Baseball Musings
Baseball Musings
March 17, 2008
Liriano Update

The Transaction Guy notes that Francisco Liriano threw at 100% today, but he's still having problems locating his pitches:

Therefore, with less than two weeks of Spring Training left, its still a mystery if Liriano can start right away for the Twins. In 2006, he was absolutely outstanding as a rookie, pitching like an ace. Minnesota still has hopes that he can do that again, and they want to see him on the right track this year, perhaps ready to return to top form in 2009. But, with him having unfortunate visa problems and showing up two weeks late to camp, they may not see enough of him to put him in the rotation right away.

Again, if he can't locate his pitches, than he'll never be the pitcher he once was. But, if he can, than its not unrealistic to think that he could be the Twins ace for years to come.

One thing is for sure, and that is that the Twins shouldn't and probably won't rush him. Even though I think their team is better than many people think, they aren't going to make the playoffs. If he needs a month or two to rehab some more, than they should let him have it.

I agree. In some ways, Liriano needs to learn to pitch all over again. It may just be a month of refining mechanics. Overall, however, I'd say his outing was good news for the Twins.


Posted by David Pinto at 11:33 PM | Pitchers | TrackBack (0)
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