Sunday, February 26, 2006

Francisco Liriano

The crescendo is building on the hype for this Twins lefty. It is to the point where he is unobtainable at the $10 pool pick-up salary, and the talk about him beginning in AAA is undeterring. Liriano will just be protected and replaced at the end of the draft. He is so good that nothing can stand in his way on his road to fantasy baseball greatness!

I am not being hyperbolic. That paragraph accurately reflects the current thinking.

I do not have him on any rosters so I am less prone to enjoying the hype. My worry is whether he will be another Edwin Jackson.

EJax had a dominant September back in 2003 after pitching very well in AA Jacksonville. Going into 2004, he was expected to be a dominant starting pitcher.

He was not. Just the opposite. He stunk (and has continued to stink), and anyone who considered him an integral part of their 2004 season likely did worse than projected.

Do I recognize the differences between Jackson and Liriano? Of course, one is left-handed. The other is not. One dominated for 90 innings in AAA. The other did it in AA. One pitched in a pitcher's park. The other will pitch in a hitter's park. However, take away those 90 innings and both players look similar in terms of production. And they are the same age!

That aside, the hype is the same. For those Liriano owners, I hope the results are not.

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