There is more to Zebby Matthews’ game than an elite strike-throwing ability, though he certainly possesses that. As our lead prospect analyst Eric Longenhagen put it last summer, the 24-year-old Minnesota Twins right-hander “has barely walked anyone the last half decade.”
That wasn’t an exaggeration. Matthews issued one free pass every nine innings as a collegian, and his walk rate over 205 1/3 minor league frames is a Lilliputian 2.7%. Called up to the big leagues last August, he proceeded to walk just 11 batters in 37 2/3 frames.
That works out to 2.63 batters per nine innings, or nearly two more walks per nine than he had in the minors last year, but don’t get too hung up on the small-sample spike.
Besides, as I mentioned up top, there is more to Matthews than what has garnered him the most attention. Displaying better stuff than many give him credit for — his heater sits comfortably in the mid-90s — the 2022 eighth-round pick out of Western Carolina University logged a 30.5% strikeout rate last year in the minors, and in the majors that number was 27.8%.
Still rookie eligible and with a chance to break camp in the Twins’ starting rotation, Matthews is the organization’s top pitching prospect.
Matthews discussed the development of his underrated arsenal prior to a recent spring training game.
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David Laurila: Let’s start with your pitches. What is your full repertoire?
Zebby Matthews: “I have a four-seam fastball that has some decent carry on it, a cutter, a gyro slider, a curveball, and a changeup.”
Laurila: How much carry do you get on your fastball?
Matthews: “It depends on the start. Sometimes the axis kicks down a little bit, but in good starts I get 18-19 [inches] on average. When it’s not as good, my wrist position is down a little, and instead of a one o’clock or 1:15 axis, it’s around 1:30. Those have a bit more run than on my normal carry. I usually spin it very efficiently, though.”
Laurila: How has your arsenal changed since coming to pro ball?
Matthews: “Out of college, I threw both a cutter and a slider, although while the velo differed, the movements kind of blended. Along with the fastball, those were the only pitches I had. I guess I had a changeup, but in my four years of college I might have thrown it twice, maybe three times.”
Laurila: What were the initial conversations you had with the organization regarding your cutter and slider?
Matthews: “I already knew that they blended, and that hitters would be able to [take advantage]. We played around the first year — my first full year — trying to add a sweeper, and just keep the cutter as is. But I struggled a little bit with the sweeper, so we went back to the drawing board. I was able to increase the vert on the cutter, so we added back the gyro slider that I’d been throwing in college. Being able to throw the gyro harder was a goal, and I’ve been able to do that so far.”
Laurila: Can you elaborate on getting more vertical on the cutter?
Matthews: “When I got to pro ball, I was throwing the cutter around six or seven [inches] vert — positive vert — and with some I would only get like three or four. Once we decided we were going to add back the gyro slider, I knew that I needed to kick the vert up on it. Now it’s usually around 12 or 13.”
Laurila: How did you achieve that?
Matthews: “A grip adjustment. I stuck the ball back in my hand a little bit. Instead of just thinking, ‘Get the middle finger out front,’ I stay behind it a little more; it’s kind of like a fastball type of feel. Now I get about two or three [inches] glove side.”
Laurila: What is your best pitch?
Matthews: “Whichever one the hitter swings and misses at that day? I don’t know. That’s always a tough question. I like to think the cutter, slider, and fastball are all good pitches. Obviously, you continue to work on them — you want to make them better — but those are definitely three pitches that I feel very confident in. I’m trying to get that same confidence with the curveball and the changeup.”
Laurila: I assume you talk with Pete [Maki] and your other pitching coaches about sequencing?
Matthews: “Yes. Sequencing is a huge piece of pitching. I don’t think a lot of younger guys coming up necessarily know [how to do it effectively]. It’s kind of a learned trade. When I got to Triple-A there were some veteran guys who helped teach me how to sequence pitches, how to read hitter’s swings, how to use that to my advantage. It’s not something I felt I’d been doing a very good job of. I’m still working on it.”
Laurila: How do you balance scouting reports with knowing how each of your pitches play best in certain zones?
Matthews: “How your pitches move, and what the data says about them, is obviously important, but hitters are ultimately going to tell you if they like a pitch or not. Every hitter has pitches he’s really good with, and pitches he struggles with. So, it’s very hitter dependent. It can also be count dependent. There are a lot of factors. I don’t think you can just highlight one thing and be like, ‘OK, I can just focus on this and we’re going to be good.’ You’ve got to take in all sides of it.”
Laurila: By and large, you’re a guy who relies on your whole mix…
Matthews: “Yeah. I feel like a lot of starters do that. You have your elite starters who can go out there and dominate with two pitches, but there is a lot of a common ground in the middle where you’re trying to throw your full pitch mix and keep hitters off balance. You use that to your advantage.”
Laurila: Those thing said, is your stuff better than a lot of people think?
Matthews: “I don’t really know. I mean, ultimately you grade your stuff based on what the hitters are telling you. If the hitters struggle to hit it, you get some swing and miss, or they don’t hit it very hard, your pitches are performing well. So, I try not to look too much into what people say about my mix. I don’t get caught up in any of that. I just go out there and do my best to get outs.”
