Joe Nathan, baseball player, 1999-2016

Joe Nathan

Born: 11/22/1974 in Houston, TX, USA

MLB Debut: 1999-04-21 | Final Game: 2016-09-27

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'4" | Weight: 230 lbs

Full name: Joseph Michael Nathan

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Biography

Joe Nathan, born in 1974, was a prominent right-handed pitcher who made a significant mark in Major League Baseball from 1999 until his retirement in 2016. Known for his exceptional ability to close games, Nathan achieved a remarkable career record of 64-34 and an impressive earned run average (ERA) of 2.87. With a total of 976 strikeouts and 377 saves, he established himself as one of the most reliable closers of his era. Nathan's career spanned across various teams, but he was particularly noted for his time with the Minnesota Twins, where he became a fan favorite and a dominant force in the bullpen. A six-time All-Star, Nathan’s contributions to the game extended beyond just statistics; he was renowned for his poise under pressure and his ability to perform in high-stakes situations. His career unfolded during a time when the closer role was evolving, and Nathan embraced this change, becoming one of the defining figures in the modern era of relief pitching. His legacy is marked not only by his impressive numbers but also by his leadership and mentorship of younger pitchers, solidifying his place in baseball history as one of the great closers of his generation.

Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
64 34 787 29 0 0 377 923.3 690 294 84 344 976 2.87 0

Career ERA 2.87 vs. league average 4.27 across their career seasons — 32.8% better than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1999 SFG NL 7 4 19 14 0 0 1 90.3 84 42 46 54 4.18 4.71 (+11%) -
2000 SFG NL 5 2 20 15 0 0 0 93.3 89 54 63 61 5.21 4.77 (-9%) -
2002 SFG NL 0 0 4 0 0 0 0 3.7 1 0 0 2 0.00 — -
2003 SFG NL 12 4 78 0 0 0 0 79.0 51 26 33 83 2.96 4.40 (+33%) -
2004 MIN AL 1 2 73 0 0 0 44 72.3 48 13 23 89 1.62 4.46 (+64%) 4221.4
2005 MIN AL 7 4 69 0 0 0 43 70.0 46 21 22 94 2.70 4.29 (+37%) 3701.7
2006 MIN AL 7 0 64 0 0 0 36 68.3 38 12 16 95 1.58 4.53 (+65%) 4926.0
2007 MIN AL 4 2 68 0 0 0 37 71.7 54 15 19 77 1.88 4.47 (+58%) 3308.1
2008 MIN AL 1 2 68 0 0 0 39 67.7 43 10 18 74 1.33 4.32 (+69%) 2627.2
2009 MIN AL 2 2 70 0 0 0 47 68.7 42 16 22 89 2.10 4.32 (+51%) 2512.4
2011 MIN AL 2 1 48 0 0 0 14 44.7 38 24 14 43 4.84 3.94 (-23%) -379.4
2012 TEX AL 3 5 66 0 0 0 37 64.3 55 20 13 78 2.80 4.01 (+30%) 2005.7
2013 TEX AL 6 2 67 0 0 0 43 64.7 36 10 22 73 1.39 3.87 (+64%) 2631.4
2014 DET AL 5 4 62 0 0 0 35 58.0 60 31 29 54 4.81 3.74 (-29%) -296.3
2015 DET AL 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0.3 0 0 0 1 0.00 — 0.0
2016 CHC NL 1 0 3 0 0 0 0 2.0 2 0 2 4 0.00 — -
2016 SFG NL 1 0 7 0 0 0 0 4.3 3 0 2 5 0.00 — -

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
787 63 4 10 3 0 2 4 0 3 17 0.159 0.194 0.302 0.496 0.0

Career AVG .159 vs. league average .262 across their career seasons — 39.3% below league average.

Career OBP .194 vs. league average .329 across their career seasons — 41.1% below league average.

Career SLG .302 vs. league average .416 across their career seasons — 27.5% below league average.

Career OPS 0.496 vs. league average 0.745 across their career seasons — 33.5% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1999 SFG NL 19 28 1 5 1 0 0 1 0 2 6 0.179 — — — — 0.0
2000 SFG NL 20 32 3 5 2 0 2 3 0 1 9 0.156 — — — — 0.0
2002 SFG NL 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
2003 SFG NL 78 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.000 — — — — 0.0
2004 MIN AL 73 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.000 — — — — 0.0
2005 MIN AL 69 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
2006 MIN AL 64 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.000 — — — — 0.0
2007 MIN AL 68 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
2008 MIN AL 68 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
2009 MIN AL 70 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
2011 MIN AL 48 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
2012 TEX AL 66 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
2013 TEX AL 67 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
2014 DET AL 62 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
2015 DET AL 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
2016 CHC NL 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
2016 SFG NL 7 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
10 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
2014 ALDS2 DET 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
2012 ALWC TEX 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
2009 ALDS1 MIN 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
2006 ALDS2 MIN 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
2004 ALDS2 MIN 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
2003 NLDS1 SFN 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Playoff Career Pitching

W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
0 2 10 0 1 10.0 14 9 8 12 8.10

Playoff Pitching by Year

Year Round Team W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
2014 ALDS2 DET 0 0 1 0 0 1.0 0 0 0 1 0.00
2012 ALWC TEX 0 0 1 0 0 1.0 2 2 1 1 18.00
2009 ALDS1 MIN 0 0 2 0 0 2.0 5 2 1 2 9.00
2006 ALDS2 MIN 0 0 1 0 0 0.7 1 0 0 1 0.00
2004 ALDS2 MIN 0 1 3 0 1 5.0 2 2 5 6 3.60
2003 NLDS1 SFN 0 1 2 0 0 0.3 4 3 1 1 81.00

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
P 787 29 50 82 7 6

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1999 SFN P 19 14 3 11 0 0
2000 SFN P 20 15 8 11 0 0
2002 SFN P 4 0 0 2 0 0
2003 SFN P 78 0 4 5 0 1
2004 MIN P 73 0 1 6 0 1
2005 MIN P 69 0 2 6 1 0
2006 MIN P 64 0 3 5 2 1
2007 MIN P 68 0 1 3 1 0
2008 MIN P 68 0 3 6 1 1
2009 MIN P 70 0 5 6 1 1
2011 MIN P 48 0 5 4 0 0
2012 TEX P 66 0 3 4 1 1
2013 TEX P 67 0 5 7 0 0
2014 DET P 62 0 6 6 0 0
2015 DET P 1 0 0 0 0 0
2016 CHN P 3 0 0 0 0 0
2016 SFN P 7 0 1 0 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
Pitcher 787

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
2013 Reliever of the Month June
2009 Reliever of the Month June
2008 Reliever of the Month July
2006 Reliever of the Month July
2005 Player of the Week Week of 2005-07-02
2005 TSN All-Star RP
2004 Player of the Week Week of 2004-05-15
2004 TSN Reliever of the Year

Featured In Rankings

#13
Top 20 Closers of All Time in History of MLB Baseball
Ranked 13 of 20
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Salary History

Year Team League Salary
2015 DET AL $10,000,000
2014 DET AL $9,000,000
2013 TEX AL $8,000,000
2012 TEX AL $7,000,000
2011 MIN AL $11,250,000
2010 MIN AL $11,250,000
2009 MIN AL $11,250,000
2008 MIN AL $6,000,000
2007 MIN AL $5,250,000
2006 MIN AL $3,750,000
2005 MIN AL $2,100,000
2004 MIN AL $440,000
2003 SFN NL $300,000
2000 SFN NL $225,000
1999 SFN NL $200,000
Total Career Earnings $86,015,000

College History

School Name City State Years Attended
Stony Brook University Stony Brook NY 1993, 1994, 1995

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
2006 Cy Young Award AL 5th 3.0 140 0
2006 Most Valuable Player AL 18th 6.0 392 0
2004 Cy Young Award AL 4th 1.0 140 0
2004 Most Valuable Player AL 12th 12.0 392 0