Minnesota Twins: best starting pitching staff in team history

5. 1991 staff – Jack Morris, Kevin Tapani, Scott Erickson, Alan Anderson, David West

While the 1991 team won the World Series in arguably the greatest World Series that’s been played, the pitching staff as a whole really was a cast of guys who had average to even poor seasons on the mound. The ace of game 7, Morris, was the third starter by a significant amount in regular season results, and outside of the top 3, the rotation really struggled.

As far as the comparisons to other great staffs, the 1991 staff is tied with the 1992 staff and 1965 staff with an exactly league average opponents’ OPS allowed by the starting staff, as each of the 3 teams had an exactly 100 OPS+ allowed. However, the 1991 staff sets apart due to the front three being much better than league average and pulling up the rest, whereas both of those squads were more of an average team all around. In fact, the front 3 produced the third-most bWAR of any front 3 in Twins pitching staff history.

Leading that staff in the regular season (and the 1991 team’s regular season bWAR leader) was Kevin Tapani. The 27 year-old was one of three pitchers from the 1989 trade of Frank Viola that played key roles in the 1991 team with closer Rick Aguilera and West being the other two. Tapani went 16-9 on the season with a team-leading 2.99 ERA and a 1.09 WHIP. Tapani was never a strikeout master, but he really kept guys off base to keep damage limited, throwing 244 innings with a 40/135 BB/K ratio.

Morris was the veteran that was brought in. Though Twins fans remember fondly his performance in game 7, his 1991 season was really the third-best among the starters in that season, as he threw 246 2/3 innings with an 18-12 record, a 3.43 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, and a 92/163 BB/K ratio.

Erickson was the revelation on the season. He won 20 games, going 20-8, tossing 204 innings with a 3.18 ERA, 1.28 WHIP, and a 71/108 BB/K ratio. His high walk rate would come to bite the team in the playoffs, but he spun excellent starts all season long, leading the team in shutouts with three.

Lefties Alan Anderson and David West rounded out the final two spots in the rotation, though lefty Mark Guthrie also made 12 starts on the season. Paul Abbott, Tom Edens, Denny Neagle, and Willie Banks also made starts on the season.

The starting staff combined for a 3.77 ERA and 1.31 WHIP, striking out 5.2 per 9 innings.

4. 1966 staff – Jim Kaat, Mudcat Grant, Jim Perry, Dave Boswell, Jim Merritt, Camilo Pascual

While the staff that got the team to the 1965 World Series against the Dodgers was excellent, the 1966 team was just a tick better overall. The 1966 staff finished tied with the 1972 staff for the best overall opponents’ OPS+, tallying an 87 OPS+ allowed by the starting staff in the 1966 season, as the entire staff racked up the second-most innings of any starting staff in team history.

The 1966 staff was led by a pair that is still popular around the team today, as Jim Kaat and Mudcat Grant combined to hurl 553 2/3 innings between them, striking out 315 combined hitters. Kaat threw 304 2/3 innings with a 2.75 ERA and 205 strikeouts and 19 complete games. Grant threw 249 innings with a 3.25 ERA and 110 strikeouts.

Perry led the staff in ERA with a 2.54 in 184 1/3 innings, while Dave Boswell made an impressive showing at 21 years old, striking out 173 over 169 1/3 innings, and 1966 was one of his best seasons as far as control as he walked 65.

When veteran Camilo Pascual struggled to open the season to the tune of a 4.89 ERA on the season, 22 year-old Jim Merritt moved from the bullpen to the rotation, and he put up excellent numbers through the rest of the season.

While the 1966 staff was solid, the bullpen was certainly top heavy. Al Worthington and Pete Cimino threw 156 innings between them, striking out 160 between them. They were the only two bullpen members with an ERA under 3, however.

3. 2004 staff – Johan Santana, Brad Radke, Carlos Silva, Kyle Lohse,
Terry Mulholland, Seth Greisinger

The mid-2000s Twins had two key cogs that really led to them being an elite overall staff in that era, Johan Santana and Brad Radke. While Santana was an elite starter, Radke was a consistent arm that would take the ball every fifth day and gave the Twins above-average 200 innings 9 of his 12 seasons with the team.

The 2004 staff had the best numbers of any of that era’s staffs, though much of that has to do with the incredible season that ace Santana had. He went 20-6 over 34 starts, throwing 228 innings with a 2.61 ERA, 0.92 WHIP, and 54/265 BB/K ratio.

Radke was the only other starter under a 3.5 ERA, though Silva and Lohse did combine for 397 innings, so the front 4 gave excellent innings for the team. It’s also notable to remember that this was in the peak of the offensive era of the late-90s and early-2000s, so the starters had an opponents’ OPS+ of 93, one of the best over the history of the franchise, so compared to other pitching staffs in the leagues, they were quite a bit ahead of league average.

Overall the staff had a 4.08 ERA, 1.31 WHIP, 6.1 K/9, and a 2.92 K/BB as a staff. The front three of Santana, Radke, and Silva was the top producer among top 3’s in franchise history with 18.3 bWAR combined, though that leaned heavily on Santana’s 8.6 bWAR.

Interestingly, the 2004 staff was led by a threesome in the bullpen as well, as closer Joe Nathan was one of the elite in the entire game, with 44 saves, a 1.62 ERA, and 89 strikeouts over 72 1/3 innings, leading the pen. Juan Rincon and J.C. Romero were the primary setup men. Rincon and Romero combined for 18 wins, over 150 innings, striking out 175 hitters.

2. 1972 staff – Bert Blyleven, Dick Woodson, Jim Perry, Ray Corbin,
Jim Kaat, Dave Goltz

Interestingly, every single one of these staffs other than our #2 overall staff pitched for a team that won at least 89 games and finished 2nd or better in their division. In spite of three Hall of Fame players (Harmon Killebrew, Rod Carew, Blyleven), two that deserve enshrinement or are “bubble” guys for the Hall (Tony Oliva, Kaat), and a pair of guys who were excellent in their era, guys who were viable award-caliber players in multiple seasons of their careers (Cesar Tovar, Perry), the 1972 team won just 77 games and finished a fairly distant third in the American League West, 15 1/2 games behind the Oakland Athletics.

The 1972 season was really the final season of Blyleven’s ramp up into his peak seasons, as his 1973 season was arguably his best year. Blyleven was still just 21 in 1972, but he was the unquestioned ace of the Twins by this point, making 39 appearances, 38 of them starts, completing 11 games and throwing 287 1/3 innings, with a 2.73 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, and a 69/228 BB/K.

Jim Perry had another season of consistency for the Twins at 36 years old, making 35 starts, and throwing 217 2/3 innings, with a 3.35 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, and a 60/85 BB/K. The Twins would trade Perry to the Indians after the 1972 season.

What makes the 1972 staff so special is that only six guys made starts for the team, but all six were excellent. Kaat struggled through injury to make only 15 starts, but he tossed a 2.06 ERA with a 20/64 BB/K over 113 1/3 innings in those starts.

Woodson struggled with control, walking 101 batters in his 251 2/3 innings, with a 2.72 ERA and 1.17 WHIP, striking out 150 hitters. Ray Corbin (2.62 ERA, 161 2/3 innings) and Dave Goltz (2.67 ERA, 91 innings) gave the Twins a pair of 23 year-old starters with excellent performances to round out the staff, certainly the deepest in Twins history.

While on a front three aspect, the 1972 staff falls a bit short, the depth of the staff allows it to be the Twins all-time leader in ERA (2.80) and tied for the team lead in opponents’ OPS+ (87).

1. 1967 staff – Dean Chance, Jim Kaat, Jim Merritt, Dave Boswell, Mudcat Grant

The 1967 staff is incredibly unique in a few aspects. One major one – outside of the 5 primary starters and 5 primary relievers, only 3 1/3 innings were thrown by 2 pitchers on the entire season. That amount of health of a team’s primary opening day pitching staff is incredible as is the consistency of performance for that level of players to remain the same guys from opening day.

From essentially the moment they arrived in Minnesota until the 1972 team mentioned here, the team overall had better than league-average pitching, and in fact, some of the best in the entire game for roughly an 8-year stretch from about 1963-1970. While there are some elite staffs in that time, the 1967 team ranks as the best in a fairly runaway fashion.

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The 1967 team has the most innings thrown by starters of any team since the team moved to Minnesota, yet also put up some of the best ratio statistics, with the best K/9 of any staff in team history, with a K/9 of 7.0 and a K/BB of 3.06. Among staffs considered for this article, only the 2005 Twins had a better K/BB ratio.

Beyond the excellence of the entire depth of the staff, the front three of the 1967 staff ranks among the best in team history, with the best ERA (2.78) of any front 3 in team history, the best K/9 (6.9), and the 2nd best K/BB and bWAR of a front 3 in team history.

That front three was all in their 20s, with Jim Kaat being the elder of the group at 28 years old. He made 42 appearances with 38 starts, throwing 263 1/3 innings as he completed 13 of his starts with a sparkling 42/211 BB/K ratio, a 3.04 ERA, and a 1.18 WHIP.

Dean Chance had been acquired the previous offseason, and he was near-dominant in his first season in a Twins uniform, making 41 appearances, 39 of them starts, completing 18 of them, and throwing 283 2/3 innings. He posted a 2.73 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, and a 68/220 BB/K ratio.

Lefty Jim Merritt was the surprise on the season, making 37 appearances, starting 28 games, completing 11, and throwing 227 2/3 innings. He led the rotation with a 2.53 ERA, 0.993 WHIP, and he posted a 30/161 BB/K ratio.

Dave Boswell rounded out a strong foursome at the top of the rotation, throwing 222 2/3 innings, with a 3.27 ERA and 1.21 WHIP, striking out 204, but also walking 107. Mudcat Grant was the team’s 5th starter, only throwing 95 1/3 innings in what would be his final season with the team.

The 1967 team was buoyed by an elite bullpen, with closer Al Worthington and Jim Perry working as swing man as the primary two bullpen arms used, racking up 222 2/3 innings between them.

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The other staffs considered were pretty much every one from the 1960s through the 1972 staff, the 1992 staff, and the 2004-2006 staffs.

What do you think of the order? Any ones you would have changed? Comment below!!