innings between Altoona and Indianapolis. But those numbers are partly boosted speaking that he struggled a fair amount in Triple-A (4.70 ERA, 3.82 FIP, 1.337 WHIP).

There was only one season Lincoln played more than 12 games and 50 innings with the Bucs. That came in 2012 (age 27 season) when he pitched in 28 games (5 being starts), and 59.1 innings. He pitched fairly well in ‘12, posting a 2.73 ERA, 3.58 FIP, 1.09 WHIP, and a strong 4.29 K/BB ratio. However he was dealt to the Toronto Blue Jays for outfielder Travis Snider at the ‘12 deadline.

Lincoln would rejoin the Bucs during the 2014-2015 off-season, but only served as minor league depth. He did not fare well in Triple-A, putting up a 4.18 ERA, 4.15 FIP, and 1.67 WHIP in 60.1 innings, and didn’t appear in the Majors. Lincoln has not pitched in a professional game since 2015, and hasn’t touched an MLB mound since 2014 with the Phillies.