National Post (National Edition)
Liriano could be Jays’ secret weapon
‘Extremely important to rotation’
When Toronto Blue Jays pitching coach Pete Walker uses a word like “assassin” to describe one of his pitchers, you know he’s pretty excited about the guy.
Walker calls left-hander Francisco Liriano “an assassin on the mound” and, frankly, doesn’t understand why the native of San Cristobal, Dominican Republic seems to fly under the radar.
“He’s extremely important to our rotation,” Walker told Postmedia on Wednesday. “He’s a front-line starter who just goes about his business quietly. And you’re right, nobody talks about him a whole lot. But he is integral part of this rotation. He is a very unassuming guy but he takes his job very seriously. His work ethic is phenomenal and his stuff is probably — if you polled the guys on the team as to who has the best stuff, he’s probably at the top of the list. So if we can get him pounding that strike zone, he can do some really good things for us this year.”
Essentially, Liriano, whom the Jays picked up in the Drew Hutchison deal with the Pittsburgh Pirates on Aug. 1, is R.A. Dickey’s replacement this year and even though Dickey won a Cy Young in 2012, at this point in their respective careers, Liriano would have to be considered an upgrade.
Liriano’s credentials certainly speak of a front-line starter, though on Toronto’s rotation, he’d probably be considered the fourth or even fifth guy, a starting five that consists of J.A. Happ, Aaron Sanchez, Marco Estrada and Marcus Stroman, the best in the AL last season. Perhaps that’s why Liriano seems somewhat overlooked.
“We certainly miss R.A., we love him, and I have a great relationship with him so we wish him nothing but the best in Atlanta,” said Walker. “But the five guys we have possess just tremendous stuff and certainly can dominate a major-league baseball game.”
Liriano, 33, was an all-star in 2006, a two-time Comeback Player of the Year and pitched a no-hitter on May 3, 2011 against the Chicago White Sox. He’s had his ups and downs during his career, particularly after undergoing Tommy John surgery in Nov. 2006, missing the entire 2007 season. But his career blossomed again after signing with the Pirates in 2013, especially when he pitched to Russell Martin. Martin, of course, is his catcher again and Liriano couldn’t be happier.
“Having a guy like that behind the plate is a gift,” said Liriano. “He’s my No. 1 all-time catcher, no doubt. And he’s a great guy and he’s amazing behind the plate and it doesn’t get any better than that. Pitching is hard, so when you have somebody behind the plate you can trust and has got a pretty good plan, it makes it easy. Russ and I are on the same page.”
Walker said the key for Liriano to have a big year (besides staying healthy) is just to stay within himself.
“First of all his stuff is electric, his slider is as sharp as any I’ve ever seen. He’s got tremendous movement on his fastball. Has a plus change-up. So all the pitches are there at a high level and it’s just a matter of him staying under control a little bit and not trying to do too much with it. I think that’s a big part of his game right now, slowing things down a little bit.”
Liriano shined in Toronto after being traded, making eight starts and two relief appearances and posting a 2-2 record, 2.92 ERA, and 52 strikeouts in 49.1 innings. But then his world came crashing down when in the second game of the ALDS, Texas Rangers outfielder Carlos Gomez hit a 102-mile per hour line drive that struck Liriano near the back of the head. He was forced to leave the game and was rushed to the hospital where he was diagnosed with a concussion. He missed the rest of the season.
Liriano said it was scary and he experienced dizziness and nausea for about 10 days afterwards, but is back at camp feeling 100 per cent and is ready for his first spring training start Friday.
“Anytime that happens there’s some concern. Obviously it’s a traumatic event and that definitely sets you back as a pitcher,” said Walker. “But Francisco is certainly very strong in the mind and has rebounded and is excited to pitch and get back out there so I haven’t seen any ill effects from that at all.”
Liriano believes the Jays rotation can lead the AL again, despite Boston acquiring Chris Sale in a trade.
“It’s an amazing rotation. I think it’s going to be great,” he said. “You got power pitching. You got Estrada, one of the best change-ups in baseball. You got Stroman, great sinker, slider. Sanchez is, well you know about him ... That helps a lot. You don’t see the same speed every day or same movement. We’ve got different and angles and everything like that, so that helps a lot.”