MLB Top 5: Minnesota Twins Pitchers

This is the fifth and final article in a series that looks at the five best players at each position for the Minnesota Twins. In this installment are right- and left-handed starters and relief pitchers.

The Minnesota Twins franchise has been in existence for 123 years and in that time, the team has seen some of the best hurlers in major league history grace the mound in Washington and Minnesota. Included in that group are multiple-time All-Stars, Cy Young Award winners and a flame-throwing righty who is in the argument for the greatest pitcher in baseball history.

The Best Pitchers in Minnesota Twins History

Right-Handed Starters

Honorable Mentions – Scott Erickson and Dean Chance found their way into Twins lore by tossing no-hitters. Erickson was a member of the 1991 championship team, went 61-60 over six seasons (1990-95) and led the league in both wins (20-8 in 1991) and losses (8-19 in ’93). The following year, he shut down Milwaukee 6-0 in late April.

Chance was best known for his time leading the expansion Angels to respectability and winning a Cy Young Award, but he had three solid years with the Twins (1967-69). His best year was his first, when he went 20-14 with a 2.73 earned run average 220 strikeouts and led the league with 283 2/3 innings and 18 complete games. Chance earned his second All-Star selection (and only one with Minnesota) and tossed a no-hitter in the second game of a late August doubleheader against the Indians which the Twins won, 2-1. His playing career ended in 1971, and he then focused on his real estate holdings, playing the gin card game and presiding over the International Boxing Association until his death in 2015.

Walt Masterson had the misfortune of playing for some bad Nationals teams, going 62-88 over 11 seasons (1939-42, 45-49 and 52-53). Despite being color blind, he spent two years in the Navy during World War II. Masterson was a two-time All-Star who posted a respectable 3.98 earned run average.

Sid Hudson was a teammate of Masterson’s who went 88-130 during his 10-year stint in Washington (1940-42 and 46-52). The two-time All-Star had four seasons with double-digit wins and lost at least 10 games for the awful Nationals eight times, including a league-most 17 in 1949. Hudson was in the Army Air Force and played plenty of baseball in service games during his three-year hiatus during World War II.

Like the two previous players, Jose Berrios was a two-time All-Star. However, he was more of a strikeout pitcher than either Hudson or Masterson, fanning 779 batters in 781 1/3 innings, including 202 in his All-Star 2018 season. “The Machine” was a two-time MLB Futures Game participant who went 55-43 with a 4.08 ERA over six years (2016-21) before being traded to the Blue Jays.

Another player who made his mark with another team before coming to the Twins was Jack Morris. He spent 14 years with the Tigers, earning four All-Star selections, finishing in the Top 10 of the Cy Young Award voting five times, winning a title with Detroit in 1984 and having the most wins in the majors during the 1980s (162-119).

Morris spent just one season with the Twins, but it was a memorable on. He earned an All-Star selection after going 18-12 in 1991 with a 3.43 earned run average and 10 complete games. He was even better in the postseason, going 4-0 and winning the World Series MVP Award after his 1-0, 10-inning performance against the Braves in Game 7. Morris won another title with the Blue Jays the following year, finished his career with a 254-186 record and was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame by the Modern Baseball Era Committee in 2018.

5B. Brad Radke – He spent his entire career with Minnesota, posting a 4.22 earned run average in 12 seasons (1995-2006). Radke was a workhorse during his tenure, reaching double-digit win 10 times and throwing at least 200 innings in nine seasons. He earned his only All-Star selection in 1998, his best campaign was the year before. Despite the Twins winning just 68 games in 1997, Radke set career highs in wins (20-10), innings (239 2/3) and strikeouts (174), finishing third in the Cy Young voting.

Although he led the American League with 16 losses in 2000, Radke’s consistency allowed him to climb up the ranks in many pitching categories. He ranks third in games started (377), fourth in wins (148-139) and fifth in innings (2,451) and strikeouts (1,467). Radke went 2-3 with a 1.54 ERA in six postseason starts. Both of his victories came against the Athletics in the 2002 Division Series. Radke retired after the 2006 season and spent most of his time fishing and following the athletic exploits of his two sons.

5A. Emil “Dutch” Leonard – The knuckleballer struggled early in his career but learned to control the pitch during his nine seasons in Washington (1938-46). Leonard was a bit of an anomaly during his career. He was not an All-Star in a 20-win season in 1939 but was selected to the Midsummer Classic the next year, when he went 14-19 and led the league in losses.

Leonard earned four All-Star selections overall, with his best season coming in 1945, when he went 17-7 with a career-best 2.13 earned run average. He had a 3.27 ERA, is tied for fourth in franchise history with 23 shutouts, and he ranks sixth in complete games (130) and seventh in wins (118-101), games started (251) and innings (1,899 1/3).

“Dutch” pitched for three other teams during his 20-year career, retiring after spending the 1953 season with the Cubs as a 44-year-old. After his playing days, he was Chicago’s pitching coach and spent nearly 20 years working as counselor with the Illinois Youth Commission, using baseball to help prevent juvenile delinquency. Leonard passed away due to congestive heart failure in 1983 at age 74.

4. Jim Perry – He started his career with the Indians before being traded to the Twins, where he alternated between starter and reliever for his first few years in Minnesota. Perry found his consistency in the second half of the 1968 season and won 20 games in each of the next two years. In 1970, he won the Cy Young Award, earned his first of two All-Star selections and finished in the Top 10 of the MVP voting after posting a league-high 24 wins and setting career bests with 13 complete game, 278 2/3 innings and 168 strikeouts.

Perry pitched 10 seasons with the Twins (1963-72), and he ranks sixth in franchise history in victories (128-90), tied for seventh in shutouts (17) and eighth in games started (249), innings (1,883 1/3) and strikeouts (1,025). He also made five postseason appearances, including two in the Twins’ loss to the Dodgers in the 1965 World Series.

Perry, who faced his Hall of Fame brother, Gaylord, in the 1970 All-Star Game pitched four more years after leaving the Twins, retiring in 1975. He became a scout for the Athletics and worked for a telephone company in South Dakota.

3. Camilo Pascual – Like many players on this list, Pascual had some great stats for the franchise during some bad years. The Cuban-born hurler used a top-notch curveball to fool hitters and lead the league in complete games and strikeouts three times each and strikeouts twice during his 13 years with the franchise (1954-66).

A seven-time All-Star, Pascual won 15 or more games five times and topped the 20-win mark twice. Ironically enough, he was not selected in 1963, when he set career bests with a 21-9 record and a 2.46 earned run average to go with a league-leading 202 strikeouts and 18 complete games.

Pascual ranks second in franchise history in shutouts (31), third in strikeouts (1,885), fourth in innings (2,465), fifth in wins (145-141) and games started (331) and seventh in games pitched (432) and complete games (199). Shoulder and arm issues plagued him later in his career, but he had a bit of a resurgence after he was traded to the “new” Senators in 1967.

After his playing days ended with the Indians in 1971, “Patato Pequeno” became a pitching coach for the Twins and later an international scout for the Athletics and Dodgers. Pascual also has been married for more than 50 years, has four children and helped bring other family members to the United States from war-torn Cuba.

2. Bert Blyleven – He became the youngest player in the majors when the Twins called up the Netherlands-born righty as a 19-year-old in 1970. Blyleven reached double figures in wins in each of his first six seasons, including 1973, when he earned his first All-Star selection after posting a career-high 20 wins and 258 strikeouts, as well as a league-leading nine shutouts (second-most in team history).

“The Flying Dutchman” got off to a tough start in 1976 and was traded to the Rangers, where he threw a no-hitter. After spending time with Texas, Pittsburgh and Cleveland, Blyleven was traded back to Minnesota in 1985. The following year, he led the league with 271 2/3 innings, but also set a major league record by allowing 50 home runs.

Blyleven possessed a devastating curveball that made him one of the best pitchers when he was on. However, when he wasn’t, he was more than capable to give up the long ball, which happened 430 times during his 22-year career. Blyleven spent a total of 11 seasons with the Twins (1970-76 and 85-88). He ranks second in franchise history in strikeouts (2,035, including 200 or more six times), third in wins (149-138), complete games (141), shutouts (29) and innings (2,566 2/3) and fourth in games started (345).

After missing all of 1991 due to surgery on a torn rotator cuff, Blyleven finished his career with the Angels the following season. His 287-250 record, 3.31 earned run average and 3,701 strikeouts (fifth on the all-time list at the time) helped the baseball writers overlook his high walk and home run totals and vote him into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2011. Blyleven has also been a longtime television analyst for the Twins and was the pitching coach for the Netherlands in two editions on the World Baseball Classic.

1. Walter Johnson –His longevity and overall statistics would look ridiculous in any era, and he is on the short list in the argument for the greatest starting pitcher in baseball history. Johnson worked on the family farm in Kanas and later, oil fields in California with his father. He pitched for oil company’s team and started to get widespread notoriety by throwing 77 straight scoreless innings for a semipro team in Idaho.

Johnson signed with Washington and won his debut with the Nationals in 1907. He was given the nickname “The Big Train” by opposing batters for the sound they said his fastball made as it was coming toward the plate. Although the Nationals were an awful team at times, Johnson was the key to their success. He won at least 20 games every year from 1910-19 (going over 30 during the team’s second place finishes in 1912-13) and 265 overall in that span. He led the league in strikeouts 12 times, including seven seasons with 200 or more and topping 300 twice.

Johnson finished in the top five of the MVP voting four times and won the award twice. The first time was in 1913, when he won the Pitching Triple Crown with a 36-7 record, a nearly unhittable 1.14 earned run average and 243 strikeouts. His streak of 20-win seasons came to an end with an 8-10 mark in 1920 thanks to arm and leg injuries. However, Johnson did have a career highlight, a 1-0 no-hitter against the Red Sox on July 1 that was the first in the history of the franchise. He lost a perfect game when Bucky Harris fumbled a Harry Hooper grounder in the seventh inning for an error. Johnson posted a 17-14 mark the following year despite losing his father (stroke) and two-year-old daughter (influenza).

In addition to his dozen strikeout titles, “The Big Train” led the league in wins and complete games six times each and ERA and innings five times apiece. He had said 1924 would be his last season but changed his mind once he saw that Washington had assembled a top-notch team. Johnson won the MVP award for the second time after leading the league with a 23-7 record, a 2.72 ERA and 158 strikeouts. He lost his first two starts in the World Series against the Giants but came into Game 7 in relief and threw four scoreless frames to allow the Nationals to the winning run in the bottom of the 12th inning.

Johnson went 20-7 in 1925 and helped Washington win its second straight pennant. He went 2-1 in the World Series against Pittsburgh, but he lost a rain-soaked Game 7 that should have been postponed, and the Nationals failed in their quest to win back-to-back titles. Johnson played two more seasons before retiring and becoming a manager. After one year in the minors, he was the skipper in Washington and Cleveland, leading his teams to a 350-264 record in seven seasons.

“The Big Train” spent his entire 21-year career with Washington (1907-27), and he owns just about every major pitching record in franchise history, including wins (417-279, second on the all-time list), ERA (2.17, with 11 seasons under 2.00), games pitched (802), games started (666), complete games (531, with 30 or more seven times, ranks fifth all-time), shutouts (an MLB record 110), innings (5,914 1/3, third all-time) and strikeouts (3,509, first when he retired and now ninth on the all-time list). He could have had even more victories had his team not been shut out 65 times, including 26 by a 1-0 score. Johnson also won five fielding titles, led the league in putouts by a pitcher three times and batted .235 with 24 career home runs.

Johnson was one of five players in the inaugural class of Baseball Hall of Fame inductees that was elected in 1936 and enshrined officially when the museum opened in Cooperstown three years later. He lost his wife in 1930 after she died from heat exhaustion during a cross-country drive. After his Hall induction, Johnson worked on his farm, served as Montgomery County (Maryland) commissioner, served as a Nationals broadcaster for one season and ran unsuccessfully as a Republican for a seat in the U. S. Congress. He passed away due to an illness caused by a brain tumor in 1946 at age 59.

Left-Handed Starters

Honorable Mentions – Lefties Bobby Burke, Jack Kralick, Eric Milton and Francisco Liriano joined Johnson, Chance and Erickson in the group of seven pitchers to throw a no-hitter for the franchise. Burke went 38-46 in nine seasons with the Nationals (1927-35). He never reached double figures in victories, and he only started about one-third of the games he pitched in with the club (252 games and 88 starts). However, Burke etched his name in the annals of the franchise when he shut down the Red Sox, 5-0, on August 8, 1931. The no-no was the first by a lefty in team history and the only one thrown by the home team in Griffith Stadium.

Kralick split his career evenly between the Twins and Indians, going 34-32 in 118 games with Minnesota and 33-33 in 117 appearances with Cleveland. He reached double-digit victories twice, including 1962, when he went 12-11 and became the first Twins player to throw a no-hitter, beaching the Athletics, 1-0, in late August 1962.

Milton spent his first six years in Minnesota (1998-2003), going 57-51 and making his only All-Star team in 2001, when he went 15-7. He threw a 7-0 no-hitter over the Angels in September 1999. Milton’s final season was ruined by a knee injury, which limited him to just three starts.

Liriano threw the Twins’ most recent no-hitter, shutting down the White Sox 1-0 in May 2011. He played seven seasons (2005-06 and 08-11) but missed all of 2007 after undergoing Tommy John surgery. He went 50-52 overall and was an All-Star in 2006.

5. Tom Zachary – He is tied for 12th in franchise history in wins, going 96-103 with a 3.78 ERA and 92 complete games in nine seasons with the Nationals (1919-25 and 27-28). Zachary played for seven teams during his 19-year career, finishing his run with the Dodgers and Phillies in 1936. His most notable moment came late in the 1927 season, when he gave up Babe Ruth‘s 60th home run.

4. Casey Patten – He was a solid starter in the early days of the Senators’ franchise (1901-08), reaching double-digit victories in each of his first seven seasons. His best year was 1906, when he set career bests with a 19-16 record and a 2.17 earned run average to go with 20 complete games. Patten ranks second in franchise history in complete games (206, including a team second-best mark of 37 in 1904), sixth in innings (2,059 1/3), tied for seventh in shutouts (17) and tenth in wins (106-127) and games started (237).

Patten fell off late in 1907 and was not in shape the following year. The Senators traded him to the Red Sox, but he was hit hard in his only start and was soon out of baseball. Patten held a variety of jobs after his baseball career until he passed away in 1925.

3. Frank Viola – His eight-season stay in Minnesota (1982-89) included a dominant five-year stretch in which he won at least 16 games each season and 93 overall. Using a fastball and changeup combination, he reached the pinnacle of baseball pitchers in 1988, when he won the Cy Young Award and earned his only All-Star selection with the Twins after leading the league with a 24-7 record, posting a career-best 2.64 earned run average and striking out 193 batters.

Viola ranks sixth in franchise history in games started (259), seventh in strikeouts (1,214) and ninth in wins (112-93). He started five games during the 1987 playoffs and was named the MVP of the World Series victory over the Cardinals after going 2-1 with 16 strikeouts in 19 1/3 innings. Viola was traded to the Mets in 1989 and was named an All-Star in each of the next two years. He went 20-12 with a 2.67 ERA in a league-leading 249 2/3 innings in 1990.

“Sweet Music” also pitched with the Red Sox, Reds and Blue Jays, retiring after Toronto released him in 1996. He spent a long time as a pitching coach in the Mets’ organization and holds the same position with the High Point Rockers of the independent Atlantic League.

2. Johan Santana – Although Viola’s career with the Twins was long and consistent, Santana’s eight-year run in the Twin Cities (2000-07) was one of the most dominant in franchise history. During his time in Minnesota, he earned three All-Star selections and led the league in strikeouts three times and earned run average twice.

Santana finished in the Top 10 of Cy Young voting five times and he won the award twice. His first time came in 2004, when he went 20-6 with a 2.61 ERA and 265 strikeouts (third in team history), with those last two marks leading the league. Two years later, Santana took home the hardware again, this time winning the Pitching Triple Crown as well. He went 19-6 with a 2.77 ERA and 246 strikeouts and also led the league with 34 starts and 233 2/3 innings.

Santana went 93-44 with a 3.22 earned run average in 1,308 2/3 innings for Minnesota. He ranks sixth in franchise history with 1,381 strikeouts. Santana went to the Mets in 2008 and threw the team’s first no-hitter in 2012. He went 6-9 that season, which ended up being the final one in his career.

1. Jim Kaat – He began his career with the Senators, pitching in 16 games in the team’s final two seasons before moving to Minnesota. Kaat totaled 15 seasons with the franchise (1959-73), posting double-digit victories in 12 straight campaigns and winning 15 or more games four times. He also struck out more than 200 batters twice and led the league with five shutouts in 1962.

Kaat was a star on the pennant-winning staff in 1965 and helped the team win its first pennant in more than 30 years. He went 1-2 against Los Angeles in the World Series, going head-to-head against Dodgers’ great Sandy Koufax. Kaat outdueled Koufax in their first encounter, but the Dodgers won the other two, including Game 7.

“Kitty” had his best season the following year, leading the league with a 25-13 record, 19 shutouts and 304 2/3 innings while also striking out 205 batters. However, at the time, Major League Baseball gave out just one overall Cy Young Award for both leagues and Koufax took the honor. Despite the snub, Kaat earned his first All-Star selection and finished fifth in the MVP voting.

Kaat was a consistent starter throughout the rest of his tenure in Minnesota, but he got into a conflict over salary with notoriously cheap owner Calvin Griffith. In 1973, the pitcher succeeded in getting his salary returned to its previous level, but he was released later in the season and signed with the White Sox.

Kaat is arguably the greatest fielder among pitchers. He won 16 straight gold gloves, which is tied with Orioles third baseman Brooks Robinson for the most consecutive at any position. Kaat won 12 with Minnesota and two each with Chicago and Philadelphia. He went to the playoffs once with the Phillies and twice more with the Cardinals, pitching in four games during a St. Louis victory over Milwaukee in the 1982 World Series. Kaat also was a solid hitter, smacking 14 home runs with the Twins.

The redhead ranks second in franchise history in wins (190-159), games started (433, including 42 in 1965, which is tied for second most in team history) and innings (3,014 1/3), fourth in games pitched (484) and strikeouts (1,851) tied for fourth in shutouts (23) and fifth in complete games (133) while posting a 3.34 earned run average. He went 1-3 in four playoff starts with Minnesota.

After his playing career ended in 1983, Kaat was a pitching coach with the Reds during the infamous managerial tenure of Pete Rose, but he spent most of his time as a broadcaster. He worked in the booth for the Twins and Yankees and was a game analyst for MLB Network from 2009 to his retirement in 2022. A seven-time Emmy Award winner for sports broadcasting, Kaat also is an avid golfer, and he is solid both right- and left-handed. He finally was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame, along with former teammate Tony Oliva, by the Golden Days Era Committee in 2022.

Relief Pitchers

Honorable Mentions – Ron Davis was coming off an All-Star season as a middle reliever with the Yankees in 1981 when he was traded to the Twins the following year. Minnesota installed him in the closer spot, and he saved 108 games over the next five seasons (1982-86), which ranks fifth in team history. The bespectacled Davis had the typical role of a closer in the era, which included multiple-inning saves and a higher earned run average than the top relievers of today. His numbers fell off dramatically in his final season with the Twins and continued to hamper him until the end of his career with the Giants in 1988.

Glen Perkins spent his entire 12-year career with the Twins (2006-17) in a variety of roles. Perkins was a short reliever in his first two years, then started his next two, going 12-4 in 2008. He transferred to middle relieve then was handed the closer role late in the 2012 season.

Perkins amassed 30 saves and was an All-Star in each of the next three seasons. He went 35-25, and he ranks third in team history with 120 saves and ninth with 409 games pitched. The lefty missed most of his final two seasons after surgery for a torn labrum in 2016. He retired in 2018.

5. Jeff Reardon – He earned his nickname “The Terminator” during his tenure in Montreal, but he was dominant at times with Minnesota as well. His best season in the Twin Cities was 1988, when he earned an All-Star selection thanks to a 2.47 earned run average and a career-high 42 saves. He finished his time with the Twins by going 15-16 with 104 saves (sixth in franchise history), a 3.70 ERA and 185 strikeouts in 226 1/3 innings. Reardon had three saves in eight appearances during the 1987 playoffs including one in the World Series.

Reardon pitched for seven teams during his 16-year career, finishing with the Yankees in 1994. His 357 saves through the 1992 season were the most in baseball history, but he was passed by Lee Smith the following year. Reardon’s son died of a drug overdose in 2004, which sent him into a downward spiral of depression, multiple attempted suicides and a battle with substance issues that took years to finally beat.

4. Eddie Guardado – Like Perkins, Guardado served in a variety of roles throughout his 12 seasons with Minnesota (1993-2003 and ’08). He began his career as a starter, then moved on to long relief, setup and finally closer in the later part of the 2001 season. Guardado was an All-Star and saved more than 40 games in each of the next two seasons, with his 45 in 2002 leading the league and ranking second in team history.

“Everyday Eddie” went 37-48 with 610 strikeouts in 704 2/3 innings. he ranks second in games pitched (648) and fourth in saves (116). Guardado also had three saves in five postseason appearances with the Twins. He retired after spending the 2009 season with the Rangers.

3. Frederick “Firpo” Marberry – He was baseball’s first great reliever, leading the league in saves six times in 11 seasons with Washington (1923-32 and ’36). Earning his nickname thanks to his resemblance to Argentine boxer Luis Firpo, Marberry started 133 games with the Nationals and posted a double-digit win total seven times in his career.

Relying on a powerful fastball and little else, Marberry was a top contributor during the team’s run to the World Series in 1924, going 11-12 and making 14 starts while also leading the league with 15 saves. He added two more saves against the Giants as the Nationals clinched their only title in Washington. Marberry ranks fifth in franchise history in games pitched (470), seventh in saves (94) and eighth in wins (117-71). He continued his strong work with the Tigers, but developed a sore arm and was soon out of the league after his final five-game stint with the Nationals.

Marberry continued to pitch in independent leagues even after his major league career ended. He also worked on his family farm, operated a gas distributorship and ran a recreation center. He lost his left arm in an automobile accident (although he continued to pitch after that) and died after suffering a stroke in 1976.

2. Rick Aguilera – Before he became one of the best closers in the American League, he was a starter for most of his five-year tenure with the Mets, including the 1986 championship season. Since he was the fifth starter, he came out of the bullpen during the playoffs and gave up two runs in the top of the tenth inning in Game 6 against the Red Sox. His teammates picked him up in the bottom of the frame, which ended with New York pulling off an improbable comeback.

The Mets traded Aguilera and several others to the Twins for Viola at the 1989 deadline and, after finishing the year as a starter, he was converted to the bullpen the following season. Over the next 11 years (1989-95 and 96-99), he used a split-fingered fastball as well as a curveball to keep opposing hitters off balance. He struck out nearly a batter per inning during his Minnesota and registered at least 30 games six times.

Aguilera earned three straight All-Star selections and went 40-47 with a 3.50 earned run average and 586 strikeouts in 694 innings with the Twins. He ranks second in franchise history with 254 saves and third with 490 games (including 30 starts). Aguilera was excellent during the 1991 postseason, when he had five saves in seven appearances and got the win in relief in Game 6 of the World Series against the Braves to set the stage for Morris’ gem the following night.

Aguilera was traded to the Red Sox in 1995 but signed back with the Twins after the season. He was sent to the Cubs in 1999 and ended his career there the following year, finishing his 16-year run with 318 saves. He spent his retirement with his family and working as a baseball coach with the California Christian school his children attended.

1. Joe Nathan – He converted from shortstop to pitcher after college, then retired for a year to finish his degree before embarking on a 16-year major league career. He started his career as a starter for the Giants but converted to the bullpen full time in 2001 after he missed the entire season due to surgery on his rotator cuff and labrum.

Nathan was a setup man in San Francisco but won 12 games in 2003, a league-best for relievers that year. He was traded to Minnesota in the offseason and won the closer job in spring training. Over his seven-year tenure in the Twin Cities (2004-09 and ’11), Nathan saved at least 35 games six times and topped 40 on three occasions.

A four-time All-Star with the Twins, Nathan finished in the top five of the Cy Young Award voting twice and won the Rolaids Relief Man Award in 2009, when he set a team record with 47 saves. He missed all of the following season when he was forced to undergo Tommy John surgery after sustaining a torn ulnar collateral ligament in spring training. Although Nathan picked up the first save in the history of Target Field in 2011, he struggled, was replaced as a closer and was not re-signed after the season.

Nathan went 24-13 with a 2.16 earned run average and 561 strikeouts in 463 1/3 innings. He is the all-time franchise leader with 260 saves and ranks sixth with 460 games pitched. He appeared in six playoff games during his Minnesota tenure, going 0-1 with one save.

Nathan signed with Texas in 2012 and returned to his previous form, earned All-Star selections in both seasons with the Rangers and saving 80 games overall. He had 35 saves in 2015 with the Tigers and pitched for the Cubs before returning to the Giants, where he ended his career in 2016. Nathan has focused on golf and coaching his son’s baseball team since his retirement.

The next team to be featured will be the New York Mets.