What's wrong with Liriano

I'll come out and say it right now, something is not right with Liriano. That may be categorized under the "so simple it's stupid" rule, but I think that everyone must try to imagine and realize what's going on here and what are the possibilities behind his continued struggles.

1. The surgery just didn't "work". There is a surprising number of players who never return to their former levels after Tommy John surgery. I say surprising only because it's been ingrained in our heads from the collective media that TJ surgery is routine. Any ligament replacement surgery in an elite athlete during his/her career is anything but routine. From the estimates I've read, between 15-20% of athletes never return to their previous level after TJ surgery. Could Liriano be one of those? By all accounts, he is 100% healthy so I guess tie will tell if this is the truth or not.
2. The surgery "worked" but he's not fully physically recovered. This situation involves having the MDs declare him healthy to pitch but he needs to take several games or several months before his arm and release points have the proper timing and strength. Consider this Liriano "playing himself into game-shape". This is a distinct possibility because he was not able to go deep in games, especially in spring training, due to his lack of command which is at an appalling 13BB in 10.3 IP. His WHIP is an astronomical 2.71. It's hard to imagine his numbers doing anything but going down.
3. The surgery was a success, he is physically 100%, but mentally he's not recovered. This may be one of the worst things to happen. Many elite athletes like to see results and will associate anything (either positive or negative) as a direct cause of that result. I cannot provide a full complete insight into his psyche but hopefully I'll be able to help you understand his possible mental state right now.
   
1. Imagine that you are at the top of your game as a mechanic, a computer programmer, a teacher, a physical therapist, or a musician. You depend on your elite skills in this area in order to not only survive but reach the pinnacle of your profession. People now rely on you everyday for results that very few can provide. Now tomorrow your skills will be taken away or severely hampered for 18 months. The mechanic can no longer hear the engine noise. The computer programmer is now given a keyboard in a different language and also the language code (html or whatever) no longer will exist. The physical therapist is no longer allowed to perform manual therapy and the musician's prime instrument has been destroyed due to health concerns.
   
2. Imagine the frustration and difficulty in learning how to perform everything from scratch after 18 months. I know personally if I was not allowed to tape any body part for 18 months and then had to return to work and be expected to tape at the same high level, I would not be able to do it. It's not that I would "forget" how to tape. It's that I didn't have the feel and the rhythm for it that I have presently. All professions would be like that, including being a major league pitcher.
   

While it is "just a game" to many, to the rest of us it is a beautiful balance of athleticism, power, speed, visual acuity, mental preparation, focus, and determination that makes the "game" what it is.

Now that it has been confirmed that Liriano has been sent down to the minors to continue working on his rehab, it shall be seen which direction he will take. I currently have him in my main fantasy league and I will be holding on to him for a long time during the year. The risk of him on my bench eating up my final roster spot out of 29 with being able to start 3SP a day versus the reward of already having him and not worrying about waivers during mid-year, makes this decision a no-brainer. If he is available in your league right now, I would grab him immediately and stash him on your bench.