No 18: Dave Goltz (24.6 WAR)
Dave Goltz was a breed of pitcher we may never see again. He went the distance on a regular basis, throwing double digit complete games in five straight seasons. He was an absolute workhorse, pitching incredible amounts of innings for Minnesota, making him incredibly valuable.
Goltz pitched over 200 innings in a season in five straight campaigns from 1975 to 1979. His career high was 303 innings pitched in 1977, a year in which he had a 20-11 record and a 3.36 ERA. He recorded his second best WAR total in 1977 with 5.7.
His best season, according to wins above replacement, was in 1978 when he recorded 6.6. That year he went 15-10 with a 2.49 ERA in 220.1 innings of work. His WAR ranked seventh in the American League. That would be one of his last good seasons, pitching one last season with the Twins before slowly fizzling out with the Dodgers and Angels.
One of the best in Twins history.
Goltz holds top ten places in a few pitching categories in Twins history. He is sixth in wins (96), tenth in ERA (3.48), sixth in games started (215), third in complete games (80), fourth in shutouts (11), sixth in innings pitched (1,638.0) and eighth in strikeouts (887). That is quite the laundry list of achievements in a Twins uniform.
Goltz pitched well, pitched often and pitched deep into games for the Twins. He is one of the best in their history in almost every major pitching category. His WAR is an indication of his value, and wrapping that in with his other numbers makes him one of the most valuable pitchers in Twins history.