David Festa and Zebby Matthews both made their major league debuts in 2024 and were counted on as starting pitching depth for the Twins this year. Both guys have assumed slots in the starting rotation this year and both have had mixed results.
Currently Festa is on the IL and has a 3-4 record with a 5.40 ERA. He has walked 19 and fanned 53 in 53+ innings. Matthews spent almost a month on the IL and has a 2-2 log with a 4.97 ERA with 9 walks and 37 Ks in 29 innings.
Festa is two months older and has advanced through the system ahead of Zebby. Both hurlers have upped their velocity substantially since signing on with the Twins.
The discussion questions for the TD faithful are in the thread title. Which guy has the best and most upside and which do you see as the first to emerge as a quality starting pitcher?
My preference is Zebby Matthews in a close call. I see Zebby getting more swing and miss with his upper 90s fastball and slightly better command although his low walk totals in the minors would seem to be a bit of a mirage. Festa’s slider and change look pretty effective, but his FIP is quite a bit higher than Matthews.
It would appear that the Twins will be counting on both 25-year-olds for the rest of the year (assuming the Slim Reaper returns next month) and in the future. Matthews has a 2.75 FIP while Festa’s stands at 4.83 for what it’s worth.