The Minnesota Twins announced a three-year contract extension with setup man Glen Perkins yesterday. Perkins’ deal, which earns him $10.3 million over the span of three years, also includes a club option for 2016 as well as built-in incentives for games finished.
After being selected by the Twins in the first round of the 2004 MLB Draft, Perkins made his way through Minnesota’s system as a successful starter. Included in Baseball America’s top 100 prospect list in 2006-07, Perkins made his debut for the Twins in ’06.
After breaking into the league as a reliever and posting solid numbers, Minnesota inserted Perkins into their starting rotation. Unfortunately for Perkins and the Twins, the left-hander was never able to put it together pitching as a starter. After posting ERA’s of 4.41 and 5.89 as a starter in 2008-09, the Twins decided to move Perkins back to their ‘pen.
Though he struggled in 2010 (5.82 ERA, 1.569 WHIP, 21 2/3 IP), Perkins rebounded for a solid 2011 season as the Twins setup man. The 29-year-old posted an ERA and WHIP of 2.48 and 1.232 over his 61 2/3 innings pitched. During that time, Perkins maintained a 9.5 SO/9, well above his career average, and a 3.1 BB/9.
There was some talk that, with Joe Nathan leaving Minnesota to sign with the Texas Rangers, Perkins might get a shot at closing games in 2012. However, the Twins felt that it was too early to hand the reins over to Perkins, and the club ultimately re-signed Matt Capps to fill the role.
For more on the Twins, be sure to check out Puckett’s Pond.
You can follow Call to the Pen on Twitter at @FSCalltothePen or like us here on Facebook.