Glen Perkins

Infobox MLB player


width = 150
name=Glen Perkins

position=Starting pitcher
team=Minnesota Twins
number=15
bats=Left
throws=Left
birthdate=birth date and age|1983|3|2
birthplace=city-state|St. Paul|Minnesota
debutdate=September 21
debutyear=2006
debutteam=Minnesota Twins
statyear=2008
stat1label=Win-loss
stat1value=12-4
stat2label=ERA
stat2value=4.13
stat3label=Strikeouts
stat3value=100
teams=
*Minnesota Twins (by|2006-present)

Glen Weston Perkins (born March 2, 1983, in Stillwater, Minnesota) is a Major League baseball starting pitcher for the Minnesota Twins. He made his major league debut with the Minnesota Twins in 2006. Perkins attended the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis-St. Paul and Stillwater Area High School in Oak Park Heights. Perkins earned his first Major league win on May 20, 2008, against the Texas Rangers.

Pitching Style

Perkins pitching repertoire consists of a fastball, changeup, and two types of curveballs. His fastball normally stays consistent in the low 90s; however, his fastball has been known to reach mid-90s. According to the Minnesota Twins organization, he has one of the better changeups on the team. His curveball can either break hard or slow. Additionally, over the course of his pitching career, he has developed more stamina that can allow him to pitch late in games. [ [http://twins.scout.com/2/630879.html Scout.com: Scouting Twin Prospect #6: Glen Perkins ] ]

College and Minor League Career

Perkins played his college ball for the Minnesota 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 his 2004 season with the Gophers, he went 9-3 and posted a 2.83 ERA with 113 strikeouts. Perkins was drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the 1st round of the 2004 Major League Baseball Draft, being picked 22nd overall.

Between the years of 2004-2008, Perkins played most of his games for the Minnesota Twins minor league system. He pitched for the Elizabethton Twins, Quad City Swing, Fort Myers Miracle, Gulf Coast Twins, New Britain Rock Cats, and the AAA Rochester Red Wings.In his three seasons with Minnesota Twins minor league teams, he pitched 386.2 innings, posting a 16-22 record with a 3.50 ERA and 380 strikeouts. [ [http://www.thebaseballcube.com/players/P/glen-perkins.shtml Glen Perkins Statistics - The Baseball Cube ] ] He was ranked number 66 in Baseball America's Top 100 Prospects.

2006 and 2007 Season

Perkins made his MLB debut on September 21 2006, against the Boston Red Sox. Coming in to relieve teammate Matt Guerrier, Perkins pitched 1.1 innings of perfect baseball. Perkins pitched in 4 regular season games in the 2006 season, all in September as a relief pitcher. He pitched 5.2 innings giving up no runs and striking out 6. [ [http://scores.espn.go.com/mlb/players/gamelog?statsId=7711&year=2006 ESPN - Glen Perkins Stats, News, Photos - Minnesota Twins ] ]

In his 2007 season, Perkins pitched in 19 games for the Minnesota Twins, all as a reliever. In 28.2 innings pitched, Perkins finished the season with a 0-0, posting a 3.14 ERA, 12 walks, and 20 strikeouts. Injuries caused his season to be short with the Minnesota Twins, as he didn’t pitch into June. [ [http://scores.espn.go.com/mlb/players/gamelog?statsId=7711&year=2007 ESPN - Glen Perkins Stats, News, Photos - Minnesota Twins ] ]

2008 Season

Glen Perkins pitched 11 innings for the Minnesota Twins during spring training, recording one win and one loss with a 5.73 ERA. [ [http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/springStats?team=min&type=pitch&year=2008 ESPN - MLB Spring Training Stats - Major League Baseball Spring Training Stats ] ] He did not make the team and was sent down to Triple-A Rochester. With the Rochester Red Wings, he pitched 33.1 innings, recording two wins, one loss, a 2.97 ERA, and 27 strikeouts. [ [http://www.thebaseballcube.com/players/P/Glen-Perkins.shtml Glen Perkins Statistics - The Baseball Cube ] ] On May 7, 2008, Perkins was called up to replace injured teammate Scott Baker. [ [http://www.startribune.com/18713494.html?location_refer=Error Twins shuffle starters: Slowey starts Thursday, Perkins on Saturday ] ] He started his first major league game against the Boston Red Sox on May 10, 2008. He recorded his first major league win in a home start against the Texas Rangers on May 20, 2008.

On May 25, 2008, he pitched arguably his best major league performance. Starting in a road game against the Detroit Tigers, Perkins recorded the win by pitching 7.2 innings, giving up 7 hits, 1 ER, 2 walks, and striking out 4.

Through June 5, 2008, Perkins has started in all eleven of his appearances with the Twins. He has pitched 64.2 innings, posting a 4-2 record, 4.31 ERA, and 38 strikeouts. [ [http://sports-ak.espn.go.com/mlb/players/gamelog?statsId=7711&year=2008 ESPN - Glen Perkins Stats, News, Photos - Minnesota Twins ] ]

On July 19, 2008, Perkins went six innings combined with three relievers on a three-hit shutout of the Texas Rangers. It was the first time this season that the game's highest-scoring offense has been shut out. Perkins is 5-0 in his last six starts and 7-2 with a 3.84 ERA overall.

Personal

Glen Perkins is married to Alisha (Weber) and they have two children.

Trivia

*On the day his second daughter was born, he pitched a shutout.

References

External links

* [http://www.thebaseballcube.com/players/P/Glen-Perkins.shtml Season stats from thebaseballcube.com]
* [http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/askba/263626.html/ Baseball America's Top 100 Prospects]
* [http://scores.espn.go.com/mlb/players/profile?playerId=6482 ESPN Player Profile]
* [http://mlb.mlb.com/team/player.jsp?player_id=450282 Minnesota Twins Player Profile