11. Joe Nathan, RHP
Career Stats: 787 G (29 GS), 377 SV, 923 1/3 IP, 2.87 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, 9.12 BB%, 25.88 K%
After not getting a ton of offers out of high school, Nathan chose to stay close to home and attend Division III Stony Brook University, where he’d turn himself into a quality prospect as a shortstop and a pitcher. Nathan preferred to pick ’em at short, but after his bat simply couldn’t handle pro pitching, the Giants moved him to the mound.
Nathan moved quickly up the farm system after that point, and he was an effective starter for two seasons, before Tommy John surgery took away all of his 2001 season and most of his 2002 season. When he returned, he came back as a dominant reliever.
The Minnesota Twins acquired Nathan as part of the infamous AJ Pierzynski trade after the 2003 season. He was immediately plugged in as the closer in the Twin Cities, and he put up a 1.62 ERA and 44 saves in his first season in the role. That started a stretch that, if not for a certain Yankee closer, would have received notice as one of the most dominant stretches by a closer in recent history.
From 2004-2009, Nathan saved 246 games in six seasons for the Twins, with a 1.87 ERA, a 0.93 WHIP, a 7.33% walk rate, and a 31.66% strikeout rate. Unfortunately, he would then miss the entire 2010 with another injury.
Nathan was able to put together two very good seasons in Texas at 37 and 38, but he struggled through a year in Detroit after that, bouncing around for a couple more seasons before retiring.
He made 6 All-Star games, won the 2009 AL Rolaids Relief award, appeared on 2 MVP ballots, and also appeared on 2 Cy Young Award ballots. He will first appear on the Hall of Fame ballot in 2022.
Next: 10. Cooperstown Controversial