SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Carlos Rodon admitted Monday that he's not all that familiar with the National League West. He has spent his entire career with the Chicago White Sox and Oracle Park is one of the few he hasn't pitched in.
But Rodon knew enough about the recent history of the organization and the desires of the Giants fan base to diffuse what could have been an awkward conversation. After wearing No. 55 the previous seven seasons in Chicago, he chose No. 16. Tim Lincecum's jersey will remain unofficially retired.
"Oh I wasn't wearing that number," Rodon said. "That was easy to turn down. I know whose number that is."
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Lincecum hasn't pitched for the Giants in seven years, but his 55 hasn't been issued since his last day in orange and black and that's never changing. Even with upwards of 60 players in camp, a coaching staff that sometimes seems that large, and a dozen numbers already retired by the organization, the Giants have certain numbers that won't be handed out.
Lincecum's 55 and Buster Posey's 28 are at the top of the current list, and nobody even had to tell Rodon. When he first talked to home clubhouse and equipment manager Brad Grems after signing a two-year deal, Rodon said he did not want to keep 55. He might have spent his entire career elsewhere, but he knows what Lincecum means to an organization he has watched from afar.
Rodon cited those championship years as one of the draws as a free agent.
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"A lot of very special players have come through the Giants organization," Rodon said. "It's a winning tradition. When I was in high school, it seemed like every time I watched the playoffs the Giants were in the playoffs. That's what I remember."