What’s Wrong With Francisco Liriano?
Posted by Alan Hull on April 27th, 2008
This is a question that many, especially within the Minnesota Twins organization are asking right now as the decision was made last week to option Francisco Liriano down to AAA Rochester. All of the indications are that Liriano is healthy and isn’t experiencing any pain in his delivery, so the problem must be either mechanical and/or to some extent mental.
There has been quite a bit written on the mechanical changes in Liriano’s delivery, which were made in order to help his long-term health. However, Baseball-Intellect has made the suggestion that the new delivery may be affecting the quality of his stuff:
His fastball, normally 93 - 95, sat at around 90 while his slider lacked that hard bite we’re used to seeing. Both pitches also lacked oomph. As expected, Liriano was rusty. He didn’t command his pitches all that well. However, it isn’t his control I would worry about. We need to see if his stuff can return to the quality it once was or at least get close to it.
Another article, written by pitching mechanics expert, Chris O’Leary commented on the above mentioned article, agreeing that the new arm slot would be advantageous for Liriano in the long-term as his pitching side elbow (PAS) is lower at the end of his delivery:
The key thing to notice is how his PAS elbow stays lower. This should reduce the strain on both his elbow and his shoulder…I should mention that I think that a major cause of Francisco Liriano’s elbow problems was his reliance on his hard slider. Combine the slider, which is probably the worst pitch for the elbow due to the forceful supination, with questionable pitching mechanics and you have a recipe for disaster.
Both articles are in agreement that Liriano’s mechanics, particularly the angle of his elbow, have changed. They are unsure if this is the reason for his struggles. His velocity is down a bit from where it was in 2006, which may be a product of a relative lack of arm strength.
I believe sending Francisco Liriano down will do him a lot of good and will allow him to regain his feel for his fastball and slider, which have both been lacking this season. He may not regain his 2006 form this season, or any season for that matter, but right now, the expectations are very high and he may be pressing.
The Minnesota Twins aren’t going to be able to seriously contend this season, so their number one priority should be to get Francisco Liriano back on track, whether that is a mechanical issue or otherwise is anyone’s guess.
Sphere: Related Content