Daniel Zebulon Matthews (born May 22, 2000) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Minnesota Twins of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2024.
| Zebby Matthews | |
|---|---|
| Minnesota Twins – No. 52 | |
| Pitcher | |
| Born: May 22, 2000 Cullowhee, North Carolina, U.S. | |
Bats: Right Throws: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| August 13, 2024, for the Minnesota Twins | |
| MLB statistics (through June 5, 2026) | |
| Win–loss record | 8–13 |
| Earned run average | 5.56 |
| Strikeouts | 157 |
| Stats at Baseball Reference | |
| Teams | |
| |
Amateur career
editMatthews attended Smoky Mountain High School in Sylva, North Carolina and played college baseball at Western Carolina University.[1]
Professional career
editMatthews was drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the eighth round, with the 234th overall selection, of the 2022 Major League Baseball draft.[2] He signed with the Twins and spent his first professional season with the rookie–level Florida Complex League Twins and Single–A Fort Myers Mighty Mussels. Matthews started 2023 with Fort Myers before being promoted to the High–A Cedar Rapids Kernels. In 22 games (20 starts) for the two affiliated, he accumulated a 7–3 record and 3.84 ERA with 112 strikeouts across 105+1⁄3 innings pitched.[3][4]
Matthews began the 2024 campaign with Cedar Rapids and later received promotions to the Double–A Wichita Wind Surge and Triple–A St. Paul Saints. On August 13, 2024, Matthews was selected to the 40-man roster and promoted to the major leagues for the first time.[5] Matthews made 9 starts for Minnesota during his rookie campaign, struggling to a 1-4 record and 6.69 ERA with 43 strikeouts across 37+2⁄3 innings pitched.
Matthews was optioned to Triple-A St. Paul to begin the 2025 season.[6] He made 16 starts for Minnesota during the regular season, compiling a 5-6 record and 5.56 ERA with 88 strikeouts across 79+1⁄3 innings pitched.
Matthews was again optioned to Triple-A St. Paul to begin the 2026 season.[7]
References
edit- ↑ Huber, Zachary. "Smoky Mountain ace Zebby Matthews' drive for perfection leads to deal with Minnesota Twins". citizen-times.com. Retrieved July 25, 2022.
- ↑ Huber, Zachary. "Former Smoky Mountain standout Zebby Matthews drafted by the Minnesota Twins". citizen-times.com. Retrieved July 18, 2022.
- ↑ Phillips, Carey. "Matthews promoted by Minnesota Twins". thesylvaherald.com. Retrieved May 31, 2023.
- ↑ Miller, Phil (May 5, 2023). "Twins' Zebby Matthews Shows Refined Offspeed Stuff". Baseball America. Retrieved December 26, 2025.
- ↑ McDonald, Darragh (August 18, 2024). "Twins Sign Scott Blewett To New Minor League Contract". MLB Trade Rumors. Retrieved November 10, 2025.
- ↑ Nightengale, Bobby (March 16, 2025). "Minnesota Twins finalize starting rotation after latest round of roster cuts". Star Tribune. Archived from the original on March 17, 2025. Retrieved November 11, 2025.
- ↑ "Twins Option Zebby Matthews, Finalize Rotation Plans". mlbtraderumors.com. Retrieved March 25, 2026.
External links
edit- Career statistics from MLB · ESPN · Baseball Reference · Fangraphs · Baseball Reference (Minors) · Retrosheet · Baseball Almanac