David Festa had already been generating attention in the Minnesota Twins system. Three consecutive outs on Sunday made sure that people would remember his name.
Between the third and fourth innings, Festa allowed three consecutive singles. None of those hits mattered as he was able to pick off each of those batters. It also proved to be the highlight of his night as Festa allowed six runs, five earned, on nine hits and two walks over four innings, striking out three.
Minnesota Twins prospect David Festa involves memory of Tippy Martinez
If Festa’s three consecutive pickoffs sound like they had happened before, that is because it had. Back on August 24, 1983, Tippy Martinez relieved Tim Stoddard after he had allowed a home run and a base hit in the top of the tenth inning. Martinez picked off Barry Bonnell, the inherited runner, for the first out of the inning. He then walked Dave Collins, only to pick him off for the second out. A base hit by Willie Upshaw, and another pickoff, ended the inning. Martinez would end up getting the victory as the Orioles rallied for four runs in the bottom of the inning in the 7-4 win.
Festa may be remembered for more than those three consecutive pickoffs. He had been a relatively unheralded prospect, a 13th round selection in the 2021 MLB Draft who is viewed as the Twins’ 29th best prospect per MLB.com. Armed with a mid 90s fastball, a high spin slider that flashes plus, and a changeup that can miss bats, he has the potential to be a major sleeper in their organization.
That was certainly the case based on his production prior to this outing. Festa had posted a stellar 1.74 ERA and a 0.926 WHiP in his 72.1 innings between A-ball and High-A, striking out 84 batters with 22 walks and just two homers allowed. His rough outing on Sunday will skew those numbers, but Festa has had a strong start to the season.
If he can bounce back from that outing, and continue to dominate once more, another promotion may not be out of the question. Festa could be the type of pitcher that rises rapidly through the ranks despite his lower profile. On the positive side, he can at least take away the fact that his pickoff move is enough to completely beguile players in High-A.
David Festa had a three batter stretch to remember on Sunday. Although the Minnesota Twins prospect allowed hits, he picked each player off.