Minnesota Twins: The Top 5 Relief Pitchers in Franchise History
As the Minnesota Twins coming up on their 120th season, we look back at the five best relief pitchers in franchise history.
The Minnesota Twins are one of the oldest franchises in baseball, dating back to 1901, when they were the league bottom-dweller known as the Washington Senators. Since that time, the team has won three championships, six pennants, and eleven division titles.
It has also suffered through seven 100+ loss seasons, fourteen playoff defeats, and have lost over 1100 games to the New York Yankees. The team has had some really good seasons, and some really bad seasons. Throughout it all, there have been some excellent players who have carried the team.
These excellent players deserve some recognition , so Puckett’s Pond will be putting together a list of the top players at each position to get ready for the top 50 players of all time. In order to make it on this list, relief pitchers need to have thrown in over 250 games or 225 innings, start less than half of your games, and have played an important role for the team.
The group of relief pitchers who have made an impact on this team is a relatively small one. Plus, with most of these pitchers working as closers, pitching one or two innings a game leaves less to talk about. Even with that being said, these pitchers had some of the biggest impacts in team history, so let’s get started.
Honorable Mentions
Minnesota Twins’ Matt Guerrier
Years with the Minnesota Twins: 2004-2010, 2014 (8 Seasons)
Key Stats with the Minnesota Twins: 420 G, 500 IP, 19-26 W-L, 3.40 ERA, 5 SV, 322-157 K-BB, 7.9 WAR
It probably is a surprise for a lot of people to see Matt Guerrier on this list, given that he pitched only eight seasons with the team, never made an All-Star team, and only had five saves over his Twins career. But he is worthy of an honorable mention spot.
The Twins have never really had relief pitchers who stayed too long with the team, but Guerrier hits that mark. Guerrier was an extremely reliable eighth inning setup man for Joe Nathan, pitching in 420 games (eighth in team history) and working toward a stellar 3.40 ERA.
Guerrier led the league in games pitched twice while with the Twins and got the team out of countless jams to hand the ball over to Nathan (who we’ll talk more about later). There’s something to be said for consistency, and few were more consistent than Guerrier.
Minnesota Twins’ Glen Perkins
Years with the Minnesota Twins: 2006-2017 (12 Seasons)
Key Stats with the Minnesota Twins: 409 G, 624 IP, 35-25 W-L, 3.88 ERA, 120 SV, 504-158 K-BB, 9.0 WAR, Three Time All-Star
One of just three Twins relievers to make the All-Star game three times, Glen Perkins was one of the best closers in the MLB from 2013-2015, one of the only players in the league to save thirty games all three years.
Perkins produced a solid 3.88 ERA over his career, but when he was a full-time reliever that number dropped to 2.86. He struck out 346 more batters than he walked and saved 120 games in just over four seasons.
Perkins has the third most saves in team history, and has played in the ninth most games, but given that the Twins lost an average of 90 games per season while he was closer, his team’s failure keeps him just out of the fifth spot.
No. 5: Minnesota Twins’ Eddie Guardado
Years with the Minnesota Twins: 1993-2003, 2008 (12 Seasons)
Key Stats with the Minnesota Twins: 648 G, 704 IP, 37-48 W-L, 4.53 ERA, 116 SV, 610-270 K-BB, 9.5 WAR, Two Time All-Star, One Top-25 MVP Finish
Eddie Guardado‘s stat line isn’t as impressive as Glen Perkins, as he has a higher ERA, less saves, less All-Star appearances, and more losses, in way more innings. Glen Perkins also was a hometown hero, who was a star for the Minnesota Gophers, while Guardado was just a 21st round pick from some California high school.
None of that would matter though, as Twins fans grew to love Guardado. Everyday Eddie, as he became known, pitched 648 games for the Minnesota Twins, second-most in team history. Guardado only got better as he got older, going from a below-average starter, to solid reliever, to All-Star closer.
Guardado’s best season for the Twins came in 2002, when he led the league in saves at the age of 31. Guardado earned 45 saves over the course of the season before he earned a save and pitched the final inning of the ALDS against the Oakland Athletics, winning the Twins the series.
Over his Twins career, Guardado saved 116 games, third most in team history (his 187 career saves rank him 59th all-time), but Guardado’s overall stat line isn’t that great. However, his impact on the team and the franchise was, and that’s why he earns this number five spot.
No. 4: Minnesota Twins’ Jeff Reardon
Years with the Minnesota Twins: 1987-1989 (3 Seasons)
Key Stats with the Minnesota Twins: 191 G, 226 IP, 15-16 W-L, 3.70 ERA, 104 SV, 185-55 K-BB, 4.2 WAR, One Time All-Star, Two Top-25 MVP Finishes, One Top-10 Cy Young Finish, 1987 World Series
Jeff Reardon was only with the Twins for three seasons, but those three seasons were some of the best in team history. Reardon was a star, finishing in the Top-25 of MVP voting and finishing in the Top-10 Cy Young Award voting.
Reardon saved 104 games, the sixth most in team history, in just three years. His three-year save totals: 31, 42, 31, an insane amount. His most contribution to the team was the 1987 season, where he saved 31 games in the regular season and then three more over the postseason including in Game 7 to help the Twins win the 1987 World Series.
Jeff Reardon had a stellar 3.70 ERA over his time and averaged an excellent 1.4 WAR per season. His 185-55 strikeout-to-walk ratio was excellent, but his best contribution came during the team’s run to their first World Series title. That season alone pushes him to the fourth spot on this list.
No. 3: Frederick “Firpo” Marberry
Years with the Washington Senators: 1923-1932, 1936 (11 Seasons)
Key Stats with the Washington Senators: 470 G, 1654 IP, 117-71 W-L, 3.59 ERA, 94 SV, 667-568 K-BB, 26.0 WAR, One Top-25 MVP Finish, 1924 and 1925 American League Pennant, 1924 World Series
Very few people have heard of Firpo Marberry, but I’m here to change that. Firpo Marberry split time between starting games, relieving, and closing, doing everything the team needed to win games, working in a similar role to Ryan Yarbrough of the Tampa Bay Rays.
Marberry started 133 games, finished 251 games, and pitched 86 games in between, working as a pitcher who did it all for a super successful team. His 3.59 ERA is thirty-second in team history and his 117 wins rank eighth all-time as well.
His ninety-four saves also rank seventh all time showing his ability to do it all, as he led the league in saves six times. What makes the ninety-four saves the more impressive is they came at a time when most pitchers threw complete games.
Marberry helped the team make the 1924 and 1925 World Series and win it all in 1924. He was an excellent reliever and he deserves his spot as the only Senators reliever on this list. All this combines to keep Marberry in the number three spot.
No. 2: Minnesota Twins’ Rick Aguilera
Years with the Minnesota Twins: 1989-1999 (11 Seasons)
Key Stats with the Minnesota Twins: 490 G, 694 IP, 40-47 W-L, 3.50 ERA, 254 SV, 586-179 K-BB, 15.5 WAR, Three Time All-Star, One Top-25 MVP Finish
Rick Aguilera has pitched in more games with the Twins than any other player on this list, as his 490 games rank third all time in the franchise list. He made the most of those innings becoming a three-time All-Star during his years with the team.
Over his career he earned a 3.50 ERA (thirtieth in team history), 254 saves (second in team history) and racked up 586 strikeouts (also thirtieth). The strikeout numbers really pop because he ranked that high pitching for less innings than most pitchers.
His largest contribution was his playoff performance in 1991, where he threw eight and one-third innings and earned five saves, the most saves in team playoff history. Without Aguilera, the Twins would not have won the 1991 World Series, helping cement his place as the number two reliever in history.
No. 1: Minnesota Twins’ Joe Nathan
Years with the Minnesota Twins: 2004-2009, 2011 (7 Seasons)
Key Stats with the Minnesota Twins: 460 G, 463.1 IP, 24-13 W-L, 2.16 ERA, 260 SV, 561-134 K-BB, 18.4 WAR, Four Time All-Star, Two Top-25 MVP Finishes, Two Top-10 Cy Young Finishes
Far and away the best reliever in Minnesota Twins is Joe Nathan. He was one of the team’s best overall pitchers during his time with the team and was the undisputed closer from his first season once he got traded to Minnesota till 2009.
In his first season with the team, Nathan saved 44 games and set himself up as the closer for the team for good. He proceeded to save over thirty-five games six times, and over forty games three times, totaling 260 saves with the team (most in team history) and 377 saves over his career, eighth-most all-time.
Joe Nathan pitched in 460 games with the team (sixth-most in team history) and worked to an ERA of 2.16. That ERA would have finished first in team history had he pitched in the number of required innings, and it helped him build up a WAR with the team of 18.4.
Nathan collected several individual awards including four All-Star appearances, Two Top-25 MVP finishes, Two Top-10 Cy Young finishes, and the 2009 Rolaids Relief Man Award winner, but he also helped the team win.
Over Joe Nathan’s time with the team, the Minnesota Twins won 588 games and Nathan was a huge part of that. The Twins won the division three times over Nathan’s career, helping solidifying his case as the top reliever. No reliever has a stat line as good as Joe Nathan in team history, and that lands him in the top spot.
Next. Minnesota Twins: The Top 5 Right Fielders in Franchise History. dark