SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Tim Lincecum isn't going to sneak up on anybody this year.

That's what happens when you win the Cy Young Award at age 24, in your first full season in the major leagues.

In fact, in the Bay Area, Lincecum is approaching rock-star status. San Jose Mercury-News columnist Tim Kawakami recently ranked the top 10 most significant Bay Area sports figures, and put Lincecum at No. 1.

"For as long as Lincecum can stay healthy, and as long as the 49ers don't produce a new superstar quarterback, this is Lincecum's town," wrote Kawakami.

When Lincecum made a public appearance in San Jose in early February that included dropping the puck at a Sharks game, six security officers had to form a phalanx around him to keep back fans.

It wasn't quite so crazy when Lincecum, arguably the best player in University of Washington baseball history, was honored at halftime of a Huskies men's basketball game against Oklahoma State in December.

But the loud ovation by UW fans moved him, Lincecum said earlier this week at Scottsdale Stadium after facing Ichiro for the first time in a Giants exhibition game against Team Japan.

"The crowd kind of erupted there," Lincecum said. "It was overwhelming. I got goose bumps. It was the same feeling I had when I went to San Jose and dropped the puck. It's a good feeling."

Life will never be the same for Lincecum after last year. He made the All-Star team (though he missed the game after coming down with the flu in New York) en route to a brilliant breakout season.

Pitching for a lackluster, offense-challenged Giants team, Lincecum was 18-5 with a 2.62 earned-run average while leading the majors with 265 strikeouts. He received 23 of 32 first-place votes in the Cy Young balloting.

The challenge for Lincecum now, of course, is twofold — maintaining his success, and dealing with the newfound hoopla that surrounds him. Judging by his laid-back attitude after the Japan outing, the latter shouldn't be an issue.

"Not much has changed," he said. "Everybody (on the team) treats me the same. Everybody's the same person. I'm the same person — I try to be. The only difference is I have a little hardware now."

And a little bigger bank account after signing a $650,000 contract early in spring training, a raise from last year's $405,000 salary. Lincecum's big payday will come next year, when he will likely be eligible for arbitration for the first time. The Giants no doubt will try to lock him up to a long-term deal before then, as most teams attempt with their budding superstars.

As for that hardware, "I've seen it a couple of times, but I don't have it on me," he said.

Lincecum is off to an auspicious start this spring. In his first three Cactus League starts, he faced 22 hitters over seven innings, and only two reached base. He felt out of rhythm against Japan but still blanked them on one hit over 2-1/3 innings, fanning five.

Lincecum said he subscribes to the theory of his new teammate, Randy Johnson, that laboring in spring training is good, because it prepares you for the inevitable struggles during the season.

"When you go out and battle, those are the days I look forward to just as much as the easy ones," Lincecum said.

Some analysts have expressed concern that Lincecum could fall victim this year to the phenomenon written about by Sports Illustrated's Tom Verducci.

Verducci's studies point out that pitchers under the age of 25 who increase their workload by 30 innings from one year to the next are prone to injury. Lincecum, who turns 25 in June, pitched 177-1/3 innings in 2007, between Class AAA Fresno and San Francisco, and increased to 227 last year. In an e-mail to the San Jose Mercury News, Verducci said that Lincecum might escape what has been dubbed "The Verducci Effect":

"I have found two variables that could mitigate the effects of a steep rise in innings: size and age. Big-framed pitchers and pitchers toward the end of the danger range (25 and under) seem less prone to the effects. Obviously, Tim does not have size on his side, but he may have age working for him. He's not a 21-year-old kid without major-college experience in his pocket."

He also has his impeccable mechanics, honed in Lincecum's youth by his father, Chris, to alleviate stress on his arm. Scouts and detractors have predicted doom for Lincecum at every step, but he has never been stymied by arm problems. My money is on another huge season for Lincecum, who I now view as a Koufax-like freak of nature, not subject to the same orthodoxies that apply to other pitchers. If I were Lincecum, I'd leave room for more hardware.

World can wait

Speaking of Lincecum, do you think Team USA wishes it had him on its World Baseball Classic squad?

But Lincecum says he had no desire to play in the WBC, and plans to skip it again in 2013, when the event resumes.

"I'm happy with what I did," he said. "I made a smart decision to stay with the Giants and not go to the WBC. I'm worried about our season, and not so much what's going on there. It's great baseball, but my first priority is the Giants and getting ready for the season."

In fact, Lincecum made a pre-emptive strike to prevent WBC officials from lobbying him.

"I ran it through my agent, told him I didn't want to do it, to the point they didn't even have to ask me," Lincecum said. "I didn't even make it an option."