Sadly his slider hasn’t been quite what it was. Still has a nice bite but not even close to as fast as it once was. Same with his fastball, it’s pretty good, he keeps it low so his groundball rate should be good.

To answer your main question he’s definitely turned into a guy who has to mix his pitches better. I haven’t seen every game he’s thrown but he’s had to rely a bit more on his defense than just overpowering hitters. If he’s able to regain the strength to get some of his stuff back next season he could be a scary pitcher again who has great stuff but doesn’t rely solely on it. Should be interesting.

I read on twinkietown that he has been very confident since his return and in his start yesterday was willing to throw pretty much any pitch even when he was behind in the count. He threw 59 strikes out of 98 pitches and I believe that’s pretty consistent for him since his return. So not an amazing strike % but not awful either.

Liriano’s best pitch was his change. He kept his fastball low (it was 90-92 with good movement) but didn’t have great command of it. His slider had good break, but it was more in the 84-mph range. His change was great though, and the Mariners never really hit the ball hard against him (though it WAS the Mariners).

I predict we’ll see his velocity improve next year, and if it does he should be a dominant pitcher again. If not, I have a hard time believing he’ll be anything but a 3.50-4.00 ERA guy with the stuff he has now. He’d need pinpoint command to improve beyond that, and I just don’t see him getting it.

Still, the way he’s pitching has to make Liriano owners happy. He could be in the ‘pen for the rest of his career, or getting lit up in the minors, but he’s not. He’s an above-average starter, and that has to be viewed as a success for anybody in their first year back from TJ.