Padres News: Rymer Liriano designated for assignment by Padres
In a very surprising move the San Diego Padres have designated one of their most promising young prospects of the pas. Rymer Liriano was still listed among the club’s top prospects. He was ranked the teams 13th best prospect by MLB.com at the end of the Padres 2015 season.
To make room on the 40-man roster for Ramirez, the #Padres DFA’d outfielder Rymer Liriano.
— Corey Brock (@FollowThePadres) January 22, 2016
This move is yet another clear indication that A.J. Preller and Padres management are hell-bent on changing the dynamics of the Padres and the philosophy within the organization. Liriano is still only 24 but he is coming off yet another less than impressive minor league season.
He hit .292 last season in Tripe-A El Paso with 14 homers and 64 RBI’s in 131 games. Liriano struck out 132 times but did walk 64 times resulting in a .383 on base percentage. Not all that shabby for the slugging outfielder.
Preller said a primary reason the Padres DFA’ed Rymer Liriano was his being out of minor league options.
— Dennis Lin (@dennistlin) January 22, 2016
Obviously Liriano was out of options and the Padres had no current plans for him to make the team out of spring training. The Padres likely explored trade options with Liriano but with the addition to the 40 man roster today (Alexei Ramirez signing), the team had to make a move.
The Padres currently have Jon Jay, Melvin Upton Jr. Matt Kemp, Travis Jankowski, Jabari Blash and Alex Dickerson as possible outfielders. There really was no room for Liriano so the Padres did the inevitable in releasing him.
Liriano is still young enough where he should surface somewhere and could have a decent major league career. If he improves his plate discipline he could be a serviceable major league player. He has 5-tool talent, but has failed to put it all together at any level. Best of luck to Mr. Liriano in the future.
James was born and raised in America’s Finest City. He is a passionate baseball fan with even more passion towards his hometown Padres. Editor-In-Chief of EastVillageTimes.com. Always striving to bring you the highest quality in San Diego Sports News. Original content, with original ideas, that’s our motto. Enjoy.