Liriano is Back

The Giants made a big mistake letting Liriano go.

By Kevin Collins

The San Francisco Giants made a huge mistake.  Brian Sabean is a better general manager than that.  On November 14th 2003, Sabean acquired catcher A.J. Pierzynski from Minnesota.  What did the Giants give up?  The future.  Minnesota received Boof Bonser, eventual two time All-Star closer Joe Nathan, and if that was not enough for the Twins, they also received nineteen year old, left handed pitcher Francisco Liriano. 

It took Liriano only two years in the Twins system to get a cup of coffee with the big club, making his Major League debut in September 2005.  In 2006, his full rookie season, Liriano appeared in 28 games, 16 of which were starts.  Liriano finished the season 12-3 with a miniscule ERA of 2.16, making the AL All-Star team in the process and finishing third in the Rookie of the Year voting.