Fast track to the Twins? Zebby Matthews is dominating the minors

Matthews has been one of the elite arms in the minor leagues this season.

Pitcher Zebby Matthews warms up during a Fort Myers Mighty Mussels practice at Hammond Stadium in Fort Myers on Tuesday, April 4, 2023. Fnp Jh 20230404 Musselsmediaday 0006 / Jonah Hinebaugh/Naples Daily News / USA

David Festa is the pitching prospect who may be closest to getting the call from the Minnesota Twins, but Zebby Matthews is rapidly ascending as one of the better pitching prospects in the game.

In four starts for the Twins' High-A Cedar Rapids Kernels, Matthews posted a 1.59 ERA and allowed only 17 hits in 22.2 innings. It was a dramatic improvement from his 4.59 ERA in 13 starts in Cedar Rapids last season, so he was quickly promoted to Double-A.

For the Wichita Wind Surge, Matthews has been tremendous, compiling a 1.21 ERA through five starts while allowing only 17 hits in 29.2 innings. He's struck out an impressive 35 batters at the Double-A level.

Among the 352 minor league pitchers with at least 50 innings this season, Matthews' 1.38 ERA ranks fourth and he's No. 1 in walk percentage (0.34 walks per nine innings) and in WHIP (0.69). His 32.8% strikeout rate ranks sixth.

Zebby Matthews was masterful in his fifth start for the Double-A @WindSurgeICT🌟

7 IP / 3 H / 0 R / 0 BB / 8 K

His 2024 ranks amongst all @MLB and @MiLB pitchers (min. 50 IP):

ERA - 4th out of 352 pitchers
FIP - 1st
WHIP - 1st
OPS - 1st
BB% - 1st
wOBA - 1st#MNTwins pic.twitter.com/yGdT7zPRSx

— Twins Player Development (@TwinsPlayerDev) June 10, 2024

The most remarkable stat might be that he has allowed only two walks in 52.1 innings this season. Listed at 6-foot-5, 224 pounds, he is showcasing an intriguing potential.

Minnesota selected Matthews with the 234th overall pick in the eighth round of the 2022 MLB Draft out of Western Carolina, so this level of production has been a pleasant surprise to most. He began his college career at (NJCAA) junior college Walters State before transferring to the Catamounts in 2019, making his development to this point a remarkable rise

He recently debuted in Baseball America's top-100 prospects list, so he has quickly garnered respect amongst talent evaluators as a legitimate prospect who at 24 could be on a fast track to the big leagues if he keeps dominating.