Yardbarker: Francisco Liriano

Are the Twins Focuse on Winning; Then Where is Francisco Liriano?

Thu, 24 Jul 2008 16:28:14 -0500

The next Johan Santana had a terrible start to the 2008 season. I should know; I drafted him. When Liriano was sent down to the minors, I had to cut him because my league has no bench. I picked him up over the All-Star break expecting him to be called up, but he is still sitting down in the minors. Why?

Total Domination Not Enough?

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 18:40:17 -0500

We all know coming nack from Tommy John surgery can change a pitcher. For good or bad. Being out of the game an entire year has to throw your game off. You'd be lying if you said it didn't. Such is the case with the Twin City pitcher Franciso Liriano. He baffled batters in 05-06 most of the season till it was decided that the elbow was too much of a problem and he would require surgery. Sat out all year last year as required for the rehab time of this type of surgery. Came back this season not quite himself. Through the first three games he started he had a 0-3 record and posted a 11.32 ERA. The front office decided quickly to send him to the minors to get his sutff working again. Now this isn't uncommon to send someone down to get their confidence back. Earlier this year the Tigers sent LHP Dontrelle Willis to Single- A to work on his mechanics. The resluts of both these pitchers are at total different ends of the spectrum. Willis in five games has a record of 1-1 and an ERA of 4.22. Liriano however is a total of 9-3, 8 of his wins in the last 9 starts, and an ERA of 3.30. In his last five starts he is 5-0 and has allowed one earned one in 35 innings. Now it is a guy who was in the running for the Cy Young two years back dominating guys from Triple A but those guys are still pros and are just a single step from making it to the show. I don't know why he hasn't been called up to help the Twins in the AL Central race. He wouldn't be as dominate but give him a few starts and he would adjust back to the standard of facing big league hitters. Now his agent did ask the players union to investigate why they haven't called him up, which who knows if they find anything. Doubt they do so I don't think it has anything to do with Liriano's ineligible for salary arbitration this winter if he stays in the minors, which the Twins deny. They also have noted that their young rotation is doing quite well and don't have a spot for Liriano to go besides the bullpen. That makes sense but I think Liriano is a legitimate help to get the to the post season and they need him. But that's why those guys in the front office get paid the big bucks and I don't. Any one else got thoughts about this?

Tigers Minor League Wrap 7-22-08

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 23:50:42 -0500

Toledo 0 Rochester 13The Mud Hens faced Francisco Liriano, and it didn't go well. Erick Almonte doubled. Brent Clevlen walked twice and singled. Virgil Vasquez was hammered for 9 runs (5 earned) in 3.2 innings. Binghamton 2 Erie 8Ryan Roberson homered. Deik Scram, Jeff Frazier, and Wil Rhymes all had [...]SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "Tigers Minor League Wrap 7-22-08", url: "http://www.detroittigersweblog.com/2008/07/tigers-minor-league-wrap-7-22-08/" });

Carlos Gomez and Mr. Call-Me-Up

Sat, 19 Jul 2008 13:10:25 -0500

Andrew Kneeland discusses the possibilities of sending Gomez down to Rochester and bringing back up Liriano.

Quick Hits

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 19:02:59 -0500

-The Phillies and Rockies held talks about a possible deal for OF Matt Holliday but talks have cooled for now.

-Francisco Liriano is apparently very frustrated with the Twins for keeping him in Triple-A. He is considering filing a grievance.

-Long time hurler Hideo Nomo has retired at the age of 39.

This Week's Links (7/14-7/18)

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 17:34:20 -0500

The All-Star Game was exciting. I think we all know what made the difference for the AL.

Adam Ottavino, future ace.

This Liriano situation is very entertaining. I understand how it's a tough decision for Bill Smith; it's not like he has Livan Hernandez in his rotation or anything.

Well, this was successful.

Greg Norman was 500:1 to win the tournament before the British Open. Then he shot 70, and was 100:1. Then he shot a 70 again, and now he's 20:1. This would make for some good TV on Sunday morning.

Tim Donaghy has a friend.

AccuScore: Waiver Wire Wonders

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 14:06:04 -0500

We are now in the post All-Star break portion of the season, which means it's that magical time where guys like Paul Konerko and Adam LaRoche turn things around.

F-Bomb Keeps Improving

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 13:26:24 -0500

Yesterday word broke that Francisco Liriano and his agent have filed a grievance with the Player's Association claiming the Twins are keeping Liriano in the minors to keep him from getting service time and more importantly from keeping him from getting money through arbitration. I don't buy it, and think more than anything they're just trying to get the team's attention. Liriano got his chance to show he was back, and the reality was, that he simply wasn't. They sent him down with the clear vision that if he could get himself back to form, he'd get a shot to return.

MLB Players Association to Investigate Twins

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 08:32:56 -0500

Greg Genske, the agent for Twins pitcher Francisco Liriano, has convinced the MLB Players Association to file a grievance over whether the Minnesota Twins have violated the collective bargaining agreement by keeping Liriano down in Class AAA Rochester of the International League, rather than call him up. Liriano was out all of last season after having Tommy John surgery, returned to the Twins in April of this year where he posted an abysmal 0-3 record and 11.32 ERA over three starts. However, since being sent down to AAA, he has posted an 8-0 record with a 2.53 ERA over 10 starts. The argument being made for a violation in the CBA is that the Twins may be attempting to keep Liriano down in the minors to avoid having to go to salary arbitration with him. As reported by The AP (http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news?slug=txtwinslirianoinvestigation prov=st type=lgns): He currently has two years, 45 days of service time in the majors but needs three years in order to qualify for arbitration. The top 17 percent of players between two and three years of service also qualify for arbitration.But, with only 73 days remaining in the regular season, Liriano would still likely fall short of the top 17 percent, depriving him of a salary increase of nearly $1 million for the 2009 campaign. The reply from Twins GM Bill Smith was that if the club were looking to avoid salary arbitration, they would not have brought Liriano up in April. Genske feels that there was enough information to warrant an investigation, and the MLBPA has agreed.Maury Brown is the Founder and President of the Business of Sports Network (http://www.businessofsportsnetwork.com/), which includes The Biz of Baseball (http://www.bizofbasketball.com/), The Biz of Football (http://www.bizoffootball.com/), The Biz of Basketball (http://www.bizofbasketball.com/) and The Biz of Hockey (http://bizofhockey.com/). He is contributor to Baseball Prospectus (http://baseballprospectus.com/news/?author=124), and is available as a freelance writer.Brown's full bio is here. (http://www.businessofsportsnetwork.com/index.php?option=com_content view=article id=47 Itemid=18) He looks forward to your comments via email and can be contacted through the Business of Sports Network (http://www.businessofsportsnetwork.com/index.php?option=com_contact view=contact id=2 Itemid=29).

Mid Season Report

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 23:54:07 -0500

The first half of the 2008 Major League Baseball season has been full of surprises, from the Tigers to the Rays to the Padres to the Braves. Most surprising of all, at least to the Phillies faithful, is that at the All Star break the Phillies were in first place atop the National League East. The Phillies are currently a half a game ahead of the Mets and one a half games up on the Marlins. Lets go through the majors and recap the season so far. AL East Perhaps the biggest story in the majors this year is the surprising play of the Tampa Bay Rays, who at the break were just half a game behind the first place Red Sox, and that's with a seven game losing streak. The Rays have been bolstered by one of the most talented young lineups in the majors in years, as well as some timely defense and a great, young rotation led by ace Scott Kazmir. They are definitely the Cinderella, the darlings of the 2008 season, much to the chagrin to their division rivals the Red Sox. Boston fans are upset that some of the media focus and the limelight has been diverted from their beloved Sox. The reigning champs continue to be one of the best teams in baseball, despite losing pitcher Curt Schilling for the year (and perhaps for good) and a decline in production from slugger David Ortiz (including a stint on the disabled list). It looks like this could be the first time in years that the New York Yankees won't make the playoffs. They currently sit six games back of Boston and it just looks like there is too much talent in Tampa and Boston for the Yanks to make up enough ground. That being said, I am loathe to ever count the Yankees out of anything. Red Sox win division. If it wasn't for the Rays, the debacle in the AL Central would be the biggest story of the season. The Tigers, whom I picked to win the World Series, are a disappointing .500 on the season. Even more surprising, the Indians are in last place, 12 games under .500. The Chicago White Sox are sitting pretty atop the Central at 14 games over .500, led by 10 game winner, and former Phillie, Gavin Floyd. Erratic closer Bobby Jenks, despite being on the DL, has 18 saves with a 1.95 ERA. On offense, the White Sox have a tandem of heavy hitting outfielders in Jermaine Dye and Carlos Quentin. I have to admit, I'm not overly impressed by the White Sox. In large part, I think they have overachieved so far this season. I think they will come back to earth, which will leave an opening for the Minnesota Twins to step in and take the division. The Twins, led by first baseman Justin Morneau, DH Jason Kubel, and catcher Joe Mauer, are right on the tail of the White Sox, just a game and a half back, and with star pitcher Francisco Liriano waiting in the wings of AAA, the Twins are poised to move into the post Santana era. Twins win the division. AL West Until the Texas Rangers find someone who can pitch (Vicente Padilla currently leads the team in wins with 10), the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim are the prohibitive favorites to win the division for years to come. The Rangers can hit, led by the top individual story of the year Josh Hamilton, Ian Kinsler and Milton Bradley, but their pitching is a joke. They boast a rotation of Kevin Millwood, Padilla, Jamey Wright and Kason Gabbard. Until they can get at least one pitcher, they could have all the offense in the world, they still won't be able to compete with Los Angeles. The Angels' pitching rotation, which boasts John Lackey, Ervin Santana, Joe Saunders and Jered Weaver, not to mention closer Francisco Rodriguez who is on pace to shatter the single season saves record, is arguably the best in the majors. Their offense, while not being the power heavy lineup that Texas or Boston has, plays small ball like no other team in the majors. The obvious offensive leader is Vladimir Guerrero, accompanied by Torii Hunter. But the offense works so well because of intelligent baseball guy like Chone Figgins, Howie Kendrick, and Garret Anderson. The Oakland Athletics have basically traded themselves out of contention and the Seattle Mariners have the worst record in baseball. Needless to say, Angels win the division. I think the Rays win the AL Wild card this year. They are too talented to fall behind the likes of the White Sox or Rangers. In the end however, the Red Sox have too much experience and skill to be taken down. They beat the Angels to go on to the World Series. NL West Many commentators are calling this the NL Worst, and it's hard to argue with that. After starting out red hot, division leading Arizona is now one game below .500. That's right. The division leader has a losing record. Need I say more? The reigning NL Champion Colorado Rockies are fourth in the division with a record of 39-57, topped only by the San Diego Padres, an incomprehensible 37-58. The Dodgers are one game back of the Diamondbacks, trailed by the San Francisco Giants in third place. This division is a crapshoot at this point, but the Diamondbacks' pitching, led by Brandon Webb and Dan Haren is just too good and the offense is not going to continue to struggle in the mighty fashion it has over the past month or so. With up and coming stars like Mark Reynolds, Conor Jackson and Chris Young, the Diamondbacks are going to eventually right their ship. Arizona wins the division. NL Central This is the best division in baseball. The Cubs are tied with the Angels for the best record in baseball. Four and a half games behind them are the Cardinals, with the Brewers just a half game behind them. All three of these teams are going to be better in the second half. The Cubs traded for Rich Harden last week, and the Brewers added reigning AL Cy Young Award winner CC Sabathia. The Cardinals are getting ready for the return of Adam Wainwright and former Cy Young Chris Carpenter. Both pitchers are aces on almost any other team in the majors. The Cubs and Brewers already have bona fide aces on their teams in Carlos Zambrano and Ben Sheets, respectively. This is, without a doubt, the toughest division in baseball in some time. I think the Cubs are ultimately the most complete team in the league, and certainly the division. Now let me just say, here and now, there is no way Ryan Dempster continues to pitch this well. He just isn't this good. He will come back down to earth. But even with The Dumpster coming back to reality, the Cubs are bolstered by some serviceable pitching in Ted Lilly and Jason Marquis, in addition to Zambrano and Harden. On offense, the Cubs' lineup reads like it's very own All Star roster, led by Derek Lee, Alfonso Soriano, Aramis Ramirez, and Geovany Soto. Cubs win the division. NL East The Phillies came into today with a half game lead over the Mets. The Marlins sit just one game behind the Mets. It is a division up for grabs to say the least. The Marlins boast a talented, young roster rivaled by only Tampa Bay and Arizona. Led by Hanley Ramirez, Mike Jacobs, Dan Uggla and Josh Willingham, they have an offense that puts the in a position to win every night. That being said, their pitching is thin, with Ricky Nolasco leading the team with 10 wins and a 3.70 ERA. The Braves are most likely looking to scrap this year and go into rebuilding mood, if only temporarily. First baseman Mark Teixeira is a free agent at the end of this year and chances are that the Braves are going to move him before the trade deadline. Their pitching is pretty banged up, and old. John Smoltz, Tom Glavine and Mike Hampton are all currently on the disabled list. Not to mention that they are six and a half games out of first place. The Mets pose the biggest threat to the Phillies' playoff hopes. Winners of nine straight coming into the break, the Mets are batting .320 as a team during that time. They also only gave up a total of 19 runs over the same span. They are hot, no doubt, led by Carlos Delgado, Carlos Beltran, and Fernando Tatis. But therein lies the problem for the Mets. They have been winning in large part as a result of the contributions of usual bench players like Tatis, Endy Chavez, and Damion Easley. The Mets' pitching is also suspect after you get past Johan Santana and John Maine, neither of whom have been stellar this season. After having a impressive season last year, Oliver Perez is 6-5 with a 4.44 ERA. His record is somewhat deceiving, as he has been wildly inconsistent this year. Pedro Martinez continues to battle being really old. Originally set to return this week, his next start is being skipped. I just don't think the Mets have the talent to overcome a Phils team with a much more potent offense and what could end up being a more stable pitching rotation. The Phillies acquired Joe Blanton from the Athletics Thursday, and while Blanton has not had much of a year so far this season (5-12, 4.96 ERA), he has show some real talent and a change of location could be all he needs to break out. More importantly, the addition of Blanton means that Adam Eaton is out of the starting rotation. Brett Myers is progressing nicely in AAA and is set to return to face the Mets on July 23rd. JA Happ threw a no hitter today in his minor league start and it is only a matter of time before he is brought up to the major leagues for good. The biggest cause for concern for the Mets is that the Phils' struggles have in large part been due to a lack of offense. This coming from one of the most offensively talented teams in the league. Jimmy Rollins, Chasey Utley and Geoff Jenkins are eventually going to turn things around. Ryan Howard continues to lead the league in home runs and RBIs. Pat Burrell is going to eclipse his usual 30 home runs and 100 RBIs. And that's without the possible addition of another bat, like Matt Holliday or Jason Bay. I say this with the caveat that I generally have no faith in the Phillies in ever winning anything, and at the risk of tempting fate, I pick the Phillies to win the division. I pick the Brewers to win the NL Wild Card this year. I'm going to be very cliche and pick the Cubs to win the NL Pennant over the Brewers. I think unless the Phillies add a serious starting pitcher, ala Erik Bedard, they are not going to be able to compete with the Brewers in the playoffs. That will bring us to the ESPN's ultimate dream, a Red Sox Cubs World Series. Bristol could fawn all over the lovable losers from Chicago and Boston. Seriously though, just thinking about it makes me want to throw up. Boston wins, again. (Just threw up again) Should be a very exciting second half. Continue to check out Hot Stove Philly as we bring you all the latest scores, trades, rumors, and general sports drama.

Quick Hits

Wed, 16 Jul 2008 16:54:55 -0500

-The Giants have signed 16 year old outfielder Rafael Rodriguez, giving him a 2.55 million dollar signing bonus. This would be the largest ever had the A's not given Michael Inoa over four million earlier this month.

-Indians OF Matt LaPorta and Cardinals OF Colby Rasmus have both been named to the Olympic team.

-The Twins are considering putting Francisco Liriano in the bullpen upon his return to the majors.

The 2008 Sleepers that Were and Weren't

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 13:27:51 -0500

With half the season already over, we thought it be a good time to go back and see how our 2008 sleeper picks are doing. Read what we said back in March and see who we got right and who we got wrong.

Trade Rumors July 12th

Sat, 12 Jul 2008 07:29:05 -0500

The Yankees are thinking about signing newly free agent first basemen Richie Sexson. The Angels are the newest team interested in aquiring Rockies relief pitcher Brian Fuentes. Arizona Diamondbacks are interested in aquiring former D-Back 1B Tony Clark from the Padres. The D-Backs or the Cardinals seem like the most likely place Jason Bay will go because they have the prospects the Pirates want. The Yankees will sign south paw Eric Milton who is 6 weeks away from recovering form Tommy John surgery. In non trade related news Francisco Liariano is close from coming back.

Top 7 :: Worst Trades of the Decade

Fri, 11 Jul 2008 08:10:27 -0500

With two huge deals in the National League Central this past week, the trade deadline has gotten some much earlier hype than it usually does. Both the Sabathia and the Harden trades have a possibility to become horrible for any of the teams involved?the Brewers miss the playoffs, Sabathia walks after the season, and Matt LaPorta dominates for years; Harden snaps his arm in half this Sunday. But the thing about most every trade that is made is that you really don't know how good or bad that they will turn out for, in many cases, years afterwards. Since the decade is already winding down, it is now possible to look back at the worst trades that have been made since 2000 in baseball.

7. Paul DePodesta's debacle, 2004
As a new GM and wanting to mix it up even though his team was in first, DePodesta traded Paul LoDuca, Guillermo Mota, and Juan Encarnacion to the Marlins for Hee Seop Choi and Brad Penny. The Dodgers ended up making the playoffs anyways, but this trade makes it just for its gratuitous nature and the fact that it severely pissed off the fans that loved LoDuca.

6. Cardinals/Angels, 2000
This has been covered before just because it's underrated how lucky this season was, but Kent Bottenfield won 18 games for the Cards in 1999?and no one can still explain how. The next spring, the Cards took advantage of that and an itchy Angel team to turn Bottenfield and Adam Kennedy into Jim Edmonds, who they promptly signed to a long-term deal and watched him become the greatest center fielder in club history.

5. Cubs/Pirates, 2003
Needing some extra pop for their 2003 run, the Cubs got it for many more years, getting Aramis Ramirez from the Pirates, who inexplicably still had two years left on his contract after the season. The Cubs also gained Kenny Lofton who helped immensely in their stretch run. They gave up Jose Hernandez, who left the Pirates after the year, Matt Bruback, who never has played in the majors, and a guy named Bobby, who was a part-timer for two years and hasn't played since.

4. Cardinals/A's, late 2004
In what could end up being a learning experience for the Cubs (Billy Beane calls offering a pitcher!? Don't answer the phone!), the Cardinals, needing another top starter, trade future top starter Danny Haren, good setup guy Kiko Calero, and prospect Daric Barton to the A's for Mark Mulder. To call it a disappointing trade for the Cards is quite the understatement. He played no part in the World Series that they won and may have thrown his last pitch this past Wednesday. Haren was one of the best starters in the majors just two years later, and Barton has hit the majors (though hasn't been very effective yet).

3. Mets/Devil Rays, 2004
Take your pick?Victor Zambrano or Scott Kazmir. This is similar to the Cards/A's deal, except Cards fans at least got a World Series since then and don't have to watch Kazmir consistently throw some of the nastiest pitches of the decade while playing for Tampa Bay.

2. Cubs/Marlins, late 2003
Hee Seop Choi hit .218 with 8 homers for the Cubs in 2003. The Marlins felt that was enough for them to accept him for rising star Derrek Lee, who had just played a huge part in upsetting the Cubs in the NLCS and winning the World Series. The next season, Choi made it just over half the season in Miami before being traded again, and Lee was enjoying another solid season that led into one of the best seasons anyone has had this decade.

1. Giants/Twins
Giants receive: A.J. Pierzynski
Twins receive: Boof Bonser, Francisco Liriano, and Joe Nathan

Brian Sabean must have been on crack.

The Top 7 List is written by Jason Major. He's pretty sure Boof Bonser has the best name in baseball. Email him at jason@joesportsfan.com

Liriano Watch — Take 1

Thu, 10 Jul 2008 16:49:49 -0500

To all those on the South Side of Chicago, and even those that live in the Twin Cities area but (for reasons unknown) choose to cheer for the Pale Hose — if Minnesota didn't have your attention before — they better now. Francisco Liriano's last two starts at AAA Rochester have resulted in a pair of [...]