Matthew John Wallner...X: @Matt\_Wallner...Instagram: @matt\_wallner...Married in December of 2023 at The Venue at Southern Oaks Farm in Mississippi to now wife, Sydnie, who is an ICU nurse...Forest Lake, Minn. native who attended Forest Lake High School...Named 2016 Minnesota Mr. Baseball...Played collegiately at the University of Southern Mississippi for three seasons, hitting .337 (232-for-689) with 39 doubles, 58 home runs and 190 RBI in 189 games...In 2019, named to the Baton Rouge Regional All-Tournament Team, leading the Golden Eagles to the championship round after hitting .308 (4-for-13) with two home runs and five RBI...Played for the 2018 USA Baseball Collegiate National Team...In 2017, named the Baseball America Freshman of the Year and was selected to BA All-America Second Team and Freshman All-America First Team...Makes offseason home in Mississippi...Enjoys watching college football during offseason...Favorite non-baseball team is the Minnesota Vikings...Favorite vacation spot is the beach...Participated in 2023 TwinsFest at Target Field in January and went on Twins Winter Caravan with Louie Varland, Cory Provus and LaTroy Hawkins.
2023
Was in Twins Spring Training for first time in career...Optioned to Triple-A St. Paul on March 18 where he began season...Played in five games for Saints from March 30-April 7, going 6-for-20 with a home run and two walks and was recalled by Minnesota on April 8 (Max Kepler - IL)...Played in just six games for Twins from April 9-14, going 0-for-8 with one walk and two HBP and was optioned back to St. Paul on April 15...Played in 27 games for Saints from April 15-May 23, slashing .264/.398/.440 with three home runs and 17 walks and was recalled by Minnesota for second time on season on May 23 (Trevor Larnach - IL)...Recorded career-high four hits with Minnesota on May 27 vs. Toronto, including a home run and three RBI...Played in five games for Twins from May 23-28, hitting .636 (7-for-11) with one double, one home run, four RBI, two walks and a 1.714 OPS and was optioned to St. Paul again on May 29 (Kepler reinstated from IL)...Named Twins Minor League Player of the Week twice on season on June 4 and July 2...Played in 36 games during third and final stint with Saints from May 30-July 14, hitting .308 (44-for-143) with 11 doubles, two triples, seven home runs, 31 RBI, 20 walks and a .975 OPS...Recalled by Minnesota for final time on July 15 (Jose Miranda - IL) and remained with Twins through end of season...Tied career-high reaching base four times on July 23 vs. Chicago-AL, going 2-for-2 with a hit-by-pitch and walk...Had first career multi-homer game on July 26 vs. Seattle, both solo shots...Recorded an outfield assist from leftfield on Aug. 1 at St. Louis, a throw that registered at 100.4 mph, the third-hardest outfield assist thrown by a Twin in the Statcast era (since 2015), trailing Aaron Hicks (101.9 mph on 6/12/15) and Eddie Rosario (100.6 mph on 8/23/18)...Hit first career walk-off home run on Aug. 6 vs. Arizona, a two-run shot off Paul Sewald in the ninth inning, capping a Twins 5-3 victory...Hit first career grand slam on Aug. 15 vs. Detroit, a go-ahead shot off Will Vest, leading to a Twins 5-3 victory...The homer was measured at 450 feet, the longest grand slam by a Twin in the Statcast Era...Four RBI marked a career-high...Hit a double that registered at 116.4 mph exit velocity on Sept. 24 vs. Los Angeles-AL, the hardest hit ball of career and third-hardest for Twin in 2023...Reached safely in career-long six-straight games from Sept. 12-17...Hit second career grand slam on Sept. 26 vs. Oakland, off Paul Blackburn...The homer was measured at 463 feet, the third-longest for a Twin on season...Longest grand slam by a Twin in the Statcast Era (since 2015)...Hit .354 (17-for-48) with five doubles, three home runs, 12 RBI and a 1.102 OPS in his final 17 games from Sept. 12-Oct. 1...Hit .290 (9-for-31) with runners in scoring position and two outs with Twins...Hit .375 (3-for-8) with two grand slams with the bases loaded for Minnesota...Hit .281 (48-for-171) with 10 doubles, 12 home runs, 38 RBI and a .970 OPS against right-handed pitching for Minnesota, compared to a .119 (5-for-42) average with one double, two home runs, three RBI and a .481 OPS vs. left-handed pitching...Hit .368 (14-for-38) with a .684 slugging percentage against offspeed pitches...Among all MLB rookies with a minimum of 250 plate appearances, he ranked second in OPS (.877) and third in slugging percentage (.507)...Ranked in the 100th percentile in baseball in arm strength, posting a 97.8 mph average throw velocity...Played in five of the Twins' six postseason games, making five starts in leftfield...Went 0-for-8 with three walks and one run scored...Made postseason debut on Oct. 3 in Game 1 of the ALWCS vs. Toronto, going 0-for-2 with a walk...Played in both games of ALWCS vs. Toronto and went 0-for-3...Played in three of four games of ALDS vs. Houston, going 0-for-5 with two walks...Named to MLB.com Pipeline’s All-Rookie Second Team.
2022
Began season with Double-A Wichita...Recorded four hits three times for the Wind Surge: May 6 vs. Tulsa, June 4 vs. Frisco and July 13 vs. Arkansas...Recorded four multi-homer games while at Wichita: April 30 at Arkansas, June 21 vs. San Antonio, June 30 at Springfield and July 4 vs. Amarillo...Named Twins Minor League Player of the Week three times: June 26 and July 10 with Wind Surge, and Sept. 4 with Saints...Named Texas League Hitter of the Week June 27...led the league with 1.508 OPS, three home runs and six RBI; batted .429 with five walks...Hit .345 (29-for-84) with five doubles, one triple, eight home runs, 17 RBI, 24 runs scored and a 1.214 OPS in 27 June games at Wichita...Promoted to Triple-A St. Paul July 14...at time of promotion, ranked first in the Texas League in RBI (64) and intentional walks (5), tied for first in extra base hits (37), second in home runs (21) and walks (62), third in number of pitches seen (1393), tied for third in runs (61), fourth in on base percentage (.436), slugging (.597), OPS (1.033), and extra-base hits (37), and 10th in hits (80)…Selected to start in the SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game at Dodger Stadium July 16...batted fifth and played right field, going 1-for-2 with a home run, two RBI and one run scored...Hit walk-off single in 10th inning for Saints Aug. 21 vs. Scranton/Wilkes-Barre...Recorded first cycle in 30-season Saints franchise history, going 5-for-6 with two doubles, a triple, a homer, six RBI and two runs scored Sept. 1 vs. Omaha...five hits and six RBI tied minor league career highs...Had contract selected by Minnesota Sept. 17...Made Major League debut in Game 1 of a doubleheader Sept. 17 at Cleveland...recorded first career hit in that game, a solo home run off Shane Bieber...became 12th Twin to homer in first career major league game...Recorded first career three-hit game Sept. 21 at Kansas City, hitting one double and two singles...Hit home run Sept. 27 vs. Chicago-AL, off Lance Lynn, a ball that registered at 113.8 mph exit velocity, the fifth-hardest hit ball by a Twin on season and 48th hardest in baseball in 2022... the hit was measured at a 45.0° launch angle, one of nine players in baseball to hit a home run at that sharp of launch angle on season...also tied Eduardo Escobar (June 18, 2016 vs. New York-AL) for highest launch angle on a home run in club history in the Statcast Era...Recorded three RBI for Twins Sept. 28 vs. Chicago-AL...Combined to hit .273 (140-for-512) with 35 doubles, four triples, 29 home runs, 105 RBI, 94 runs scored, 102 walks, a .404 on-base percentage, a .527 slugging percentage and a .931 OPS in 146 games between Minnesota, St. Paul and Wichita...Ranked first among all Twins minor leaguers in RBI (95), doubles (32) and total bases (248), second in home runs (27) and walks (97), and third in hits (127), runs scored (90) and games played (128)…Named an outfielder on Minor League Baseball's Texas League All-Star team...Named winner of Sherry Robertson Award as Twins Minor League Player of the Year...hit .277 (127-for-458) with 32 doubles, four triples, 27 home runs, 95 RBI, 90 runs scored and a .953 OPS in 128 minor league games...became fourth Minnesota native to win award, joining Kent Hrbek (1981), Michael Restovich (1999) and Joe Mauer (2003)…Named outfielder on Twins’ MiLB.com organizational All-Star team...Ranked as Twins fifth-best prospect in organization by MLB.com after season...Ranked as sixth-best prospect, best power hitter and best outfield arm in Twins system by Baseball America, entering 2023...Ranked as seventh-best prospect in Twins system by MLB.com, entering 2023.
2021
Spent the entirety of his first full season with Low-A Cedar Rapids, except for a two-game rehab stint with the GCL Twins...notched his first career two-homer game on May 5 vs. Peoria, the second game of the season...went 3-for-4 with a career-high six RBI in the game...went 4-for-5 with one triple and one home run on May 20 vs. Beloit, setting a single-game career high in hits...missed time on the 7-day Injured List from May 26-July 20 with a right wrist sprain...later examinations revealed a broken hamate bone that required surgery...appeared in two games on rehab assignment with the GCL Twins, going 2-for-6 with two runs scored...recorded back-to-back three-hit games July 27-28 at Wisconsin, going a combined 6-for-9 with four runs scored, two doubles, three home runs and four RBI...had his second career two-homer game on July 27...overall, batted .264/.350/.508 (68-for-258) with 14 doubles, two triples, 15 home runs, 47 RBI, 28 walks and 39 runs scored in 66 games for the Kernels... played for Scottsdale in the Arizona Fall League after the season...batted .303 (20-for-66) with two doubles, six home runs, 15 RBI, nine walks, 11 runs scored, a .405 on-base percentage, a .606 slugging percentage and a 1.011 OPS in 18 games...ranked among the AFL league leaders in home runs (T-4th), slugging percentage (7th) and OPS (10th).
2020
Ranked by MLB.com as the 13th-best prospect in the Twins system...did not appear in a professional game as the minor league season was cancelled due to COVID-19...participated in instructional league in Fort Myers, FL in Oct.
2019
Made professional debut for Rookie-Elizabethton, playing in his first game June 20 vs. Bluefield...singled in his first career at-bat...hit safely in each of his first eight career games, batting .314 (11-for-35) with one homer and two RBI in that span...promoted to Low-A Cedar Rapids August 21 and finished the season with the Kernels...batted .258/.357/.452 (65-for-252) with 21 doubles, two triples, eight homers, 34 RBI, 42 runs scored and 24 walks in 65 games combined between Elizabethton and Cedar Rapids.
