Lincecum feeling 'confident' as showcase approaches

Tim Lincecum just wanted to make sure he was ready.

As he prepares for his much-anticipated showcase Friday, the two-time Cy Young winner finally revealed why it took him so long to pitch in front of scouts after months of delays.

"I wanted to feel right and feel confident in it," he told Jon Heyman of MLB Network. "And that's where I'm at right now."

The 31-year-old and those around him - including his dad, Chris Lincecum, who's worked with his son for the past 14 weeks - feel that he's in great shape physically, and is throwing much better than the last couple of years, making this the perfect time to show off his new form. Chris said his son has excellent motion on his fastball, while his curveball is apparently "as good as it's been in years."

Tim is coming off four subpar seasons since 2012, and is also trying to prove he's healthy after hip surgery last year. In his mind, issues relating to his funky delivery helped derail his career, but "The Freak" feels he's past all that now.

"The last couple of years I feel like I lost the dynamic move in my delivery. I've just been fine-tuning to get it back where it was," he said. "I want to be powerful, dynamic and explosive but I also want to be together, collected and balanced. It's a yin and yang type thing."

Lincecum has been working out at the Arizona facilities of his old team, the San Francisco Giants, who acknowledged having interest in a reunion with their former star Wednesday. He's not so sure about that, though, as the Giants said their interest in him is primarily as a long reliever, while Lincecum wants to start.

"I respect them as an organization, and I know I do love the familiarity," he said. "I know the ‎Giants‬ have five or six starters … so I know I may have to look elsewhere. I know what I'm fighting for, and I'm fighting to get back to starting."