Legit Tools
In every blurb about Liriano, MLB Pipeline writes about how “toolsy” Liriano is. In 2011-2012 the site basically called him a five-tool prospect, and in 2012 the outfielder was described as a “potential 20-20 player”.
The White Sox outfielder hit his first MLB home run on August 13th, 2014.
Liriano hit the ball into the second deck of Petco Park; not an easy task. He isn’t the next Giancarlo Stanton, but Liriano has legit power from the right side of the plate. With enough at-bats there’s a high probability he could reach the 20 home run plateau.
Liriano could be one of the fastest players on the White Sox, as evident by this play where he beat Domonic Brown’s throw to home on a Jedd Gyorko RBI Single.
With Charlie Tilson and Tim Anderson set to man the top of the lineup, it might be best for Rick Renteria to play Liriano towards the bottom. In doing so he integrates a solid mix of speed and power while essentially making Liriano another leadoff hitter if the bottom of the lineup is unable to succeed the inning prior.
If you search on YouTube “Rymer Liriano catch”, five of the first six options are a spectacular play by the outfielder. This clip likely sums up Liriano’s defensive prowess the best.
The White Sox just lost an amazing defensive right fielder in Adam Eaton. While Liriano may not provide the same value, starting him in right field would give the fans/management a chance to see just how good he could be defensively on a regular basis.
When you think of a five-tool prospect Rymer Liriano certainly isn’t the first name you think of. However he has proven throughout the minor league level, and into the MLB level, that he has multiple facets to his game. At just 25, there’s more than a good chance that those tools still exist in the new White Sox outfielder.
