Johan Santana called him "The Franchise." He has only had 20 major league starts, but in those starts he is 13-5 with a 2.74 ERA and 177 strikeouts in 144 2/3 innings. Minnesota Twins' fans are aware of his stats and the fact that he was forced to sit out the entire 2007 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery in the Fall of '06. What people don't know about Franciso Liriano is his fear of never pithing again.
"Oh yeah, at first when I started playing catch, it hurt so bad I said, 'I'm done playing baseball,'" Liriano said earlier this week at the Twins' spring training complex. The pain in his left arm was so bad he was doubtful that he would ever pitch again. Liriano's throwing program began in April of '07 and it took him three months to move from 45 feet on flat ground to 90 feet and he didn't step on a mound until September. The lefty did not tell anyone about his pain, however, he did speak with his mother every day. The Twins knew that it was not going to be a quick recovery and there is no reason to rush the future of your pitching staff. Liriano came into the league with a fastball in the upper 90s, a Johan-like change-up, and a devastating slider. It was his best pitch, the slider, that caused his injury when he snapped it so much that he snapped a ligment in his arm. The true test in his recovery will be if he can move away from his most dominant pitch. With the loss of Johan Santana, Twins fans will be heavily relying on the left arm of Francisco Liriano.
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