Is This the Return of the 2006 Francisco Liriano?

When the Twins traded catcher A.J. Pierzynski to the San Francisco Giants for RHP Joe Nathan, RHP Boof Bonser and LHP Francisco Liriano, not many people knew about Francisco. However, he quickly became known as the next big thing in the Twins minor league system. Some people referred to him as the next Johan Santana. A hard throwing, left-handed pitcher with great stuff.

He quickly became the #2 pitcher on the Twins staff, only behind Johan Santana. Although he pitched out of the bullpen primarily in 2005, he truly became a full-time start during the 2006 season. He would go on to have a record of 12-3 with an ERA of 2.16 with 32 walks and 144 strike outs. He would be voted to his first all-star game. The Twins pulled off an achievement that not many teams have ever done. They had the AL Rookie of the Month (Liriano), Pitcher of the Month (Johan Santana), and the Player of the Month (Joe Mauer) all in the same month.

Where there is good news, there is always bad news. After having a phenomenal 2006 season, it all came to an end on September 13, 2006 after re-injuring his left elbow that had caused problems earlier in the month. You could tell something was clearly wrong as his arm just dropped to his side. It was later determined that he would undergo Tommy John surgery and would miss the entire 2007 season.

This was a huge blow to the Twins rotation that would have competed as having the best 1-2 punch in baseball with Johan and Francisco. Unfortunately that was the last time Johan Santana and Francisco Liriano were on the same team, as Johan was traded to the New York Mets. Not only did the Twins lose their future ace in Francisco, but they then traded Johan. The Twins were now without a sure fire ace.

After a year of rehab, Francisco Liriano made his 2008 debut against the Kansas City Royals. He struggled greatly and was send down to Triple-A Rochester to work on becoming the pitcher everyone saw in 2006. It didn’t take him long to prove himself at Rochester. He had stretch where he went 10-0 with a 2.67 ERA. The Twins called Liriano back up and they used him out of the bullpen before moving him back to the rotation, where he went 3-0 with a 1.45 in 18.2 innings.

2009 was an up and down season for Liriano, while composing a record of 5-13 with an ERA of 5.80. This marked the first full season at the major league level since coming off Tommy John surgery. Many people thought this would be the year that he would return to his 2006 form, but after an up and down year, some thought he may never return to that 12-3 form that he showed in 2006.

After the 2009 season, the Minnesota Twins allowed Francisco to return to Dominican Republic to participate in winter ball. He would go on to compose a record of 3-1 with a mind boggling 0.49 ERA in seven playoff starts. During this time, there were reports that he slimmed down some and was showing flashes of 2006 form. This brought a lot of optimism to the Twins’ organization and their fans.

2010 has by far been his best season since his return from surgery. Through August 1st, he has a record of 10-7 with an ERA of 3.18 with 38 walks and 150 strikeouts. He got off to a very hot start by going 3-0 with a league leading 0.96 ERA in the month of April to grab the AL Pitcher of the Month award. The most important aspect of Liriano’s arsenal is the fact that his dominating slider is back in full force. Something that Twins fans hadn’t seen since 2006.

Look for Liriano continue to build off a solid 2010 season and provide leadership for the Twins rotation down the stretch as they try to clinch the AL Central crown. I expect Liriano to become the Twins ace for many years to come.