Liriano has bullpen session
Posted on February 27th, 2008 – 10:33 AMBy Joe Christensen
FORT MYERS — Francisco Liriano just threw for about 10 minutes in the bullpen here with Twins pitching coach Rick Anderson and a host of others watching.
To me, it looked like Liriano was throwing at about 80 percent at first, which might have been the instructions. He let a few fastballs go toward the end, and Anderson flashed a big smile at one point.
Nobody had a radar gun, but I don’t think anything he threw was in the upper 90s.
Overall, it looked to me like Liriano was a tad apprehensive. Sometimes it looked like he was laboring. Could have been nerves, trying to show the progress he’s made to Anderson, etc.
This also is the coldest day since I’ve been here, with a strong wind and temperatures dropping into the lower 60s. So that might have played a part.
His pitching motion looks very similar to what we saw in 2006. So it’s not like he’s revamped everything. He’s just bigger. He threw several change-ups in this bullpen session and only a few sliders. The mere fact he’s using all his pitches is probably a good sign for the staff.
Anyway, we’ll get some reaction after the workout ends in about an hour, but those were my first impressions of Liriano.
Update: A Twins official told La Velle that the club stressed to Liriano that they wanted him to take it easy today and pitch like the others did on their first day in camp. That offered an explanation for what we saw because as soon as I went to the main stadium here, LHP Brian Duensing was throwing harder than Liriano was.
“I haven’t thrown for like two, three days, so they told me to take it easy,” Liriano said.
36 Responses to "Liriano has bullpen session"
We kinda want Liriano to spend the first couple months in AAA because of his SUPER-II Status don’t we? We get to keep him an extra year?
I don’t buy it.
Face it, the sliders gone.
Oh well, it was only his best pitch.
And as for his sudden size increase?
I’m sure Roger Clemens can help with an explanation.
I’m glad they’re taking it easy on the franchise if he can get back to even 90% of what he was in 06 everyone will be saying Johan who?
Liriano’s Back!!! Liriano’s Back!!! Yeah Liriano’s Back!!!
By the way Clint… there has been a lot of STUPID posts on here but that may just be the STUPIDEST post ever put on here. “Face it, The Sliders gone?” On the first day of practice??? AND He did throw the pitch! If you can see that far in the future, you mind giving me next two years worth of lottery numbers?
And as for the size increase, anything is possible, but are you really saying it’s not possible that in 16 months a guy can’t work out hard naturally and beef up? Really?
I wish it was in the low 60’s here.
Yeah that was a bad comment Clint. Can’t wait to see how he does in the next few weeks.
liriano threw a ball. but then he threw a strike. but then he threw another ball.
oh no — the season is lost!
I’m with Clint.
You homers are all hook, line and sinkering it on the first week of camp.
Face it.
The hook and line are there.
The sinker is not.
Clint may be fat.
But he might be on to something.
Steve it’s his slider not his sinker we may like the koolaid a little more then you but it tastes best in the spring time. Maybe you should lay of those bitter irish coffees in the morning.
clint, what are you talking about? I am 5′10″ and I could gain 20 lbs of muscle in under a year if I had to. I am tired of people thinking that it’s really hard to add on muscle when that’s your only job. And that was all that Liriano had to think about for over a year. Certainly he could do it. Looks like plenty of people have ripped on you, so this comment isn’t needed.
As to the slider, all he needs to be able to do is throw it a couple times an inning to be effective, versus the 2-3 times per hitter in 2006.
The slider is the hardest pitch for a guy coming off of elbow surgery to throw 100% due to the torque on the elbow. I’m pretty sure the staff does not want Liriano cranking out slider after slider at the start of spring training. Hell, most healthy pitchers throwvery little breaking pitches at the beginning. Calm down.
BC - Sinker makes a better analogy.
Hook, line and slider?
C’mon. You’re better than that.
J-sin,
I’m 5′10″ too.
That’s pretty cool.
Steve
Sinker did not make your quick doomsday analogy any better it was just bitter thats why i suggested the sweet koolaid for at least one month.
Steve,
do you enjoy it when Clints ball sinker into your mouth??
BC -
It did not make it bitter, it made it better.
And when bitter beetles battle better beetles in a puddle paddle battle
and the beetle battle puddle
is a puddle in a bottle they call this
a tweetle beetle bottle puddle paddle battle muddle.
And yes, we caught the koolaid comment the first time.
It’s so nice you used it twice.
I love baseball!
Cmon, LNP4Life.
Let’s clean it up.
Some of us are here to discuss baseball.
So who here thinks Punto is gonna really rake this year?
I’m excited about him and Brian Buscher.
I expect good things.
Go Twins!
Clint and Steve,……. We probably wont hear much from you two after the season starts.
So far we have determined that 2 guys are under 6 feet tall and that Koolaid tastes better in the spring. Are we going to actually talk about baseball on this blog?
What is the Centerfield situation right now? Why are the Twins not signing Lofton immediately?
with both lofton and patterson out there they are probably waiting to see what pridie, gomez and spic n span do for a week or so before panicing. it would be a waste to sign them and have one of the guys we have really have a nice spring. we already have a few guys to sit on the bench, monroe, jones …
Jama,
from what I have heard, Lofton isn’t interested in playing in the Dome. He doesn’t feel he’ll hold up well on the turf. I’d like to see him too.
This whole talk of Liriano losing pitches gives me early male patern baldness.
Why has NO ONE signed Patterson and Lofton?
Maybe ALL of the MLB teams just don’t realize how wonderful they are.
Only Twins bloggers can properly appreciate what ALL those teams are missing.
Post of the Year goes to LNP4Life…
I’m watching a rebroadcast game on FSN from 2006 with Liriano pitching (coincidentally).
I forgot about his rising fastball. His slider moves laterally sometimes. And his change-curve seems slow but clocks at 87 mph.
Incredible. He throws so hard.
I wish everyone had seen that video analysis of Liriano posted on one of these Twins blogs. The analyst painstakingly showed all the mechanics as being excellent and was therefore mystified as to why he got injured.
I smell an ace for the Twins this year.
This is precious as I watch the end of the game…….they made Lohse get up and warm up in the bullpen cuz Franchise’s pitch count is high. Man did little Kylee have a pout on his face.
I forgot…….Liriano’s changeup is just as nasty as anyone’s. Wow!
My guess is that Lofton only wants to play for a contender, and still get paid. Patterson just isn’t very good. A .250 hitter with a little pop and some speed. Not worth the money and headaches he would bring. There was an large class of CF this offseason, so they are the scraps left over. If you needed one, you already got them, so the demand dried up. pretty simple really, I’m sure they will be somewhere soon.
Apologize for the sarcasm.
We all know that immediately after the Lofton signing there will be 100 posts like this: (probably some from me)
WTF! WTF! WTF!
He’s too old!
Don’t block the kids!
The Twins overpaid!
Skills are diminishing!
Save money for the draft!/
Next year!/
2009 free agents!
WTF! WTF! WTF!
Romer,
I saw that Twins Classic about two weeks ago and he was lights out, a real ACE. Made the Rays look like chumps. His change does have great movement, like a slurve. It’s very encouraging to hear he has the pop back on the fastball. He is a real bonifide ACE, who shuts down opposing lineups top to bottom. Clearly the only ACE pitcher the Twins have developed since Santana.
I’m sure those posts will be the same people who think Gomez should be in AAA to start the year, hate Denard Span, and assume Pridie will bat .300 this year.
Sane,
Regarding Lofton.Is’nt that the truth!Most will be in a huffy over him.
Patterson and Gomez have the same agent, Scott Boras. Boras wants Gomez in the Majors with the Twins and Patterson playing somewhere else.
j-sin at 11:37 is on to something. Franchise’s slider is pretty unhittable. All he has to do is get it over the corner, and throw it once per batter or less.
And like forever, pitchers don’t burn their arms out in ST with breaking stuff.
Even in the early part of the season, good fastballers have a slight headstart, given the cooler temps in the spring.
The Twins didn’t want him throwing tons of sliders in 2006 either. They felt he used the pitch too much, so as long as his fastball is rocking and his change is good….Liriano will be fine. The slider will come.
My grandma pitched a 1 hitter to the Rays last year.
And Clint’s not fat.
He’s PHAT.
