Matt Wallner

Matthew John Wallner

• Bats Left, Throws Right
• Height 6' 5", Weight 220 lb.
• School University of Southern Mississippi
• High School Forest Lake Area High School
• Debut September 17, 2022

• Born December 12, 1997 in Forest Lake, MN USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Outfielder Matt Wallner was on the radar screen of the Minnesota Twins for a long time before they made him the 39th player selected in the 2019 amateur draft, in the Competitive Balance Round A, out of the University of Southern Mississippi. Because, in spite of going to college in the heart of Dixie, he was a local boy, born in the suburbs of St. Paul, MN and attending a local high school. The Twins had already drafted him in the 32nd round in the 2016 amateur draft before geting him in the supplemental first round three years later and inking him to a contract. In college, he was a two-way player for a spell, pitching out of the bullpen when he was not playing the outfield, although by his junior season, he was a full-time position player. He batted over .300 all three years he was in Hattiesburg, MS, topped by a .351 average as a sophomore in 2018. He hit 23 homers as a senior and his 58 homers over three seasons broke the school record. When the Twins selected him in 2019, he became the highest-drafted player in school history.

He began his pro career in 2019 with the Elizabethton Twins of the Appalachian League, then after 53 games was promoted to the Cedar Rapids Kernels of the Midwest League. Overall in 65 games he batted .258/.357/.452 with 21 doubles, 8 homers and 34 RBIs for a very good first season. He then had to sit out the 2020 season when the minor leagues were shut down by the Coronavirus pandemic and re-joined Cedar Rapids to start the 2021 season. By then, the Kernels had been promoted one level to the High-A Central and in 66 games he batted .264/.350/.508 with 14 doubles, 15 homers, 39 runs and 47 RBIs. He missed some time with what was originally diagnosed as a right wrist sprain, but was later found to be a broken hamate bone, and played a couple of games with the FCL Twins on a rehabilitation assignment. After the season, he appeared in the Arizona Fall League.

He was named to the American League team for the 2022 Futures Game. He split the season between the AA Wichita Wind Surge and AAA St. Paul Saints, batting .277 in 128 games, with 32 doubles, 27 homers and 95 RBIs. He made his major league debut for the Twins on September 17, 2022, starting both games of a doubleheader against the Cleveland Guardians in right field. His first big league hit, coming in the 8th inning of the first game, was a home run off Shane Bieber. However, the second game went 15 innings, a rarity since the introduction of the tiebreaker rule in 2020 and he was unable to do much, going 0 for 6 to finish the day 1 for 9. The Twins lost both games, which basically eliminated them from postseason contention.

Related Sites

• Matt Wallner on mlb.com
• BR Minors page
• Southern Mississippi bio