Lost in a miserable 96 loss season was the Minnesota Twins bullpen and how good they were. How good were they you ask? This is how they ranked in the AL in some major categories.

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Despite being overused and leading the league in innings pitched by a significant margin, the Twins bullpen ranked in the top 5 in the AL in four major categories used in judging performance. That's the good news. Some even better news is how much better they can be if used more efficiently.

The Closer: Glen Perkins

We all know how good Perkins is. One of the top 10 relievers in the game, Perkins has been dominant since transitioning to the bullpen in 2011. Here are his numbers in the last three seasons.

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Dominant against both right handed and left handed batters, Perkins is entrenched as the Twins' closer. And we all should be okay with that.

The "RH Specialists" : Casey Fien, Jared Burton and Anthony Swarzak

Okay, okay I couldn't think of anything better than "RH Specialists", but that's what these three should be. Burton and Fien have both spent time as set up guys for Perkins and Swarzak was used as a long man in 2013. Although they all did a fine job in their roles, they all really excel when facing right handed batters.

Here are their numbers facing right handed batters. I used the last two seasons for Burton and Fien. I only used 2013 for Swarzak since that was his first full year of being in the bullpen.

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The LOOGYs : Brian Duensing and Caleb Thielbar

We all know about Duensing's troubles against right handed batters going back to his days as a starter. Last season he got to solely focus on coming out of the pen and although he ran into some bad luck (.400 BABIP), he continued to show that he can dominate left handed batters. Here were his 2013 numbers against them.

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Caleb Thielbar had an outstanding rookie season putting up a sparkling 1.76 ERA. Although he may have been a little lucky against right handed batters, he dominated left handed batters. Here were his 2013 numbers against them.

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Conclusion

I would personally like to see the Twins eliminate the "set up man" and use these five non-Perkins relievers according to matchups. With an improved starting rotation, the Twins should be able to limit the bullpen's usage while maximizing each pitcher's strengths.

As good as they were in 2013, the Twins bullpen could be even better in 2014 (if used properly).