| Glen Perkins | |
|---|---|
 Perkins with the Minnesota Twins | |
| Pitcher | |
| Born: (1983-03-02)March 2, 1983 (age 42) St. Paul, Minnesota, U.S. | |
Batted: Left Threw: Left | |
| MLB debut | |
| September 21, 2006, for the Minnesota Twins | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| September 30, 2017, for the Minnesota Twins | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Win–loss record | 35–25 |
| Earned run average | 3.88 |
| Strikeouts | 504 |
| Saves | 120 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
Glen Weston Perkins (born March 2, 1983) is an American former professionalbaseballpitcher and a television analyst. He played his entire career inMajor League Baseball (MLB) for theMinnesota Twins.
He made his major league debut with the Minnesota Twins in 2006. Perkins attended theUniversity of Minnesota inMinneapolis–St. Paul andStillwater Area High School inOak Park Heights. Perkins earned his first major league win on May 20, 2008, against theTexas Rangers.
Perkins played his college ball for theMinnesota Golden Gophers in 2003 and 2004. With the Gophers in 2003, he went 10–2 and posted a 2.91 ERA with 117 strikeouts in 15 games (13 starts). In his 2004 season with the Gophers, he went 9–3 and posted a 2.83 ERA with 113 strikeouts in 16 games (15 starts).[1] Perkins was drafted by theMinnesota Twins in the first round (22nd overall) of the2004 MLB draft, as a compensation pick from theSeattle Mariners for their signing ofEddie Guardado.[2]
Between 2004 and 2008, Perkins played most of his games for the Minnesota Twins minor league system. He pitched for theElizabethton Twins,Quad Cities River Bandits,Fort Myers Miracle,Gulf Coast Twins,New Britain Rock Cats, and theRochester Red Wings. In his three seasons with Twins' minor league teams, he pitched 386.2 innings, posting a 16–22 record with a 3.50 ERA and 380 strikeouts.[1] He was ranked number 66 inBaseball America's Top 100 Prospects.[3]
Perkins made his MLB debut on September 21, 2006, against theBoston Red Sox. Coming in to relieve teammateMatt Guerrier, Perkins pitched1+1⁄3 perfect innings.[4] Perkins pitched in four regular season games in the 2006 season, all in September as arelief pitcher. He pitched5+2⁄3 innings, recording a 1.59 ERA while striking out six.[5]
In his 2007 season, Perkins pitched in 19 games for the Twins, all as a reliever. In28+2⁄3 innings pitched, Perkins finished the season with a 3.14 ERA, 12 walks, and 20 strikeouts.[5] Due to a shoulder injury, he spent time significant time on the disabled list from May 22 to September 11.[6]
Perkins pitched 12 innings for the Twins during spring training, going 1–2 with a 7.50 ERA.[1] He did not make the team and was sent down to Triple-A Rochester.[7] While with Rochester, he pitched33+1⁄3 innings, compiling a 2–1 record, a 2.97 ERA, and 27 strikeouts in seven games (six starts).[8] On May 7, 2008, Perkins was called up to replace injured teammateScott Baker.[9] He started his first major league game against the Boston Red Sox on May 10, 2008, allowing three earned runs in six innings to record the loss.[10] He recorded his first major league win in a home start against theTexas Rangers on May 20, 2008.[11]
On May 25, 2008, Perkins pitched arguably his best MLB performance. Starting in a road game against theDetroit Tigers, Perkins recorded the win by pitching7+2⁄3 innings while surrendering seven hits, one earned, two walks, and four strikeouts.[12]
Through June 30, Perkins started in all 11 of his appearances with the Twins. He had pitched64+2⁄3 innings, posting a 4–2 record, 4.31 ERA, and 38 strikeouts.[13]
On July 18, 2008, Perkins went six innings combined with three relievers on a three-hit shutout of theTexas Rangers.[14] It was the first time that season that the game's highest-scoring offense had been shut out.[14] Perkins finished the 2008 season with a 12–4 record and a 4.41 ERA in 26 starts.[5]
Perkins appeared in 18 games (17 starts) with the Twins in 2009, going 6–7 with a 5.89 ERA.[5]
Perkins began 2010 with Triple-A Rochester. Through August, he was 4–9 with a 6.08 ERA in 23 starts the Red Wings, though he showed enough improvement to earn a call-up from the Twins on August 9.[15] Perkins appeared in four games (one start), going 0–1 with a 9.00 ERA before being optioned back to Rochester on August 28 to make room for newly acquired pitcherBrian Fuentes.[16] Perkins returned to the majors in September after rosters expanded.[17] He finished the season 1–1 with a 5.82 ERA in 13 games (one start).[5]
Perkins played the whole season as relief pitcher, finishing 4–4 with two saves and a 2.48 ERA in 65 relief appearances.[5] Perkins won the Twins Pitcher of the Year Award and Twins Comeback Player of the Year Award after the breakout season.
On March 8, 2012, Perkins signed a three-year, $10.3 million extension with the Twins.[18] Perkins was guaranteed $2.5 million in 2013, and $3.75 million in both 2014 and 2015. There was a 2016 option for $4.5 million with a $300,000 buyout.[19]
Perkins became the Twins closer in July 2012 after an injury to his predecessorMatt Capps.[20] He went on to finish the season 3–1 with 16 saves and a 2.56 ERA in 70 relief appearances.[5]
Perkins was named to theAmerican LeagueAll-Star team as an injury replacement.[21] Despite the Twins' mediocre season, Perkins was 2–0 with 36 saves and a 2.30 ERA in 61 games.[5]
On March 14, 2014, Perkins agreed to a four-year extension with the Twins worth a guaranteed $22.1 million.[22] In July, he was named to his secondAll-Star game, where he was credited with the save for the American League in their 5–3 victory.[23] He finished the season 4–3 with 34 saves and a 3.65 ERA in 63 relief appearances.[5]
Perkins was an All-Star for the third straight year in 2015.[24] He appeared in 60 games, going 3–5 with 32 saves and a 3.32 ERA, along with 54 strikeouts in 57 innings pitched.[5]
After experiencing shoulder soreness at the beginning of the 2016 season, Perkins was placed on the DL after two appearances.[5][25] On June 16, it was revealed Perkins would need season-ending surgery due to a torn labrum and damage to his rotator cuff.[26]
After another injury-shortened season, Perkins' 2018 option was declined by the Twins with the expectation that the team would buy out his contract.[27] He announced his retirement on January 23, 2018.[28]
Perkins threw three pitches: afour-seam fastball (95–97 mph), atwo-seam fastball (93–96), and aslider (83–86). There is little variation in his pitch usage against right-handed and left-handed hitters.[29] His velocity and effectiveness started to increase at the beginning of the 2011 season, coinciding with a move to the bullpen: "Going to the bullpen allowed me to get healthy. As a starter, I had just worn down."[30] In 2009, as a starter, Perkins posted a 5.89 ERA and an average fastball speed of about 90 mph. His ERA dropped considerably in the bullpen (2.48 in 2011), and his strikeout rate nearly doubled.[5] When Perkins was a starter, he also threw acurveball andchangeup.
Perkins's four-seamer has become a weapon, averaging almost 96 mph in 2011 and 2012. It also has a very high (for a fastball)whiff rate of 29% in 2012.[29]
Perkins claims to usePITCHf/x data andsabermetric statistics to study his pitching appearances.[20][30]
On August 1, 2018, Perkins served as analyst for the Facebook Live broadcasting crew working the Indians-Twins game. In 2019, Perkins began serving as a pre-game and post-game analyst for Twins telecasts on Fox Sports North, which later rebranded asBally Sports North.
