TODAY: Perkins confirms in a statement on his Twitter account that he’s hanging up his spikes. So, what’s next?
I won’t be playing baseball anymore. I’ll spend my time brewing beer, smoking meat woodworking and hanging with my family. Or, the same things I have been doing just without the baseball part.
YESTERDAY: Three-time All-Star Glen Perkins will reportedly not pursue an opportunity to pitch in what would be his 13th big league season. General manager Thad Levine stated in an appearance on the Twins Winter Caravan tour that the former closer has elected to end his playing career, adding that the Twins would be interested in hiring Perkins as a special assistant should he be interested in such a role (Twitter link via 1390 AM Granite City Sports). La Velle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star Tribune cites a source close to Perkins in reporting that the left-hander would indeed have interest in such a position.
The decision wasn’t entirely unexpected. After his $6.5MM option for the 2018 season was declined, reports indicated that the career-long Twin would either return to the organization on a minor league contract or simply elect to call it a career.
A Twin Cities native who starred at the University of Minnesota before being selected in the first round of the 2004 draft, Perkins frequented top prospect lists before debuting in the Majors as a 23-year-old back in 2006. The lefty showed promise in his first tastes of the Majors from 2006-08 and looked like a potential long-term rotation piece in Minnesota, pitching to a 4.13 ERA over the life of his first 185 1/3 MLB innings.
Perkins hit a rough patch in 2009-10, though, as below-average strikeout rates and a rapidly increasing opponents’ batting average caught up with him and left him with a 5.87 ERA in 118 innings across those two seasons. Out of options heading into the 2011 season, Perkins was at something of a crossroads and responded by turning a corner and cementing himself as a mainstay on the Twins’ roster.
That 2011 season marked the first full season in the bullpen for Perkins, and he broke out with a brilliant 2.48 ERA, 9.5 K/9, 3.1 BB/9 and a 49.7 percent ground-ball rate in 61 2/3 innings. Perkins’ fastball had sat in the 90-91 mph range as a starter but jumped to an average of 94 mph with the move to the ’pen and ticked up another mile the following year in 2012 — the first season in which the lefty took over as the team’s closer.
Perkins saved 16 games for the Twins in 2012 and went on to rack up 32 or more saves in each of the next three seasons, earning American League All-Star honors each year along the way. In all, from 2011-15, he logged a 2.84 ERA with 9.8 K/9, 2.1 BB/9 and 120 saves in 313 1/3 innings. The 2014 season, in particular, featured a career highlight for Perkins, as he was called upon to seal a 5-3 victory for the American League in the All-Star Game at Target Field in Minneapolis and did so in 1-2-3 fashion.
Neck and back injuries took their toll on Perkins in 2014-15, though, prematurely ending each of those seasons. The 2016 campaign proved worse in terms of health for the lefty, as he made just two appearances before landing on the disabled list with a shoulder strain. Eventually, Perkins was diagnosed with a torn labrum that required season-ending surgery. He’d go on to spend roughly 16 months rehabbing.
Perkins returned to the Twins this past season but was a far cry from his peak form, averaging just 90.3 mph on his fastball and totaling 5 2/3 innings while appearing sparsely in low-leverage situations down the stretch as Minnesota fought for a surprising Wild Card berth.
The Twins gave Perkins a fitting tribute in what will go down as the final game of his career in the penultimate game of the regular season, allowing the southpaw to come on for the final out of their victory over the Tigers. The Twins fired up Perkins’ former entrance music, Johnny Cash’s “God’s Gonna Cut You Down” as he came out of the ’pen and received a standing ovation. An emotional Perkins told MLB.com’s Rhett Bollinger and other reporters after the game that the gesture was something that he’ll remember for the rest of his life.
All told, Perkins’ entire career was spent in the Minnesota organization, and he’ll head into the next chapter ranked third all-time among Twins relievers with 120 saves. Perkins also turned in a 35-25 record and a 3.88 ERA with 504-to-158 K/BB ratio through 624 1/3 in a 12-year career that netted him more than $28MM. Best of luck to Glen in whatever is next for him, and congrats to him on a very fine career.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
best of luck, glen!
Great song by Cash. Good luck in your future Perkins, I suspect someone will offer you a minor league pitching coach job in a few years.
Perfect, he’ll fit in great on the Giants
Never tire of it
I wonder what Hank Conger has been up to.
He apologized to MN fans after he got injured basically saying he was sorry for making so much money while doing nothing productive for the team. Dude has good character.
I love guys that spend their entire career with the teams that drafted them, but I also love that he was raised in, went to college in, and played professionally in the same city.
I think I remember Gaby Sanchez being from Miami, playing at Miami, and playing for the Marlins for a few years before he just became a bad hitter. I don’t remember for sure though.
Joe Mauer too!
Him too, although he came out of high school
Damn it’s been that long…? Remember when he broke camp. Injuries really screw it up.
You’ll Like This!!! Word is he is rejoining the family restaurant business.
When are you releasing your next Netflix special
Denny’s?
More like Glenny’s
Bob Glenvans?
Perkins is a restaurant similar to Denny’s on the East Coast.. That would be my guess as to what the op meant..
lol I put Denny’s just to be sarcastic. I’m from NJ, so I’m aware of Perkins
Perkins are nation wide, they have them is like 30+ states, including Minnesota.
What a gem! Local boy, goes to local university and plays for local team (we almost could say the same about Mauer…so close joe!)
The little things…
So long Glen.
Glen, if you’re resding this, then it’s already too late
I still remember the arbitration dispute. Probably the ugliest I’ve ever seen on the twins. It looked like the two sides were never gonna work, and the twins would trade him off. Many years later he ends his career only having worn a twins uniform. Funny how things work out.
He helped the team come back from that disasterous Matt Capps
Tough to see a career end but good to read about a guy who was born in same city where he spent all of his big league career. I remember reading about him on FG where he showed lot of interest in new stats. He might go far in front office too if he applies himself as well as he did on the field. Best Wishes to him and family.
LMFAO @ “smoking meat.” Was that necessary?
Putting meat in a smoker not literally smoking a meat cigarette, silly.
I knew that, ‘silly’. But using that part of Perkins’s quotation opens itself up to a lot of jokes.
Um no, not really it’s a passion for many men. Can’t really make it into a joke.
I’m sure it’s quite a ‘passion’ for you. Another great choice of words!
I’m just wondering why such a reaction for smoking meat.
He was joking. Leave it be
Yeah.
Any attention is good attention
Because he has a sick mind
and thinks like that!
Was I the only one who had to read it a few times because I thought he said “smoking weed”? BTW, that would be a classic speech on your way out
That would be a poor example for children.
“….Or, the same things I have been doing just without the baseball part.”
Hahaha good stuff Glen! Good luck!
Glen for president in 2020!
What a great way to announce your retirement! Sure hope life treats him and the family well moving forward.
#myhero
If this is true and I hopes it’s not. We have to ask is he the best left handed reliever of all time?
He isn’t. He was dominant for a rather short period of time.
Wagner Franco Orosco