Minnesota Twins All-Time Top 20 Starting Pitchers
In baseball the key to winning is said to be about pitching and defense.
Under manager Ron Gardenhire the Minnesota Twins have built a reputation as a solid baseball club that pitches to contact, does not walk batters and plays fundamentally sound defense.
This is a formula that the Twins have used to win six of the last nine AL Central Division titles.
As the Twins head into 2011 there are plenty of questions that remain to be answered as they prepare to defend their AL Central title, and hopefully, achieve the next plateau by winning in the division round of the playoffs.
The biggest question might be who will emerge as the ace of the rotation?
General Manager Bill Smith is working to re-sign Carl Pavano, the team's workhorse of 2010.
Last season Pavano led the Twins with 17 wins, seven complete games and two shutouts.
His 221 innings pitched was 29.1 more than the next closest Twins starter, and his 6.9 innings per start topped the rotation.
I looked back at the history of Twins starters since they moved to Minnesota in 1961.
Here are the top 20 starting pitchers in franchise history.
To be included in the ranking each pitcher had to start in at least four consecutive seasons for the Twins.
I don't think anyone will disagree with the top half of the ranking, but there could be some surprises between No. 11 and No. 20.
Honorable Mention: Jack Morris
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Because he only pitched one season in Minnesota, Jack Morris does not qualify for this ranking. But, if one were to compile a list of the top single game pitching performances there is no doubt that Morris' 10-inning complete game victory in Game 7 of the 1991 World Series would occupy the top spot.
In 1991 Morris would lead the AL with 35 starts going 18-12 with a 3.43 ERA for the Twins. While neither would lead the starting rotation, there was no doubt who was the ace of the staff.
No. 20: Carlos Silva
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Carlos Silva kicks off the countdown.
Silva made his debut in 2002 with the Philadelphia Phillies. In two seasons he worked out of the bullpen, making 130 appearances with only one start.
In December of 2003 he would be traded to the Twins along with Nick Punto for Twins left-handed starter Eric Milton.
Over the next four seasons Silva would start 124 games for Minnesota, winning 47 games—the fewest wins of any pitcher in this ranking.
His would leave Minnesota as a free agent following the 2007 season with a 47-45 record, 4.42 ERA and a 1.362 WHIP.
No. 19: Kyle Lohse
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From 2001 to 2005 the best Kyle Lohse could do was secure the Twins' fourth spot in the rotation.
In five and a half seasons he would start 152 games, winning 51 while losing 57.
He would only pitch four complete games, but three of those would be shutouts.
Lohse's 4.88 ERA and 1.447 WHIP are the highest among the pitchers in this ranking.
At the trading deadline in 2006 the Twins would send him to the Cincinnati Reds for minor league pitcher Zach Ward, who would never be promoted any higher than AA ball within the Twins organization.
No. 18: Joe Mays
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Joe Mays debuted with the Twins in 1999 and made 146 starts over six seasons with the club.
He only went 48-65, but he had 10 complete games and six shutouts.
His best season was 2001 when he went 17-13 with 3.16 ERA and a 1.15 WHIP.
He would miss the entire 2004 season after having Tommy John surgery.
After a 5-10 mark in 2005 the Twins would allow Mays to leave as a free agent.
No. 17: Mike Smithson
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Mike Smithson would come to the Twins from the Texas Ranges in a trade following the 1983 season.
He would start 126 games over the next four years, leading the American League in starts in both 1984 and 1985 with 36 and 37 respectively.
He would pitch to a 47-48 record with a 4.46 ERA and a 1.34 WHIP. In his 126 starts he would pitch 26 complete games with five shutouts.
Smithson would go 4-7 with a 5.97 ERA in 1987 and not be included in the postseason starting rotation. Minnesota would win their first World Series title that year and Smithson would be released following the season.
No. 16: Allan Anderson
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Allan Anderson was a second-round draft choice of the Minnesota Twins in 1982.
He would make his Major-League debut in 1986, and become a member of the starting rotation by 1988, leading the American League with a 2.45 ERA.
From 1988 to 1990 he would start at least 30 games each season.
In his career he would go 49-54 with a 4.11 ERA and a 1.36 WHIP.
Anderson would pitch 15 complete games with three shutouts.
In 1991 he would only start 22 games and post a 5-11 record. Following the season he would be granted free agency and never pitch for a major league club again.
No. 15: Scott Erickson
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Scott Erickson was a fourth-round draft pick of the Twins in 1989.
A year later he would start 17 games for Minnesota.
In 1991 as a member of the Twins World Series team, Erickson would lead the American League with 20 wins.
On April 27th, 1991he would pitch only the third no-hitter in Twins' franchise history, the first since Dean Chance pitched one in 1967.
Only two years later, in 1993, he would earn the dubious award of leading the league with 19 losses.
In July of 1995 he would be traded to the Baltimore Orioles.
In 153 starts for Minnesota he would go 61-60 with a 4.22 ERA with 14 complete games and seven shutouts.
No. 14: Scott Baker
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Scott Baker is the only current Twins starter that qualified for this ranking.
A second-round draft choice in 2003, Baker made his debut in 2005 and has been a consistent part of the rotation since 2007 when he started 23 games.
He is currently 55-42 with a 4.32 ERA and a 1.28 WHIP.
In 138 starts he only has three complete games—the fewest of any pitcher in this ranking.
However, he averages just over seven strikeouts per nine innings pitched, the fourth best in this ranking.
No. 13: Geoff Zahn
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In 1977, after being released by the Chicago Cubs, Geoff Zahn would sign as a free agent with the Minnesota Twins.
Over the next four seasons he would go 53-53 in 126 starts with a 3.90 ERA.
He would pitch 36 complete games and throw seven shutouts.
Zahn's best season with the Twins would be 1979 with a 13-7 record and a 3.57 ERA.
Following the 1980 season he would be granted free agency and sign with the California Angels.
No. 12: Eric Milton
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Eric Milton was one of four players the Twins received in February of 1998 in a trade with the New York Yankees for second baseman Chuck Knoblauch.
A former first-round draft pick of the Yankees, Milton would make his major league debut as a part of the Twins' rotation in 1998 and would start 165 games over the next five seasons.
On September 11th, 1999 he struck out 13 batters, pitching a no-hitter against the Anaheim Angels—the fourth, and most recent no-hitter in Twins history.
He would go 57-51 with a 4.76 ERA and a 1.28 WHIP as a Twins starter.
Following the 2003 season Milton was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies for pitcher Carlos Silva and infielder Nick Punto.
No. 11: Kevin Tapani
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Kevin Tapani was one of five pitchers received from the New York Mets in the trade for Frank Viola in July of 1989.
That season he would start five games for the Twins, going 2-2.
From 1990 to 1995 he would make 175 starts for Minnesota.
His Twins career record would be 75-63 with 19 complete games and six shutouts.
From 1990 through 1994 he would win at least 10 games each season. Only once over that span would he finish the season with a losing record.
He started the 1995 season going 6-11 in 20 starts before being traded.
Tapani left the Twins in the same way he arrived, in a trade deadline deal that sent him to the Los Angeles Dodgers on July 31, 1995.
Tapani is the only pitcher between 10 and 20 in this ranking that was included in the "50 Greatest Twins" that was released by Fox Sports North and the Minnesota Twins during their 50th season in 2010.
Now, on to the Top 10!
No. 10: Mudcat Grant
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Jim "Mudcat" Grant only played four seasons in Minnesota, but he made the most of it.
Acquired from the Cleveland Indians in June of 1964, Grant had the best season of his career in 1965.
He led the American League with 21 wins and a .750 winning percentage.
Facing the Dodgers in the World Series he would go 2-1, accounting for two of the three victories Minnesota would get.
Grant started 111 games for Minnesota going 50-35. He had 36 complete games and 10 shutouts.
He finished with a 3.35 ERA and a 1.21 WHIP.
Grant completed 32.4 percent of the games he started—the fourth best among the pitchers in this ranking.
Following the 1967 season the Twins would trade him to the Los Angeles Dodgers. Over the next four seasons he would pitch for five different teams as a reliever and spot starter.
No. 9: Dave Goltz
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Dave Goltz was a Minnesota kid that was drafted out of high school in the fifth round of the 1967 amateur draft by Minnesota.
He made his big league debut in 1972, appearing in 15 games and starting 11 of them.
By 1974 he was a regular member of the Twins rotation.
His best season was 1977 when he would tie for the American League lead with 20 wins and lead the league with 39 starts.
He would start 215 games in his Twins career, earning a 96-79 record with a 3.48 ERA and a 1.31 WHIP.
He would record 80 complete games and 11 shutouts.
Following a 14-13 season in 1979 the Twins did not renew his contract, and Goltz would sign with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
No. 8: Frank Viola
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Frank "Sweet Music" Viola was instrumental in the Twins' first World Series Championship.
Going 2-1 in the 1987 World Series, Viola was named the MVP after winning Game 7 against the St. Louis Cardinals.
He would follow that up by winning the 1998 American League Cy Young Award.
He would dominate the AL with a 24-7 record and a 2.64 ERA.
Selected in the second round of the 1981 draft by Minnesota, Viola made his debut in 1982 and spent eight seasons taking a regular turn on the mound as a part of the Twins starting rotation.
He would start 259 games for the Twins, going 112-93 with a 3.86 ERA and a 1.29 WHIP.
Viola would finish with 54 complete games and 10 shutouts.
In July of 1989 Minnesota would trade Viola to the New York Mets for five pitchers, including future closer Rick Aguilera and starter Kevin Tapani.
No. 7: Brad Radke
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Brad Radke spent his entire career with the Minnesota Twins.
In his 12 major league seasons he was the Twins' opening day pitcher eight times—and seven in a row from 1999 to 2005.
He would go 4-2 in those eight games.
He would appear in 378 games, starting all but one of them.
His 148 wins is third most all time in Minnesota Twins history.
The 1997 season would be his most successful, with a 20-10 record and a 3.87 ERA.
Radke would retire following the 2006 season with a 148-139 record, a 4.22 ERA and a 1.26 WHIP.
No. 6: Dave Boswell
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Signed in 1963 as an amateur free agent, Dave Boswell debuted with the Twins in September of 1964.
At only 19 years old he would go 2-0 in four starts for the Twins.
For the next six seasons he would be a member of the Twins starting rotation.
In 150 starts his 37 complete games would be as many as Brad Radke had in 377 starts—good for the seventh most in Twins history.
Boswell would go 67-54 with a 3.49 ERA and a 1.24 WHIP.
He averaged 7.5 strikeout per nine innings—the second best in this ranking.
His best season would be 1969 when he would win 20 games in 39 starts—both career highs.
Following the 1971 season he would sign with the Detroit Tigers as a free agent.
Incredibly, Boswell is the only pitcher in the top 10 that was not included in Fox Sports North "50 Greatest Twins."
No. 5: Johan Santana
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In 1999 Johan Santana made the Twins roster as a rule 5 draft pick.
Initially, Santana was used as a left-hand specialist out of the bullpen, but within four years he was the ace of the staff.
From 2004 to 2007 he would lead the Twins with a 70-32 record in 134 starts.
In 2004 Santana would have the best season of his career so far. He would go 20-6 and lead the league with a 2.61 ERA. His dominance earned him the AL Cy Young Award.
Santana would be awarded the AL Cy Young again in 2006 when he led the league with 19 wins and a 2.77 ERA.
In three consecutive seasons from 2004 to 2006 Santana would lead the league in strikeouts, averaging 249.3 per year.
Santana's 9.5 strikeouts per nine innings is the highest in the ranking.
For his career with Minnesota he would go 93-44 with a 3.22 ERA and a 1.094 WHIP.
The only downside in his career would be in 175 starts, he only had six complete games.
Before the start of the 2008 season Santana, like the other Cy Young winner for the Twins, Frank Viola, would be traded to the New York Mets.
No. 4: Camilo Pascual
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Camilo Pascual spent 12 years in the Twins/Senators rotation.
He debuted with the Washington Senators in 1954 at the age of 20. He would split his time between relief appearances and starts until 1957 when he would make 26 starts.
Over 13 seasons with the franchise Pascual would start 331 games and pitch to a 145-141 record. His 119 complete games is seventh all-time for the Washington/Minnesota franchise that spans 110 years.
Pascual's 31 shutouts is the most in the ranking and second only to Walter Johnson in franchise history, who had 110 while pitching for the Senators from 1907 -1927!
For his career he would finish with a 3.66 ERA, a 1.29 WHIP and average 6.88 strikeouts per nine innings as a member of the Senators and Twins.
No. 3: Jim Perry
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Jim Perry spent 10 of his 17 seasons pitching for the Minnesota Twins.
He would appear in 376 games and start 249 of them. Perry would pitch 61 complete games and throw 17 shutouts.
In 1970 his 24 wins and 40 starts would lead the American League and earn him the Cy Young Award.
Two years later, his younger brother Gaylord, would also lead the league with 24 wins and be named the AL Cy Young Award winner pitching for the Cleveland Indians.
The Perrys are the only two brothers to ever win the award.
Perry would finish with a 128-90 record for the Twins. His 3.15 ERA is the lowest in the ranking and his 1.19 WHIP is third best.
Before the 1973 season the Twins would trade Perry to the Detroit Tigers.
No. 2: Jim Kaat
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Jim Kaat has started more games and has more wins than any other Minnesota Twins pitcher.
In his 15-year career with the Senators and Twins he started 433 games and had a 190-159 record.
He ranks fifth or better in wins (190), complete games (133), shutouts (23), ERA (3.34) and WHIP (1.23) among the pitchers in this ranking.
In 1965 and 1966 he led the American League in starts with 42 and 41.
Along with starts, he also led the league with 25 wins, 19 complete games and 304.2 innings pitched.
Although not included as part of the criteria for this ranking, Kaat would win 16 consecutive Gold Gloves from 1962 until 1977 pitching for the Twins, White Sox and Phillies.
In August of 1973 the Chicago White Sox would claim Kaat off waivers from the Twins.
No. 1: Bert Blyleven
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Who else but Bert Blyleven?
Between two stints for the Minnesota Twins Blyleven pitched 10 seasons for the club.
In 1970 he started 25 games for the Twins when he was 19 years old, only a year after they drafted him.
He would spend just over six seasons with Minnesota when they would trade him to the Texas Rangers.
Nine years and two months later the Cleveland Indians would trade Blyleven back to the Minnesota Twins.
He was a part of the three-man rotation the Twins used to win the 1987 World Series over the St. Louis Cardinals. For his part he went 1-1 in two starts.
His second stint would last three and a half years before being traded to the California Angels following the 1988 season.
Blyleven leads the ranking with 141 complete games, is second with 149 wins, 29 shutouts and a 1.18 WHIP, and third with a 3.28 ERA and an average of 7.14 strikeouts per nine innings pitched.
Overall he started 345 games with a 149-138 record for Minnesota.
With his induction into the Hall of Fame, Blyleven is the only pitcher in the ranking to be inducted—yet.
Who knows, someday Scott Baker could end up joining him.
