5 Stars The Cleveland Guardians Had And Lost In The MLB Draft

5. Tim Lincecum, 2005 MLB Draft

Perhaps the most well-known question mark in recent history for the Cleveland organization is the mystery of Tim Lincecum. His time predated what we now view as the Pitching Factory, but a pair of Cy Young Awards, four All-Star appearances, and three World Series rings prove that it might not have been needed at the time.

Cleveland actually isn't the only organization to ask these questions. Lincecum was first taken by the Chicago Cubs during the 48th round of the 2003 MLB Draft out of high school. Like others, he went the college route, going to Washington. However, after his sophomore year, Cleveland tried to jump the gun and took him in the 42nd round, but Lincecum stayed at Washington another year, and it paid off.

After turning down Cleveland, Lincecum went on to be the 10th overall pick the following year, going to San Francisco in the 2006 MLB Draft. It was a quick rise for Lincecum, making his debut less than a year later on May 6, 2007, and then winning his first of back-to-back Cy Young Awards in 2008.

Lincecum was the pinnacle of pitching in the MLB at just the age of 24. In his second and first Cy Young season, he led the MLB in strikeouts with 265, among other stats as well. It was the beginning of four-straight All-Star appearances, a streak of three years of leading the National League in strikeouts, and a span of seven years of double-digits.

One flaw of Lincecum's was his erratic style. He led the MLB in wild pitches twice, including the first time being his 2008 Cy Young season, but he managed to produce results nonetheless. Obviously, his decision was the right one, but kudos to Cleveland for trying to get him a year early.