Dave Goltz – Baseball Player Biography, Career, Net Worth Information

Dave Goltz put together a solid 12-year run in Major League Baseball, pitching from 1972 to 1983 for three different teams.

Born David Allan Goltz on June 23, 1949, in Pelican Rapids, Minnesota, he grew into a reliable starting pitcher who could handle heavy workloads and deliver steady results.

His journey from small-town Minnesota to the majors took a surprising turn through military service, which almost threw his baseball dreams off track.

Goltz wrapped up his baseball career with 113 wins and 109 losses, a 3.69 earned run average over 356 games, and 1,105 strikeouts. In 1977, he hit his peak, winning 20 games for the Minnesota Twins, tying for the American League lead in victories.

That year really stood out, marking the moment he shifted from promising prospect to workhorse starter, anchoring a big-league rotation.

Goltz, a right-handed pitcher, played for the Minnesota Twins, Los Angeles Dodgers, and California Angels. He found his most notable team success with the Dodgers, contributing to their 1981 World Series championship.

Goltz’s story shows the dedication and grit it takes to make it at baseball’s highest level, from his early days in Minnesota’s amateur leagues to his last appearance in June 1983.

Overview of Dave Goltz’s Baseball Career

Dave Goltz pitched in Major League Baseball from 1972 to 1983, notching 113 wins and 109 losses across 356 games.

He led the American League in wins in 1977 and celebrated a World Series championship with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1981.

Major League Baseball Debut

Dave Goltz took the mound for his MLB debut on July 18, 1972, with the Minnesota Twins. At 23, he stepped in as a replacement for injured pitcher Jim Kaat.

His road to the majors wasn’t straightforward. Military service delayed his baseball career, as he served in the U.S. Army Reserves as a helicopter mechanic in 1969. That year away slowed down his professional development.

Before making the big leagues, Goltz pitched in the Twins’ minor league system starting in 1967. Minnesota signed him out of high school for $20,000.

He won his first major league start against the Milwaukee Brewers.

Goltz wrapped up his rookie season with a 6-4 record. That strong start launched what turned into an 11-year major league baseball career.

Role as a Pitcher

Dave Goltz worked as a starting pitcher for most of his major league career. He threw right-handed, stood 6’4″, and weighed around 200 pounds.

His best season came in 1977, when he won 20 games for the Minnesota Twins.

Goltz tied Dennis Leonard and Jim Palmer for the American League wins lead that year. That season really marked the high point of his pitching career.

He pitched 2,039 innings in the majors and struck out 1,105 batters. His career ERA sat at 3.69.

Goltz had a quirky streak of three straight .500 seasons, going 8-8 in 1974 and 14-14 in both 1975 and 1976.

Retirement in 1983 and Legacy

Dave Goltz hung up his cleats in 1983 after his last appearance on June 22 with the California Angels. He played 11 seasons across three teams.

Goltz spent 1972 to 1979 with the Minnesota Twins, then moved to the Los Angeles Dodgers from 1980 to 1982. He finished up with the California Angels in 1982 and 1983.

His World Series ring came with the Dodgers in 1981.

His career statistics show he was worth 23.2 Wins Above Replacement.

Goltz stands out as the only player with three straight seasons at exactly .500 with at least 20 decisions each year.

As a Minnesota native, his baseball career showed consistency and durability over more than a decade in the majors.

Early Life and Path to the Majors

Dave Goltz grew up in small-town Minnesota before catching the eye of professional scouts as a standout high school athlete.

His path to the majors included stints in rookie ball and the minors, plus a detour for military service in the U.S. Army Reserves.

High School and Minnesota Roots

David Allan Goltz was born June 23, 1949, in Pelican Rapids, Minnesota. He grew up in Rothsay, a tiny town of just 497 people.

His dad ran a produce business, and his mom kept the books for the company.

At Rothsay High School, the tall, 200-pound Goltz was a standout. He lettered in all four sports the school offered: football, basketball, track, and baseball.

In football, he played lineman on the eight-man team and averaged 39 yards per punt as a sophomore.

Goltz joined the 1,000 Point Club in basketball. In track, he threw shot put and discus and ran the third leg of the 880-yard relay.

His baseball coach, Kenny Reitan, became a mentor and later helped negotiate his pro contract.

During summer baseball, Goltz played for three different teams: the local American Legion squad coached by Reitan, the VFW team in Fergus Falls, and the Foxhome town team.

Signing with the Twins Organization

Several major league teams scouted Goltz while he was still in high school. A New York Mets scout even visited him after a game at Battle Lake during his junior year.

The Minnesota Twins landed him through scout Angelo Giuliani in 1966.

Goltz signed with the Twins organization out of high school for a $10,000 bonus and another $10,000 set aside for college. Coach Kenny Reitan helped hammer out the deal, reportedly getting his former player a couple thousand more.

That college fund let Goltz attend Moorhead State University during the offseasons. Concordia College in Moorhead also recruited him to play football under coaches Jake Christiansen and Jim Christopherson.

Gulf Coast Rookie League and Minor League Rise

Goltz started his pro career in 1967 with the Minnesota club in the Gulf Coast Rookie League.

He went 6-2 with a 2.00 ERA in his first season. Some of his teammates, like Rick Dempsey, Steve Braun, and Ray Corbin, also made it to the majors.

The next year, Goltz moved up to St. Cloud in the Class A Northern League. He dominated, going 10-3 with a 1.61 ERA and nearly a strikeout per inning.

Future Twins Danny Thompson and Jim Nettles played alongside him.

St. Cloud games meant a lot to Goltz. Family and friends from Rothsay could easily drive down Interstate 94 to watch him pitch for the Rox.

Military Service and Return

In 1969, Goltz’s baseball development hit a bump when the U.S. Army Reserves called him to active duty. He worked as a helicopter mechanic, missing the entire 1969 season.

After finishing his military service, Goltz returned in 1970 with Charlotte in the Class AA Southern League.

He hurt his arm while getting ready for the season and headed down to Orlando in the Class A Florida State League to recover.

Goltz stayed with Orlando at the start of the 1971 season. After going 7-0, he moved up to Lynchburg in the Class A Carolina League, finishing 7-3 and tossing a no-hitter.

That strong run set him up for Triple-A Tacoma in 1972, bringing him just one step from the majors.

Achievements and Milestones

Dave Goltz hit several big milestones during his 12-year MLB career from 1972 to 1983.

He won 20 games in 1977, tying for the American League lead, and later picked up a World Series ring with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1981.

AL Wins Leader in 1977

Goltz put together his best season in 1977, winning 20 games for the Minnesota Twins. That tied him with Dennis Leonard of the Kansas City Royals and Jim Palmer of the Baltimore Orioles for the AL lead.

The 20-win season stood out as the high point of his time in Minnesota. He became just the fourth pitcher in Twins history to reach 20 wins at that point.

Goltz broke through after three straight seasons at .500, with identical 14-14 records in 1975 and 1976. That 1977 campaign put him among the American League’s top pitchers.

World Series Champion with Dodgers

Goltz earned his only World Series ring with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1981. The Dodgers beat the New York Yankees in six games that year.

He joined the Dodgers after the 1979 season, signing a six-year, $3 million contract—pretty big money back then.

Goltz pitched in the 1981 World Series as part of the Dodgers’ staff. That championship was the highlight of his three seasons in Los Angeles from 1980 to 1982.

Wins and Strikeouts Records

Goltz finished his career with 113 wins and 109 losses over 356 MLB games. At the time he left, his 113 wins made him the fourth-winningest pitcher in Twins history.

He racked up 1,105 strikeouts, averaging about 6.2 per nine innings. For his era, those strikeout numbers were solid, though not eye-popping.

Goltz kept his career ERA at 3.69. He never had a losing season during his eight years with the Twins from 1972 to 1979.

Durability and WAR Contributions

Goltz showed real consistency, especially during his years in Minnesota. He’s the only player with three straight seasons at exactly .500 with at least 20 decisions each year.

He made regular starts over 12 seasons, averaging over 29 games per season—most of those as a starter.

Goltz’s steady presence helped anchor the Twins’ rotation during the 1970s. His reliability gave Minnesota valuable innings during his prime.

Team Tenures and Notable Seasons

Dave Goltz played for three teams in his 11-year MLB career, with his best years coming with the Minnesota Twins. He won 20 games in 1977, later joined the Los Angeles Dodgers on a big contract, and finished with the California Angels.

Years with the Minnesota Twins

Goltz spent eight seasons with the Minnesota Twins from 1972 to 1979. He made his MLB debut on July 18, 1972, when Jim Kaat landed on the disabled list and AAA Tacoma called him up.

His rookie year looked promising—he went 6-4 after winning his first start against the Milwaukee Brewers.

The next few years brought steady, if not spectacular, results.

Goltz posted three straight .500 seasons, which made baseball history. He went 8-8 in 1974, then had back-to-back 14-14 years in 1975 and 1976. No one else has had three straight seasons at exactly .500 with at least 20 decisions each year.

1977 was his breakout. Goltz won 20 games for the Twins, tying Dennis Leonard and Jim Palmer for the AL wins lead.

That performance put him among the few Twins pitchers to ever notch a 20-win season.

He stayed with Minnesota through 1979, serving as a key part of their rotation during the mid-1970s.

Time with the Los Angeles Dodgers

After a strong run with the Twins, Goltz signed a six-year, $3 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers after the 1979 season. The Dodgers clearly felt confident enough to make that kind of financial commitment.

But things didn’t really go as planned. Goltz managed to win just 17 games after signing that big contract, and honestly, the Dodgers had hoped for more.

The highlight of his Dodgers stint came in 1981. He got to pitch in the World Series and picked up a championship ring when Los Angeles took the title.

He spent three seasons with the Dodgers from 1980 through 1982. Even though the team found success, Goltz’s numbers slipped compared to his best years in Minnesota.

Final MLB Years with California Angels

Goltz wrapped up his career with the California Angels, pitching parts of the 1982 and 1983 seasons. The Angels picked him up from the Dodgers as he shifted into a relief role.

He made his last MLB appearance on June 22, 1983, pitching for the Angels. By then, he had pretty much moved away from starting and worked mainly out of the bullpen.

Those Angels years brought his professional career to a close. He retired with a career record of 113 wins and 109 losses, appearing in 356 games over 11 seasons.

Key Rivalries and Historical Context

Goltz hit his stride during a tough era, going toe-to-toe with top pitchers like Dennis Leonard and Jim Palmer for American League win totals. Some of his biggest games happened during tense divisional races and postseason appearances that really shaped his legacy.

Pitching Duels: Dennis Leonard and Jim Palmer

In 1977, Goltz had his best year, winning 20 games for the Twins. He tied with Kansas City’s Dennis Leonard and Baltimore’s Jim Palmer for most wins in the American League that season.

That three-way tie says a lot about how competitive AL pitching was in the late ’70s. Leonard brought heat and durability to the Royals’ rotation, while Palmer was already a big name for the Orioles with multiple Cy Young Awards.

Goltz’s 20-win season showed he could hang with the league’s best. That year, his efforts helped push the Twins into contention in the AL West. Facing off against pitchers like Leonard and Palmer seemed to bring out the best in all three.

Memorable Games and Key Matchups

Goltz delivered his most memorable performances during big moments in team history. Pitching in the 1981 World Series with the Dodgers was the clear peak of his postseason career.

During his eight seasons with the Twins, he never finished with a losing record. That kind of consistency made him a reliable arm in key divisional matchups against the Royals and Angels.

When he joined the Dodgers in 1980, he faced new challenges in the National League. The $3 million contract brought a lot of pressure, but Goltz ended up with only 17 wins during his time in Los Angeles and California.

Statistical Impact and Baseball Analysis

Goltz finished his career with 113 wins and 109 losses over 12 seasons, along with a 3.69 ERA and 1,105 strikeouts. His stats show that he gave the Twins a lot of quality starts during his best years.

Career ERA and Performance Metrics

Goltz’s career ERA of 3.69 made him a solid mid-rotation starter throughout his time in the majors. In 1978, he had his best year on the mound, posting a 2.49 ERA over 220.1 innings.

He hit his peak with Minnesota from 1972 to 1979. Over those eight years, he held a 3.48 ERA and went 96-79. That 1977 season stands out—he finished sixth in Cy Young voting.

In 1977, he logged 303 innings with a 3.36 ERA and 20 wins. That kind of workload was just part of the job for starters back then. He also struck out 186 batters that year, showing he could miss bats when it counted.

After he joined the Dodgers in 1980, his numbers slipped. Goltz finished his time in Los Angeles with a 4.25 ERA, winning just 9 games while dropping 19 over three seasons.

Baseball Reference and Advanced Statistics

Baseball Reference’s advanced stats say Goltz put up 23.5 WAR (Wins Above Replacement) in his career. He hit his peak WAR in 1978 (6.6) and 1977 (5.5), which lines up with his best years by the usual numbers.

His WHIP (Walks plus Hits per Inning Pitched) sat at 1.348, so you could say he showed solid control most of the time. Goltz walked 2.9 batters per nine innings and struck out 4.9 batters per nine innings.

The ERA+ stat adjusts for ballpark and league, and it shows Goltz did about 5% better than league average (105 ERA+) for his career. He hit his best ERA+ in 1978 with 155, and in 1972 with 121.

Goltz posted a FIP (Fielding Independent Pitching) of 3.50, which pretty much matched his actual ERA. That kind of consistency suggests his pitching results really did reflect his skill, not just luck or great defense.