Francisco Liriano (SP, TOR) - Waiver Wire Pickups

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ANALYSIS: One of the most unpredictable pitchers in the league, Liriano is often feast-or-famine. He had the most forgettable first start of the season among all pitchers when he couldn't last more than one-third of an inning against the Rays while giving up five runs. He then proceeded to whiff 10 Orioles in his next start and blank the Red Sox for 5 1/3 after that. While Liriano's ratios still aren't pretty, his 4.08 xFIP isn't too bad and his 9.7 K/9 is downright attractive.

Liriano, like the whole Blue Jays team this year, remains an enigma wrapped in a riddle. Perhaps moving from pitcher-friendly Pittsburgh to Toronto will prove worse for him despite his outstanding end to last season. Still, if we can just ignore his first blip on the radar, Liriano might prove to be an underrated asset for the remainder of the season. Assuming he regresses to career norms, his current 27.1% LD% will go way down closer to 20% and his 13.8% walk rate will also drop a couple of points. It takes someone with an iron will to keep him in your rotation each week, but it could pay off in the end.