Trade shows its upside

Joe Christensen
Star Tribune

DETROIT -- When the Twins traded A.J. Pierzynski to the San Francisco Giants, they had no idea how fortunate that deal would look 20 months later, during this year's All-Star festivities.

General Manager Terry Ryan went straight into his humble "we got lucky" mode Sunday from his seat behind home plate at Comerica Park, after watching Francisco Liriano shine as a starting pitcher in the All-Star Futures Game.

Liriano breezed through a 1-2-3 first inning, flashing a 96-miles-per-hour fastball and command of all three pitches as the World team marched to a 4-0 victory over the U.S. team.

"It's safe to say we hadn't seen him much [before the trade]," Ryan said. "And we've been very fortunate he's turning into the guy we have here."

The Twins landed three pitchers in the 2003 deal for Pierzynski, and for several months scouts have been saying Liriano might be the best of the three.

Better than Boof Bonser? OK. Bonser is having mixed success at Class AAA Rochester this year.

But better than Joe Nathan? Come on. Nathan will be in Detroit on Tuesday for the real All-Star Game, his second in a row as the Twins' closer.

And yet, there was Liriano on Sunday, a 21-year-old native of the Dominican Republic, getting the starting nod for the World team -- an honor in itself.

The alumni list for this game, which started in 1999, includes current Twins Joe Mauer, Justin Morneau and Carlos Silva, along with such noted pitchers as Mark Buehrle, Mark Mulder, Ben Sheets, Barry Zito, Rich Harden and Francisco Rodriguez.

Liriano, a 6-3 lefthander, stared down three of the game's better hitting prospects and induced two groundouts before finishing off Conor Jackson, of the Arizona Diamondbacks, with a 96-mph heater.

B.J. Upton, the 20-year-old shortstop who hit .258 for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays last September before getting sent back to the minors for more seasoning, saw all three of Liriano's pitches. He fouled off a 93-mph fastball, took an 86-mph changeup for a ball and then rolled over on his slider for a groundout to third.

"He's got good movement on his ball," Upton said. "His changeup's good, and he's got a good slider. ... I don't know if there was adrenaline or what it was, but he was throwing pretty good."

Liriano threw seven of his 12 pitches for strikes.

Promoted last month from Class AA New Britain to Rochester, Liriano looked close to major league-ready. But Ryan is clearly in no rush.

"He had almost a full year at Double-A [counting last year's second half], and we want to give him a taste of Triple-A this year to see how he responds," Ryan said.

Liriano said the thing that's improved the most for him this year is his slider. He had been happy with his three-pitch repertoire of late but had no idea it would lead to a starting assignment Sunday on this stage.

"It was an honor for me," he said. "I feel very excited about that."

The Giants had Liriano at Class A San Jose in 2003, but he was out with arm injuries most of that season before the Twins traded for him.

"I think everyone knew he had a good arm," Ryan said. "But he's got other things to go with it. He's got a good frame, he listens well, and he's a good learner."

Bowyer disappointed

The Twins' other prospect at the Futures Game, Rochester closer Travis Bowyer, tossed a scoreless seventh inning for the U.S. team but gave up two hits and a walk before escaping a bases-loaded jam.

"I didn't pitch that well," said Bowyer, who had two strikeouts and showed a 97-mph fastball. "I was a little wild, but it was still a thrill to be here"