As the Twins prepare for their 59th season of play in Minnesota we should look back and be thankful for some great seasons these players have given us in the past. I am using B-R Play Index to come up with the ten greatest seasons by Minnesota Twins players over the years and I am once again using WAR as the tool to do this. I think you might be surprised at some of these.
Tag: Mike Trombley
Major League Debuts as Minnesota Twins – Mike Trombley
August 19 had one player making his major league debut as a Minnesota Twin.
Mike Trombley (P) – August 19, 1992 – Drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the 14th round of the 1989 amateur draft. Debut in Cleveland Stadium was one scoreless inning of relief with a strike out and a hit in a Twins 5-1 defeat.
Best players drafted by Minnesota Twins by round
I went through the history of the Minnesota Twins June Amateur draft choices to see who the best players were that the club drafted, signed and the player debuted with Minnesota across his chest. The player may or may not have played his entire career with the Twins but the WAR numbers are for their entire careers. Why are they ranked by WAR you may ask? Simple, I know of no other way to rank them, so right or wrong, I have chosen B-R WAR.
Twenty five of the 61 rounds shown have no players that qualified meaning that no one ever drafted in that round has made it to the majors with Minnesota. So if the Twins draft you in one of those rounds in the future, the odds are very much against you. Unless you have followed the Twins since day one, you might not recognize or remember some of these players.
Twins starting pitchers that never finished what they started
Do you know what pitcher has started the most games for the Minnesota Twins and hasn’t completed a single one of his starts?
The Minnesota Twins franchise leader in starts without a single complete game on his resume is Mike Pelfrey but Pelfrey does have a couple of complete games with the New York Mets. Ironically former Senators and Twins pitcher Jim Kaat holds the Washington Senators franchise record for most starts with 11 and zero complete games and he did that between 1959-1960. Oddly enough three of the ten pitchers on the list below pitched for the Twins in 2016.
Twins leaders in starts with zero complete games
| Rk | Player | GS ? | G | GF | W | L | SV | IP | SO | BF | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mike Pelfrey | 64 | 64 | 0 | 11 | 27 | .289 | 0 | 341.0 | 197 | 4.94 | 1513 |
| 2 | Boof Bonser | 60 | 96 | 9 | 18 | 25 | .419 | 0 | 391.2 | 317 | 5.12 | 1723 |
| 3 | Kevin Correia | 54 | 54 | 0 | 14 | 26 | .350 | 0 | 314.2 | 162 | 4.49 | 1364 |
| 4 | Pat Mahomes | 51 | 114 | 26 | 18 | 28 | .391 | 3 | 366.2 | 217 | 5.82 | 1635 |
| 5 | Willie Banks | 45 | 52 | 5 | 16 | 17 | .485 | 0 | 259.2 | 191 | 4.61 | 1163 |
| 6 | Glen Perkins | 44 | 401 | 225 | 35 | 25 | .583 | 120 | 618.2 | 502 | 3.83 | 2601 |
| 7 | Sam Deduno | 41 | 63 | 8 | 16 | 18 | .471 | 0 | 279.0 | 198 | 4.26 | 1216 |
| 8 | Tommy Milone | 40 | 49 | 5 | 12 | 11 | .522 | 1 | 219.2 | 154 | 4.79 | 968 |
| 9 | Mike Trombley | 36 | 365 | 132 | 30 | 34 | .469 | 34 | 645.2 | 528 | 4.53 | 2815 |
| 10 | Tyler Duffey | 36 | 36 | 0 | 14 | 13 | .519 | 0 | 191.0 | 167 | 5.42 | 838 |
The MLB record holder in this category is still active and he is Bud Norris (a free agent I believe) with 185 starts and zero complete games in the books between 2009-2016 while pitching for five different teams.
The MLB leader by the way, in complete games is Cy Young with 749 and Bert Blyleven leads the Twins in complete games with 141 which comes out to 41% of his starts.
Looking at the length of Twins games from 1961-2015
Some time ago I did a piece on the length of MLB games after the league announced its changes to quicken the pace of play prior to the 2015 season that I called Looking back at the pace of play in 2015. You can read that article here. Today I want to take a look at the entire history of Minnesota Twins game duration’s going back to 1961.
First off we are going to note of some rule changes that baseball implemented since 1961 that may or may not have had an impact on the length of games. I am not saying I have them all listed here but I listed as many as I am aware of. I appreciate Stew Thornley’s help in compiling this list
1961 – 162 game schedule implemented
1966 – artificial turf first implemented (Astrodome)
1969 – mound lowered 5 inches
1969 – strike zone was shrunken to the area from the armpits to the top of
the batter’s knees
1969 – saves rule added
1969 – playoffs started
1971 – all players must wear protective helmets
1973 – AL DH started
1973 – glove sizes standardized
1975 – ball was permitted to be covered with cowhide because of the shortage
of horses
1995 – wild card team added to playoffs
1997 – interleague play introduced
2008 – limited instant replay introduced on August 29
2013 – In addition to interpreters taking the mound with the pitching
coach/manager, two other rule changes of note were implemented. 1. A seventh
coach will be permitted to suit up and sit in the dugout, one more than in
previous seasons. This change comes as a result of several teams hiring an
assistant hitting coach, most of whom were forced to sit out games in the
clubhouse last year. 2. The fake-to-third, throw-to-first pick-off move that
almost never works will now be considered a balk. The “trick move” was voted
out by the Playing Rules Committee last year — giving MLB the authority to
bar the move but approval by the player’s union would make the ban
unilateral.
2014 – MLB’s new system of instant replay dictates which plays are subject
to review, how instant replay will be initiated by field managers and how
the review process will be conducted. As a part of the expansion of instant
replay, Clubs will now be allowed to show all replays on the ballpark
scoreboard, regardless of whether the play was reviewed. Home plate rules
were also changed.
2015 – MLB introduced new pace of game rules 1. With certain exceptions,
hitters must keep one foot in the batter’s box between pitches throughout
their at-bat. 2. Each ballpark now has between-inning countdown timers to
ensure that the next half-inning starts promptly.
The timers are set at 2 minutes, 25 seconds for most games and 2:45 for
nationally televised games. Pitchers and hitters have been encouraged to be
ready to go when the clock reaches 20 seconds. 3. Managers can now signal
instant-replay challenges to umpires from the dugout area, instead of from
the field.
2016 – Netting behind home plate to reach out to dugouts. Possible strike
zone change?
My personal definition of a long game is one that last 3 hours or more. I love watching baseball but when the game drags on and there is a modicum of action than I start to get bored. For the most part I would rather watch a 2 1/2 hour game over a 3 1/2 hour game but there are exceptions, a high scoring back and forth game can be fun just as a 2 hour and 20 minute game with no action can be boring. For my purposes here I will consider games that last 3 hours or more as long games. The chart you will see tracks game duration averages as well as games that last 3 hours or more. Games of less than nine innings are excluded in my study.
Twins first round draft history since 2000
The 2015 MLB draft will take place June 8-10 and the Minnesota Twins will have the sixth overall selection in this years draft. The draft, now in its 50th year is always fun and full of hype, of course it differs greatly in many ways from the NFL and NBA drafts where players chosen could be playing for their professional team the following season. In baseball the drafted players, even the so-called can’t miss prospects are headed for the minor leagues where they will have to sharpen their skills and earn their stripes before they get the opportunity to put on a big league uniform.
The Twins have a number of fine young prospects in the minor leagues and we fans are clamoring to see them put on a Twins uniform and show us their stuff here at Target Field. But until these players reach the big leagues and show that they can play ball with the big boys they are just prospects and nothing more. They have promise but we all know that promises are not always kept.
Over the last 15 years from 2000 through 2014 the Minnesota Twins have had a total of 28 first round selections, 15 are the first round picks themselves, 10 picks have been supplemental picks and 3 have been compensation picks. Looking at the “normal” Twins first round picks, their highest pick was number one over all in 2001 when they selected catcher Joe Mauer (debuted with the Twins in April 2004) who as we all know is the Twins starting first baseman today. Their lowest first round pick was number 30 in 2011 and that was Levi Michael who is playing in AA ball.
The most recent Twins first round pick to make his debut with Minnesota is RHP Kyle Gibson who was drafted in 2009 as the 22nd overall pick and debuted with Minnesota in June of 2013.
Of the 10 supplemental picks, only one player made his debut in a Minnesota uniform and that was 2004 supplemental pick RHP Matt Fox and his career with Minnesota lasted one game and 5.2 innings during his big league debut on September 3, 2010. There are several supplemental picks playing in the Twins minor league system that have a shot at the big leagues and Jose Berrios is probably the leader of that pack.
The three compensation picks by the Twins were Carlos Gutierrez in 2008 27th overall pick (for loss of Torii Hunter) but the Twins let him go after the 2012 season and he never reached the majors. The other two compensations picks were both in 2004, LHP Glen Perkins was picked 22nd overall (for the loss of Eddie Guardado) and he debuted in September 2006 and is the Twins closer today. Kyle Waldrop was picked 25th overall that same year but did not make his debut with Minnesota until September 2011 and his stay in Minnesota lasted a total of 24 games between 2011-2012.
History of Twins first round selections from 2000 – 2014
2014 – Nick Gordon (shortstop) is playing in Low A Cedar Rapids. Picked 5th overall round 1.
2013 – Kohl Stewart (RHP) is pitching in High A Ft. Myers. His career record is 4-8 in with a 2.66 ERA in 33 games. Picked 4th overall round 1.
2012 – Byron Buxton (outfielder) is playing in AA Chattanooga. Injured most of 2014. Career average of .291 with 27 home runs and 85 stolen bases in 253 games. Picked 2nd overall round 1.
2012 – Jose Berrios (RHP) is pitching in AA Chattanooga and has one AAA game to his credit. His career record is 28-17 with a 3.01 ERA in 65 games. Picked 32nd overall as a 1st round supplemental pick for loss of FA Michael Cuddyer.
2012 – Luke Bard (RHP) is pitching in Low A Cedar Rapids. Has had injury issues, never appearing in more than 12 games in any season and missed all of 2014. His career record is 3-0 with a 3.20 ERA in 23 games and a total of 25.1 innings. Picked 42nd overall as a 1st round supplemental pick for loss of FA Jason Kubel.
2011 – Levi Michael (shortstop) is playing in AA Chattanooga. Career average of .256 with 9 home runs and 40 stolen bases in 294 games. Picked 30th overall in round 1.
2011 – Travis Harrison (3B but moved to outfield) is playing in AA Chattanooga. Career average of .270 with 26 home runs and 13 stolen bases in 366 games. Picked 50th overall as a 1st round supplemental pick for loss of FA Orlando Hudson.
2011 – Hudson Boyd (RHP) is currently under a 50 game suspension but pitched in Low A Cedar Rapids in 2014. Boyd who also has had weight problems has been suspended three times by MLB or the Twins in his short professional career. His career record is 10-14 with a 4.27 ERA in 86 games and 219 innings. Pitched strictly in relief in 2014. Picked 55th overall as a 1st round supplemental pick for loss of FA Jesse Crain.
2010 – Alex Wimmers (RHP) is pitching at AA Chattanooga. His career record is 10-9 in with a 4.62 ERA in 65 games. Has battled control issues. Picked 21st overall round 1.
2009 – Kyle Gibson (RHP) is part of the Twins starting rotation and made his big league debut June 29, 2013 making him the most recent first round selection to put on a Twins uniform. His career mark in Minnesota is 19-19 with a 4.33 ERA in 51 starts. Picked 22nd overall round 1.
2009 – Matt Bashore (LHP) is no longer in baseball. Twins released him after the 2011 season and he never reached the majors. Pitched in rookie league Elizabethton in 2009, missed 2010 due to injury, pitched in Elizabethton again in 2011 and had a career record of 0-0 with a 3.24 ERA.
2008 – Aaron Hicks (outfielder) is currently with the Twins but has been up and down since his debut on April 1, 2013. Hicks has a career average in Minnesota of .207 with 10 home runs and 17 stolen bases in 168 games but so far his biggest asset has been his glove in center field. Has 594 minor league games under his belt. Picked 14th overall round 1.
2008 – Carlos Gutierrez (RHP) is no longer in baseball. Twins released him after the 2012 season and he never reached the majors although he pitched as high as AAA. A compensation pick from the Angels 27th overall in round 1 for loss of Torii Hunter.
2008 – Shooter Hunt (RHP) is no longer in baseball. Twins released him after the 2011 season. Hunt had serious control issues and had a career record of 4-14 with a 6.85 ERA and 236 walks in 193 innings to go along with his 219 KO’s. Picked 31st overall in round 1 as supplemental pick for loss of FA Torii Hunter.
2007 – Ben Revere (outfielder) is currently with the Phillies after the Twins traded him after the 2012 season. Revere made his big league debut September 7, 2010 and he has a career big league average of .288 in over 500 games. Picked 28th overall in round 1.
2006 – Chris Parmelee (outfielder) is currently in the Orioles system after the Twins let him become a free agent after the 2014 season. Parmelee made his big league debut on September 6, 2011. Parmelee played in 273 games for the Twins hitting .249 with 24 home runs and one stolen base in 901 PA’s. Picked 20th overall in round 1.
2005 – Matt Garza (RHP) is currently pitching for the Brewers. Garza made his big league debut with the Twins on August 11, 2006 and was traded to the Rays after the 2007 season. After Tampa he went to the Cubs, Rangers and on to the Brewers. In his 10 big league seasons he is 78-82 with a 3.89 ERA in 228 starts. Picked 25th overall in round 1.
2005 – Hank Sanchez (1B) – never got above A ball and was let go after the 2009 season after posting a .207 career average. Picked 39th overall in round 1 as supplemental pick for loss of FA Corey Koskie.
2004 – Trevor Plouffe (shortstop) is currently the Twins 3B. Plouffe made his big league debut on May 21, 2010. Plouffe has a career average of .248 with 70 home runs and 8 stolen bases. Picked 20th overall in round 1.
2004 – Glen Perkins (LHP) is currently the Twins closer. Perkins made his major league debut on September 21, 2006. Perkins has 108 saves and was an All-Star in 2013 and 2014. Picked 22nd overall in round 1 as a compensation pick for loss of FA Eddie Guardado.
2004 – Kyle Waldrop (RHP) is currently out of baseball but made his big league debut with Minnesota on September 5, 2011. Waldrop’s big league career consisted of 24 games in 2011-2012 as a Twin and he put up a 1-1 record with a 3.62 ERA in 32.1 innings. Waldrop was granted free agency after 2012 but never returned to the majors. Picked 25th overall in round 1 as a compensation pick for loss of FA LaTroy Hawkins.
2004 – Matt Fox (RHP) has been out of baseball since 2013. Fox made his big league debut with Minnesota on September 3, 2010. Fox started the game and pitched 5.2 innings and gave up 2 earned runs. Just 6 days later the Red Sox picked him up on waivers and he appeared in 3 games with the Red Sox and his major league career was over with a 0-0 record and a 4.91 ERA. Picked 35th overall in round 1 as supplemental pick for loss of FA Eddie Guardado.
2004 – Jay Rainville (RHP) never reached the big leagues and last pitched in AA ball for the Twins in 2009. Picked 39th overall in round 1 as supplemental pick for loss of FA LaTroy Hawkins.
2003 – Matt Moses (3B) never reached the big leagues and peaked out in AAA. The Twins cut ties with Moses after the 2009 season. Moses had a career average of .249 but struck out 471 times in 2,184 at bats. Picked 21st overall in round 1.
2002 – Denard Span (outfielder) is currently with the Nationals. Span made his big league debut as a Minnesota Twin on April 6, 2008. The Twins traded him to the Nats after the 2012 season. Span has played in over 900 big league games and has a career hitting average of .287 with 144 stolen bases and 37 home runs. Span has the second highest career WAR (24.1) of any Twins player drafted in round 1 from 2000-2014.Picked 20th overall in round 1.
2001 – Joe Mauer (catcher) is now the Twins first baseman. Mauer debuted with the Twins on April 5, 2004. Mauer has the highest career WAR (46.1) of any Twins player drafted in round 1 from 2000-2014. Mauer was MVP in 2008, an All-Star in 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012 and 2013. Mauer won silver slugger awards for his play in 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2013 and took home the Gold Glove in 2008, 2009, and 2010. Picked first overall in round 1.
2000 – Adam Johnson (RHP) is out of baseball and last pitched in an independent league in 2009. Johnson debuted with the Twins on July 16, 2001 and his entire big league career consisted of 7 games and 26.1 innings during 2001 and 2003 in which he was 1-3 and had a 10.25 ERA, 40 hits and 17 walks didn’t help his cause. Picked second overall in round 1.
2000 – Aaron Heilman (RHP) chose not to sign with Minnesota and continued to play for Notre Dame. Picked 31st overall in round 1 as supplemental pick for loss of FA Mike Trombley.
No sure thing
Such is the life of 28 Twins first round selections from 2000-2014. First round selections are expected to be sure things, players that will become All-Stars, players you build your team around, as you can see that is frequently not the case for the Twins. As you can see above, unless you are a pitcher or someone who goes by the name of Mauer, the path to the big leagues, even for a first round pick takes time, lots of time.
12 (43%) – Debuted and played at least one game in a Twins uniform. Only two of these players (Mauer and Perkins) were ever named to the All-Star team and these two players were drafted more than 10 years ago.
9 (32%) – Are still playing in the minor league system hoping to get the call to Minnesota
6 (21%) – Are out of baseball and never reached the big leagues
1 (4%) – Didn’t sign
2015 Draft
So enjoy the up-coming 2015 draft but don’t count on seeing that player in a Minnesota Twins uniform in the near future or at all. Fifteen years of Twins first round selections tell us that less than half the first round picks put on a big league uniform and that the super stars even in round one are few and far between.
Stop on back in the next day or two because I hope to do a piece on how the Twins first round selections from 2000-2014 compare to the rest of MLB.
Historical look at Twins pitchers and home runs allowed
Minnesota Twins pitchers allowed 147 home runs in 2014. The fewest home runs allowed by a Twins pitching staff in a full season of 162 games occurred in 1976 when that pitching staff gave up just 89 round trippers to the opponents and the Twins went on to finish with an 85-77 record. On the opposite end of the spectrum the 1996 Twins pitching staff allowed a franchise record 233 home runs and finished the season with a 78-84 record. It only took one season for Ricky Nolasco to make the list but he can pitch his way off this list, the others can’t.
Twins career HR/9 with minimum of 120 innings pitched
| Rk | Player | IP | From | To | G | GS | W | L | SV | HR | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dave Stevens | 1.88 | 191.2 | 1994 | 1997 | 135 | 6 | 14 | 12 | .538 | 21 | 5.82 | 40 | .296 |
| 2 | Scott Aldred | 1.81 | 199.1 | 1996 | 1997 | 42 | 32 | 8 | 15 | .348 | 0 | 6.10 | 40 | .298 |
| 3 | Jose Parra | 1.78 | 131.2 | 1995 | 1996 | 39 | 17 | 6 | 10 | .375 | 0 | 6.77 | 26 | .310 |
| 4 | Liam Hendriks | 1.73 | 156.0 | 2011 | 2013 | 30 | 28 | 2 | 13 | .133 | 0 | 6.06 | 30 | .313 |
| 5 | Pat Mahomes | 1.64 | 366.2 | 1992 | 1996 | 114 | 51 | 18 | 28 | .391 | 3 | 5.82 | 67 | .284 |
| 6 | Jim Deshaies | 1.63 | 297.2 | 1993 | 1994 | 52 | 52 | 17 | 25 | .405 | 0 | 5.71 | 54 | .285 |
| 7 | Rick Reed | 1.50 | 390.2 | 2001 | 2003 | 72 | 65 | 25 | 25 | .500 | 0 | 4.47 | 65 | .280 |
| 8 | Kevin Slowey | 1.42 | 532.2 | 2007 | 2011 | 100 | 90 | 39 | 29 | .574 | 0 | 4.66 | 84 | .285 |
| 9 | Boof Bonser | 1.40 | 391.2 | 2006 | 2008 | 96 | 60 | 18 | 25 | .419 | 0 | 5.12 | 61 | .281 |
| 10 | Mark Portugal | 1.40 | 238.2 | 1985 | 1988 | 72 | 26 | 11 | 19 | .367 | 4 | 5.13 | 37 | .280 |
| 11 | Terry Felton | 1.37 | 138.1 | 1979 | 1982 | 55 | 10 | 0 | 16 | .000 | 3 | 5.53 | 21 | .240 |
| 12 | Eric Milton | 1.36 | 987.1 | 1998 | 2003 | 166 | 165 | 57 | 51 | .528 | 0 | 4.76 | 149 | .259 |
| 13 | Ray Moore | 1.35 | 159.2 | 1961 | 1963 | 126 | 1 | 13 | 10 | .565 | 25 | 4.90 | 24 | .252 |
| 14 | Dick Stigman | 1.34 | 643.2 | 1962 | 1965 | 138 | 85 | 37 | 37 | .500 | 7 | 3.69 | 96 | .229 |
| 15 | Pedro Ramos | 1.33 | 264.1 | 1961 | 1961 | 42 | 34 | 11 | 20 | .355 | 2 | 3.95 | 39 | .258 |
| 16 | David West | 1.32 | 285.1 | 1989 | 1992 | 63 | 47 | 15 | 18 | .455 | 0 | 5.33 | 42 | .262 |
| 17 | Charlie Lea | 1.32 | 130.0 | 1988 | 1988 | 24 | 23 | 7 | 7 | .500 | 0 | 4.85 | 19 | .301 |
| 18 | Mark Redman | 1.31 | 213.0 | 1999 | 2001 | 46 | 34 | 15 | 13 | .536 | 0 | 4.86 | 31 | .283 |
| 19 | Neal Heaton | 1.30 | 124.1 | 1986 | 1986 | 21 | 17 | 4 | 9 | .308 | 1 | 3.98 | 18 | .273 |
| 20 | Nick Blackburn | 1.29 | 818.2 | 2007 | 2012 | 145 | 137 | 43 | 55 | .439 | 0 | 4.85 | 117 | .303 |
| 21 | Eddie Guardado | 1.28 | 704.2 | 1993 | 2008 | 648 | 25 | 37 | 48 | .435 | 116 | 4.53 | 100 | .253 |
| 22 | Kyle Lohse | 1.27 | 908.1 | 2001 | 2006 | 172 | 152 | 51 | 57 | .472 | 0 | 4.88 | 128 | .285 |
| 23 | Bob Wells | 1.26 | 300.1 | 1999 | 2002 | 265 | 0 | 18 | 16 | .529 | 13 | 4.47 | 42 | .268 |
| 24 | Ricky Nolasco | 1.25 | 159.0 | 2014 | 2014 | 27 | 27 | 6 | 12 | .333 | 0 | 5.38 | 22 | .316 |
| 25 | Mike Trombley | 1.25 | 645.2 | 1992 | 2002 | 365 | 36 | 30 | 34 | .469 | 34 | 4.53 | 90 | .266 |
| 26 | Lee Stange | 1.25 | 351.2 | 1961 | 1964 | 97 | 37 | 20 | 14 | .588 | 3 | 3.61 | 49 | .251 |
.
The list below show The Twins pitching staff leader board of home runs allowed. Bert Blyleven loves to talk about how many home runs he has allowed but he is only third best or worst, depending on how you want to look at it.
| Rk | Player | HR | IP | From | To | G | GS | CG | SHO | W | L | SV | SO | BF | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brad Radke | 326 | 2451.0 | 1995 | 2006 | 378 | 377 | 37 | 10 | 148 | 139 | .516 | 0 | 1467 | 4.22 | 10244 |
| 2 | Jim Kaat | 270 | 2959.1 | 1961 | 1973 | 468 | 422 | 133 | 23 | 189 | 152 | .554 | 6 | 1824 | 3.28 | 12385 |
| 3 | Bert Blyleven | 243 | 2566.2 | 1970 | 1988 | 348 | 345 | 141 | 29 | 149 | 138 | .519 | 0 | 2035 | 3.28 | 10542 |
| 4 | Frank Viola | 213 | 1772.2 | 1982 | 1989 | 260 | 259 | 54 | 10 | 112 | 93 | .546 | 0 | 1214 | 3.86 | 7450 |
| 5 | Jim Perry | 166 | 1883.1 | 1963 | 1972 | 376 | 249 | 61 | 17 | 128 | 90 | .587 | 5 | 1025 | 3.15 | 7791 |
| 6 | Eric Milton | 149 | 987.1 | 1998 | 2003 | 166 | 165 | 10 | 4 | 57 | 51 | .528 | 0 | 715 | 4.76 | 4196 |
| 7 | Johan Santana | 144 | 1308.2 | 2000 | 2007 | 251 | 175 | 6 | 4 | 93 | 44 | .679 | 1 | 1381 | 3.22 | 5281 |
| 8 | Kyle Lohse | 128 | 908.1 | 2001 | 2006 | 172 | 152 | 4 | 3 | 51 | 57 | .472 | 0 | 561 | 4.88 | 3982 |
| 9 | Joe Mays | 127 | 946.1 | 1999 | 2005 | 193 | 146 | 10 | 6 | 48 | 65 | .425 | 0 | 487 | 4.85 | 4110 |
| 10 | Scott Baker | 123 | 958.0 | 2005 | 2011 | 163 | 159 | 4 | 2 | 63 | 48 | .568 | 0 | 770 | 4.15 | 4004 |
| 11 | Camilo Pascual | 123 | 1284.2 | 1961 | 1966 | 184 | 179 | 72 | 18 | 88 | 57 | .607 | 0 | 994 | 3.31 | 5362 |
| 12 | Dave Goltz | 119 | 1638.0 | 1972 | 1979 | 247 | 215 | 80 | 11 | 96 | 79 | .549 | 3 | 887 | 3.48 | 6887 |
| 13 | Nick Blackburn | 117 | 818.2 | 2007 | 2012 | 145 | 137 | 5 | 0 | 43 | 55 | .439 | 0 | 388 | 4.85 | 3577 |
| 14 | Kevin Tapani | 109 | 1171.1 | 1989 | 1995 | 181 | 180 | 19 | 6 | 75 | 63 | .543 | 0 | 724 | 4.06 | 4897 |
| 15 | Carlos Silva | 106 | 773.2 | 2004 | 2007 | 129 | 124 | 5 | 2 | 47 | 45 | .511 | 0 | 306 | 4.42 | 3277 |
| 16 | Dave Boswell | 106 | 1036.1 | 1964 | 1970 | 187 | 150 | 37 | 6 | 67 | 54 | .554 | 0 | 865 | 3.49 | 4344 |
| 17 | LaTroy Hawkins | 105 | 818.0 | 1995 | 2003 | 366 | 98 | 2 | 0 | 44 | 57 | .436 | 44 | 532 | 5.05 | 3614 |
| 18 | Mike Smithson | 103 | 816.0 | 1984 | 1987 | 128 | 126 | 26 | 5 | 47 | 48 | .495 | 0 | 438 | 4.46 | 3509 |
| 19 | Eddie Guardado | 100 | 704.2 | 1993 | 2008 | 648 | 25 | 0 | 0 | 37 | 48 | .435 | 116 | 610 | 4.53 | 3009 |
Looking at the Twins SO/9 ratio
Minnesota Twins pitchers have finished dead last in the American League in strikeouts the last three years and you all know where the team has finished in the standing during that time frame. When the Twins came into existence in 1961 the SO/9 average in the American League was 5.2 SO/9 and it slowly climbed to 6.1 SO/9 in 1967 but then started sliding down to under 5.0 SO/9 from 1974 to 1983. Since then it started climbing and for the first time in 2012 it went above 7.0 went it hit 7.4 SO/9 and in 2013 it hit 7.7 SO/9 which is a new high water mark.
From 2006 through 2013 only one team in the AL has finished above the .500 mark in the standings when their pitching staff has had under 1,000 strikeouts and guess who that was? It was the 2008 Minnesota Twins team that finished second to the Chicago White Sox in 2008 when Gardy’s boys went 88-75 and lost game 163 in Chicago. When Twins pitchers have 1,000 or more strikeouts the team won less than 79 games only once and that was the 2000 Twins when they finished the season with a 69-93 mark. Twins pitchers have struck 1,000 or more batters only 10 times in 53 seasons and peaked with 1,164 KO’s in 2006 when the team had a franchise high 7.28 SO/9.
The Twins can spew all the “pitch to contact” babble they want but striking out hitters and winning games goes together like peanut butter and jelly. We can only wait and see what the new Twins pitchers can do. Ricky Nolasco has a career 7.4 SO/9 and Phil Hughes is 7.6 SO/9 so they should help improve the Twins sad 2013 6.11 SO/9 team mark.
So looking back all the way to 1961 what Twins pitchers have had the best SO/9 ratio in a given season? The table below shows the highest SO/9 ratio with a minimum of 50 innings. Not many starters on this list.
| Rk | Player | IP | Year | G | GS | W | L | SV | SO | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Joe Nathan | 12.51 | 68.1 | 2006 | 64 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 36 | 95 | 1.58 |
| 2 | Joe Nathan | 12.09 | 70.0 | 2005 | 69 | 0 | 7 | 4 | 43 | 94 | 2.70 |
| 3 | Joe Nathan | 11.67 | 68.2 | 2009 | 70 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 47 | 89 | 2.10 |
| 4 | Juan Rincon | 11.63 | 82.0 | 2004 | 77 | 0 | 11 | 6 | 2 | 106 | 2.63 |
| 5 | Johan Santana | 11.38 | 108.1 | 2002 | 27 | 14 | 8 | 6 | 1 | 137 | 2.99 |
| 6 | Joe Nathan | 11.07 | 72.1 | 2004 | 73 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 44 | 89 | 1.62 |
| 7 | Glen Perkins | 11.06 | 62.2 | 2013 | 61 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 36 | 77 | 2.30 |
| 8 | Francisco Liriano | 10.71 | 121.0 | 2006 | 28 | 16 | 12 | 3 | 1 | 144 | 2.16 |
| 9 | Tom Hall | 10.66 | 155.1 | 1970 | 52 | 11 | 11 | 6 | 4 | 184 | 2.55 |
| 10 | Casey Fien | 10.60 | 62.0 | 2013 | 73 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 73 | 3.92 |
| 11 | Johan Santana | 10.46 | 228.0 | 2004 | 34 | 34 | 20 | 6 | 0 | 265 | 2.61 |
| 12 | Ron Davis | 10.02 | 64.2 | 1985 | 57 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 25 | 72 | 3.48 |
| 13 | Glen Perkins | 9.98 | 70.1 | 2012 | 70 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 16 | 78 | 2.56 |
| 14 | Joe Nathan | 9.84 | 67.2 | 2008 | 68 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 39 | 74 | 1.33 |
| 15 | Juan Rincon | 9.82 | 77.0 | 2005 | 75 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 84 | 2.45 |
| 16 | Francisco Liriano | 9.81 | 100.0 | 2012 | 22 | 17 | 3 | 10 | 0 | 109 | 5.31 |
| 17 | Joe Nathan | 9.67 | 71.2 | 2007 | 68 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 37 | 77 | 1.88 |
| 18 | Johan Santana | 9.66 | 219.0 | 2007 | 33 | 33 | 15 | 13 | 0 | 235 | 3.33 |
| 19 | Johan Santana | 9.61 | 158.1 | 2003 | 45 | 18 | 12 | 3 | 0 | 169 | 3.07 |
| 20 | Tom Hall | 9.51 | 129.2 | 1971 | 48 | 11 | 4 | 7 | 9 | 137 | 3.33 |
Looking over the Twins history here the best Twins career SO/9 ratio’s with a minimum of 100 innings pitched. How many of these pitchers were originally signed by the Twins? That would be eight.
| Rk | Player | IP | G | GS | W | L | SV | SO | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Joe Nathan | 10.90 | 463.1 | 460 | 0 | 24 | 13 | .649 | 260 | 561 | 2.16 | .186 |
| 2 | Pat Neshek | 10.48 | 129.2 | 132 | 0 | 11 | 6 | .647 | 0 | 151 | 3.05 | .189 |
| 3 | Johan Santana | 9.50 | 1308.2 | 251 | 175 | 93 | 44 | .679 | 1 | 1381 | 3.22 | .221 |
| 4 | Francisco Liriano | 9.05 | 783.1 | 156 | 130 | 50 | 52 | .490 | 1 | 788 | 4.33 | .247 |
| 5 | Tom Hall | 8.52 | 455.1 | 139 | 44 | 25 | 21 | .543 | 13 | 431 | 3.00 | .212 |
| 6 | Juan Rincon | 8.41 | 441.0 | 386 | 3 | 30 | 26 | .536 | 3 | 412 | 3.69 | .248 |
| 7 | Ron Davis | 8.24 | 381.1 | 286 | 0 | 19 | 40 | .322 | 108 | 349 | 4.51 | .264 |
| 8 | Jared Burton | 8.16 | 128.0 | 135 | 0 | 5 | 11 | .313 | 7 | 116 | 3.02 | .216 |
| 9 | Juan Berenguer | 8.15 | 418.1 | 211 | 7 | 33 | 13 | .717 | 9 | 379 | 3.70 | .231 |
| 10 | Ray Moore | 7.95 | 159.2 | 126 | 1 | 13 | 10 | .565 | 25 | 141 | 4.90 | .252 |
| 11 | Gerry Arrigo | 7.93 | 131.2 | 54 | 15 | 8 | 7 | .533 | 1 | 116 | 4.31 | .245 |
| 12 | Eddie Guardado | 7.79 | 704.2 | 648 | 25 | 37 | 48 | .435 | 116 | 610 | 4.53 | .253 |
| 13 | Dennys Reyes | 7.77 | 126.1 | 191 | 0 | 10 | 1 | .909 | 0 | 109 | 2.14 | .238 |
| 14 | Rick Aguilera | 7.60 | 694.0 | 490 | 30 | 40 | 47 | .460 | 254 | 586 | 3.50 | .243 |
| 15 | Dan Naulty | 7.60 | 111.1 | 97 | 0 | 4 | 5 | .444 | 5 | 94 | 4.61 | .234 |
| 16 | Al Worthington | 7.59 | 473.1 | 327 | 0 | 37 | 31 | .544 | 88 | 399 | 2.62 | .221 |
| 17 | Dick Stigman | 7.52 | 643.2 | 138 | 85 | 37 | 37 | .500 | 7 | 538 | 3.69 | .229 |
| 18 | Dave Boswell | 7.51 | 1036.1 | 187 | 150 | 67 | 54 | .554 | 0 | 865 | 3.49 | .217 |
| 19 | J.C. Romero | 7.42 | 407.2 | 327 | 22 | 25 | 20 | .556 | 2 | 336 | 4.35 | .256 |
| 20 | Mike Trombley | 7.36 | 645.2 | 365 | 36 | 30 | 34 | .469 | 34 | 528 | 4.53 | .266 |
According to Elias
Jose Reyes snapped a scoreless tie with his RBI double off Jared Burton in the eighth inning and he came around to score an insurance run in the Blue Jays’ 2-0 win at Minnesota yesterday. With his loss on Sunday, Burton’s record fell to 2-9 this season, a major-league high for losses by a reliever. Burton’s nine losses match the most for a Minnesota reliever in any of the last 29 years. Two other Twins absorbed nine losses out of the bullpen in one season since 1985: Rick Aguilera (4-9 in 1998) and Matt Guerrier (6-9 in 2008).
If you look back through the Twins entire history going back to 1961 you will find that “Iron Man” Mike Marshall hold the Twins record for most losses by a reliever not starting a single game with 12 in the “L” column. There are some pretty good relievers on this list and it goes to show that won/lost records for relievers mean very little. The list below reads like a list of “Whose Who” of Minnesota relievers.
Twins relievers with 8 or more losses in a season
| Rk | Player | L | Year | Age | G | GS | GF | W | SV | IP | H | SO | HR | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mike Marshall | 12 | 1978 | 35 | 54 | 0 | 51 | 10 | .455 | 21 | 99.0 | 80 | 56 | 2.45 | 3 | .225 |
| 2 | Ron Davis | 11 | 1984 | 28 | 64 | 0 | 57 | 7 | .389 | 29 | 83.0 | 79 | 74 | 4.55 | 11 | .253 |
| 3 | Ron Perranoski | 10 | 1969 | 33 | 75 | 0 | 52 | 9 | .474 | 31 | 119.2 | 85 | 62 | 2.11 | 4 | .205 |
| 4 | Jared Burton | 9 | 2013 | 32 | 65 | 0 | 12 | 2 | .182 | 2 | 61.1 | 57 | 56 | 3.96 | 6 | .243 |
| 5 | Matt Guerrier | 9 | 2008 | 29 | 76 | 0 | 15 | 6 | .400 | 1 | 76.1 | 84 | 59 | 5.19 | 12 | .275 |
| 6 | Rick Aguilera | 9 | 1998 | 36 | 68 | 0 | 64 | 4 | .308 | 38 | 74.1 | 75 | 57 | 4.24 | 8 | .262 |
| 7 | Ron Davis | 9 | 1982 | 26 | 63 | 0 | 53 | 3 | .250 | 22 | 106.0 | 106 | 89 | 4.42 | 16 | .261 |
| 8 | Al Worthington | 9 | 1967 | 38 | 59 | 0 | 44 | 8 | .471 | 16 | 92.0 | 77 | 80 | 2.84 | 6 | .229 |
| 9 | Mike Trombley | 8 | 1999 | 32 | 75 | 0 | 56 | 2 | .200 | 24 | 87.1 | 93 | 82 | 4.33 | 15 | .272 |
| 10 | Jeff Reardon | 8 | 1987 | 31 | 63 | 0 | 58 | 8 | .500 | 31 | 80.1 | 70 | 83 | 4.48 | 14 | .232 |
| 11 | Keith Atherton | 8 | 1986 | 27 | 47 | 0 | 31 | 5 | .385 | 10 | 81.2 | 82 | 59 | 3.75 | 9 | .264 |
| 12 | Ron Davis | 8 | 1983 | 27 | 66 | 0 | 61 | 5 | .385 | 30 | 89.0 | 89 | 84 | 3.34 | 6 | .266 |
| 13 | Tom Burgmeier | 8 | 1975 | 31 | 46 | 0 | 37 | 5 | .385 | 11 | 75.2 | 76 | 41 | 3.09 | 7 | .265 |
| 14 | Ron Perranoski | 8 | 1970 | 34 | 67 | 0 | 52 | 7 | .467 | 34 | 111.0 | 108 | 55 | 2.43 | 7 | .259 |
This day in Twins history – May 17
5/17/1963 – Outfielder Bob Allison becomes the first Twin to ever hit 3 home runs in a single game when he bangs out 3 against the Indians in Cleveland Stadium in Cleveland.
5/17/1998 – David (Boomer) Wells pitched the 13th perfect game in modern major league history as the New York Yankees beat the Minnesota Twins 4-0 at Yankee Stadium in front of nearly 50,000 fans on Beanie Baby Day.
5/17/2002 – In a game they would rather forget, the Twins score three times in the top of the 14th at Yankee stadium to take a 13-10 lead, Jason Giambi hits a one-out grand slam off reliever Mike Trombley to give the Bronx Bombers a one-run victory.
5/17/2011 – The face of the Minnesota Twins, the man that every baseball fan in Minnesota knew, the greatest slugger in Twins history, Hall of Famer, Harmon Clayton Killebrew passed away today in Scottsdale, Arizona at the age of 74 after suffering from esophageal cancer. The Twins, who were in Seattle wore a number “3” on their right sleeve and will continue to do so for the rest of the season. The Twins players also announced that they will wear their 1961 throw back jerseys for all their remaining home games. The Twins grounds crew painted a large white number “3” behind second base and dug up home plate and placed a picture of Harmon Killebrew batting under home plate and then replaced home plate at Target Field. By the way, the Twins beat the Mariners 2-1 with Killebrew’s number “3” jersey hanging in the dugout. A sad day for sure.