Minnesota Twins Closer Glen Perkins is Helping Fans Forget Joe Nathan

[SoCalTwinsfan]

Perkins has been a closer for a year now, so I looked at how he's done compared to Joe Nathan.

 

Since getting his first save of the 2012 season on June 20, 2012, Perkins has 34 saves with a 2.21 ERA in 69 1/3 innings pitched and an 82/10 strikeout-to-walk ratio. His strikeout rate is 10.6 per nine innings. He's allowed only 46 hits for a WHIP (walks and hits allowed per inning pitched) of 0.81. ... Simply put, Perkins has been as good, if not better, than Nathan.

 

 

You can read the rest of Minnesota Twins Closer Glen Perkins is Helping Fans Forget Joe Nathan at Yahoo! Sports.

 

Can Perkins dominate for years like Nathan did? Is Perkins even better?

[IdahoPilgrim]

Perkins is good, but not yet at Nathan's level. For a closer, the only stat that really matters is save%. When Nathan was with the Twins, and throwing out the post-TJ year, he converted 90% of save opportunities. Perkins has only converted 80%, although he is trending upward and is at 90% for this year.

 

We need a couple more years of solid results before he can be seen as being at Nathan's level in his prime. He may get there; just not quite yet.

[zenser]

Hard to believe that Perkins is only 8 strikeouts behind the team leader. Correia has 48 and Perkins has 40.

[Seth Stohs]

Perkins is good, but not yet at Nathan's level. For a closer, the only stat that really matters is save%. When Nathan was with the Twins, and throwing out the post-TJ year, he converted 90% of save opportunities. Perkins has only converted 80%, although he is trending upward and is at 90% for this year.

 

Is that percentage a career number? Because a middle-reliever and set up man can get blown saves but rarely get saves, so that might throw off those numbers.

[snepp]

Is that percentage a career number? Because a middle-reliever and set up man can get blown saves but rarely get saves, so that might throw off those numbers.

 

That was his career number. Since being officially installed as "closer" he has 4 blown in 40 opportunities.

[orangevening]

Hard to believe that Perkins is only 8 strikeouts behind the team leader. Correia has 48 and Perkins has 40.

 

Hard to believe at first..... on second thought this is the Twins (at least starters) we are talking about. Not too surprising in context

[IdahoPilgrim]

That was his career number. Since being officially installed as "closer" he has 4 blown in 40 opportunities.

 

Good point - and good to see.

 

I still say it's going to take a couple more years of consistent performance before he can be mentioned in the same breath as Nathan.