Last season the Minnesota Twins were bailed out by a youth movement that helped save the season. It seems rather than try to improve the roster externally, the team is hoping the same thing happens again.
Already we’ve seen Brooks Lee and David Festa make their debut, with both finding their footing in their own way. For Festa things took a bit to settle in, but he was masterful against the Chicago Cubs and has gained the confidence of the coaching staff to continue auditioning for a role in the rotation.
The same happened with Lee, who burst onto the scene after making his debut in July. He tapered off a bit over the last few weeks, but that seems to be due to a shoulder injury that has found him on the IL.
Minnesota’s farm system is ranking in the Top 5 in all of baseball, and it might not be long before we see another top prospect introduce himself on the MLB level.
Zebby Matthews might be making his MLB debut soon
Twins president of baseball operations Derek Falvey hinted a t the possibility of the team calling up top pitching prospect Zebby Matthews to help offset the loss of Joe Ryan. He didn’t give a timeline, but his comments come ahead of a series against the Royals where Minnesota’s rotation depth is going to be tested.
"As we think about the needs for next week, he’s certainly a name we’re talking about. As soon as some time really soon,” Falvey said.
If Falvey is already thinking about calling Matthews up, this upcoming series against Kansas City makes sense for him to make his debut. Minnesota’s only probable pitcher who is on a schedule is Pablo Lopez; outside of that it’s unclear who the team might call on to start.
David Festa is pitching the series finale against Cleveland on Sunday which takes him out of the running, and Bailey Ober was used on Friday as part of a doubleheader. Louie Varland also pitching in that game which likely puts him right on the edge of being able to contribute.
It’s entirely possible that one of those guys make starts, but the path seems to be relatively clear for Matthews to get called up.
Another obvious benefit of using the Royals series to debut Matthews is to see if he has what it takes to help fill in for Ryan while he’s on the IL. The Twins starting pitching depth was already incredibly thin before the tough injury news and it’s only going to get tested more in the home stretch of the season.
Minnesota is just a few games out of first place in the AL Central and firmly in the Wild Card chase. Matthews has been among this year’s group of top prospects to rise quickly through the farm system and it might not be the worst idea to see what he has a hope that another problem for the Twins finds a way to solve itself.
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