Ranking the Best Relievers in Minnesota History
Introducing “Twins Top Ten”
Over the next few months, I’ll be taking a weekly look at the history of each position on the diamond and figuring out who is the best of the best since the franchise moved to Minnesota. This means that only players from 1961-on will be considered, but I will be taking into account their entire tenures with the franchise for those who moved along with the team. You can find prior entries in the series linked below. Next Up: Relievers!
The Best Relief Pitchers in Twins History
There are three men in the Twins Hall of Fame that have been inducted for their contributions as relief pitchers. Evaluating relievers within a historical context has been a struggle for baseball hall of famers and fans for as long as the position has been popular, but I’m giving it my best shot here. I’ll be looking at a variety of criteria, including years with the team, number of appearances, bWAR, ERA+ (to compare different eras of baseball), strikeouts per 9 innings, strikeout-to-walk ratio, WHIP, and accolades. Longevity will be weighted a little more heavily here than with starting pitchers, as it is fairly commonplace for a reliever to be dominant in a short stint. Who are the top ten in Twins history (according to me)?
Honorable Mentions
- Doug Corbett (1980-1982): 3 Years – 137 Appearances – 8.3 bWAR – 170 ERA+ – 6.0 K/9 – 1.91 K/BB – 1.199 WHIP – All-Star
- Jhoan Duran (2022-2024): 3 – 174 – 4.9 – 160 – 11.7 – 4.27 – 1.085
- Griffin Jax (2022-2024; excludes year as starter in 2021): 3 – 208 – 4.4 – 135 – 10.4 – 4.46 – 1.030
- Jesse Crain (2004-2010): 7 – 376 – 5.4 – 128 – 6.2 – 1.87 – 1.257
10. Juan Rincon (2001-2008)
8 Years – 386 Appearances – 5.8 bWAR – 122 ERA+ – 8.4 K/9 – 2.26 K/BB – 1.351 WHIP
One of the reason that you didn’t see saves as part of the criteria I’m looking at for this list, Juan Rincon had a strong run as a setup man for the mid-aughts Twins. Rincon was part of some very strong Twins bullpens and I won’t see him penalized for usage.
9. Jeff Reardon (1987-1989)
3 Years – 191 Appearances – 4.2 bWAR – 116 ERA+ – 7.4 K/9 – 3.36 K/BB – 1.152 WHIP – All-Star
Jeff Reardon came to the Twins as an 8-year veteran fireman, and was a key part of the 1987 World Series champion team. His best season with the Twins was actually 1988 though, as he was an All-Star and posted 42 saves with a 165 ERA+.
8. Mike Marshall (1978-1980)
3 Years – 162 Appearances – 6.8 bWAR – 141 ERA+ – 4.9 K/9 – 1.55 K/BB – 1.281 WHIP
Our other short-time Twin that makes the list, Mike Marshall wasn’t very good at keeping runners off the bases, but was excellent at keeping them from crossing home plate. Marshall appeared in a jaw-dropping 90 games in 1979, leading the league.
7. Matt Guerrier (2004-2010, 2014)
8 Years – 420 Appearances – 7.9 bWAR – 127 ERA+ – 5.8 K/9 – 2.05 K/BB – 1.254 WHIP
Rincon’s bullpen-mate for a few years, Matt Guerrier is perhaps the best Twins reliever who never held the closer role. Guerrier was exactly what the doctor ordered for taking games safely from Brad Radke in the 7th inning to Joe Nathan in the 9th.
6. Al Worthington (1964-1969)
6 Years – 327 Appearances – 10.0 bWAR – 134 ERA+ – 7.6 K/9 – 2.15 K/BB – 1.194 WHIP
Al Worthington was the first great reliever in Twins history, thriving in a time when relievers were not used the same way they are now. Case in point- Worthington led the league with a whopping 18 saves in 1968.
5. Taylor Rogers (2016-2021)
6 Years – 319 Appearances – 6.4 bWAR – 139 ERA+ – 10.3 K/9 – 4.75 K/BB – 1.150 WHIP – All-Star
Our most modern entry in the top ten is Taylor Rogers. The lean lefty was a bullpen fixture for the Twins both as a setup man and closer. Rogers’ looping curveball was his signature putout pitch, and I’ll always remember him walking in to Fleetwood Mac’s “Break the Chain”.
4. Glen Perkins (2010-2017; excludes 2006-2009 as starter)
8 Years – 342 Appearances – 7.0 bWAR – 128 ERA+ – 9.4 K/9 – 4.27 K/BB – 1.170 WHIP – 3x All-Star
Minnesota’s own Glen Perkins is perhaps the inspiration for the organization’s habit of turning starters into relievers to this day. Perkins was a struggling starter for his first four years before transforming into a dominant closer for some unfortunate Twins teams.
3. Eddie Guardado (1993-2003, 2008)
12 Years – 648 Appearances – 9.5 bWAR – 105 ERA+ – 7.8 K/9 – 2.26 K/BB – 1.340 WHIP – 2x All-Star
“Everyday Eddie” is the Twins all-time leader in pitching appearances, and although his stats won’t blow anyone away, that long-term dependence puts him third on the list. Guardado led the league in saves for the 2002 team that made the ALCS.
2. Rick Aguilera (1989-1995, 1996-1999)
11 Years – 490 Appearances – 15.5 bWAR – 130 ERA+ – 7.6 K/9 – 3.27 K/BB – 1.182 WHIP – 3x All-Star
This is when we get to the non-debatable part of the list. Though his services famously weren’t needed in Game 7 of the 1991 World Series, Aggie was a dependable closer all season for the champions. He held the Twins all-time saves record until the next guy broke it.
1. Joe Nathan (2004-2011)
7 Years – 460 Appearances – 18.4 bWAR – 204 ERA+ – 10.9 K/9 – 4.19 K/BB – 0.956 WHIP – 4x All-Star
Number 1 on the this list, and the Twins All-Time Saves list, is the big Texan Joe Nathan. Nathan is 10th in saves in MLB history and was as dominant as anyone not named Mariano Rivera during his time with the Twins. Hall of Fame voting for relievers has always been tricky, and maybe Nathan doesn’t deserve the honor of being inducted, but the lack of consideration he got, much like with Johan Santana, personally offended me.
What do you think? Who did I miss? Who do I overrate, and who do I underrate? Let me know in the comments! I’ll be back next week with the top ten catchers in Twins history- I bet you can already guess the top guy on that list.