Fantasy Baseball Preview: Part Four: Young Talent That Hit a Rough Patch
2006 seems a long time ago in terms of Liriano, doesn’t it? Four years ago, the southpaw took the baseball world by surprise at the age of 22 by going 12-3 with 144 strikeouts in 121 innings pitched.
Since Liriano’s rookie season, most fantasy drafts have had at least one sucker optimistic enough to grab the Liriano of yore. After he tore up the Dominican Winter League in January, optimism is abound that the old (or, should I say, young) Liriano is back.
With a solid Twin defense and excellent bullpen behind him, Francisco is definitely worth a mid-to-late round pick with tremendous upside. If the southpaw rounds out your rotation, you'll be in good shape with an extremely high upside pick at a low cost.
UPDATE: Minnesota closer Joe Nathan was recently diagnosed with a torn ulnar collateral ligament and may require Tommy John surgery. If Nathan is out for all of 2009, downgrade all Twins starting pitchers accordingly due to the fact that Nathan will not be closing the door in the ninth inning.
Being a league average hitter is hardly a 
All these runs count. England don't seem to have grasped that. Are they underestimating the opposition? The lead is 65 after all.
