The latest control specialist signed by the team is left-hander Roger Lincoln. The RiverHawks announced the signing of the 29-year-old former Cleveland farmhand on Thursday. Lincoln has a career 3-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio and has surrendered a walk roughly every four innings over his six-year professional career.
Lincoln has never walked more than 28 in a season. Last year, Lincoln was 6-7 with a career-high 5.14 earned-run average for the Sussex Skyhawks of the independent Can-Am League, but he allowed just 22 walks and struck out 56 over 98 innings.
Lincoln, a former Stetson University pitcher, was the Indians’ 34th-round pick in the 2003 draft. He spent two years with their short-season Class A Mahoning Valley affiliate in the New York-Penn League and also spent time with Boston’s low A affiliate at Greeneville in the Southern Atlantic League. Lincoln missed the 2007 season because of Tommy John surgery.
Lincoln has a career record of 27-20 and a 3.87 ERA. He has struck out 327 and walked 103 over 414 1/3 innings.