Twins Prospect Retrospective: David Festa

[Cody Christie]

The Twins have helped David Festa develop into a legitimate starting pitching prospect after selecting him with the 399th overall pick three years ago. How has this 13th-round pick developed into a potential mid-rotation starter? Let’s explore his journey.

Image courtesy of Steven Bisig-USA TODAY Sports

Festa’s baseball story started well before the Twins drafted him in 2021. Entering his senior year of high school, he had yet to be used as a pitcher and had committed to playing shortstop at a Division III school. His team needed an extra pitcher during a tournament, and his pitching journey began. He pitched well enough during his senior season (1.50 ERA with 44 strikeouts in 30 innings) that he decided to be a walk-on at Seton Hall University. 

During his freshman season, he pitched 53 innings and posted a 4.42 ERA with a 1.40 WHIP and 58 strikeouts. Seton Hall named him the school’s Freshman Male Athlete of the Year. His sophomore campaign started poorly (12 ER in 14 1/3 innings) before the pandemic ended the season. During his junior season, Festa put himself on the map with a 2.00 ERA and a 1.07 WHIP, including a 67-to-33 strikeout-to-walk ratio (72 innings). He had a five game stretch where he had three complete games and was named to the All-Big East first team. 

Festa took part in MLB’s first draft combine, where teams got an extended look at him. Despite his strong junior season, Festa fell to the 13th round, where the Twins selected him and signed him for $125,000. Minnesota had him get his feet wet with four appearances between the rookie ball and Low-A. He allowed four earned runs on three hits over 8 1/3 innings, so it was a small sample size to glean much information. 

During the 2022 season, Festa put himself on the prospect map. The Twins sent him back to Fort Myers, where he had ended the previous season. He put up video game numbers across five starts. In 24 innings, he posted a 1.50 ERA with a 0.75 WHIP and 12.4 K/9. On May 10th, he combined with Hunter McMahon and Jaylen Nowlin to throw the fifth no-hitter in Fort Myers history. In that game, Festa pitched six shutout innings with a career-high 11 strikeouts. The bulk of his innings that season came in Cedar Rapids. He made 16 appearances (79 2/3 innings) with a 2.71 ERA, a 1.19 WHIP, and a 23.1 K%. Twins Daily ranked him as the team’s 13th overall prospect following the season. 

Festa began the 2023 season at Double-A, where he struggled with inconsistent performance through his first 11 starts. In 46 innings, he allowed 26 earned runs on 47 hits, with opponents posting a .709 OPS against him. Over his next ten games, he posted a 3.44 ERA with a 48-to-13 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 34 innings. Minnesota and MLB still thought highly enough of him to send him to the MLB Futures Game as part of last year’s All-Star Week festivities. He ended the year with three appearances at Triple-A, allowing four earned runs in 12 1/3 innings. His strong end to the year established him as one of the organization’s top pitching prospects. 

The Twins sent Festa back to Saint Paul this spring, where he is over three years younger than the average age of the competition. He started the year well with a 2.18 ERA and 30 strikeouts in 20 2/3 innings, but the Saints limited him to fewer than four innings per start. His last eight starts have seen batters hit him harder with a .788 OPS, including seven home runs. In 39 innings, he has posted a 57-to-11 strikeout-to-walk ratio. His .354 BAbip is over 100 points higher than his batting average allowed, so an element of luck may be hurting him. 

During the offseason, Festa added strength to his frame, which will hopefully help him hold up to the rigors of pitching for a full season. He has averaged fewer than 100 innings pitched over the last two seasons. His prospect stock has risen because the Twins have helped him to get the most out of his 6-foot-6 frame. His fastball sat in the low 90s in college, but he averaged 95 mph last season and showed the ability to get to the high 90s. His slider sits in the high-80s but has a tremendous spin rate, resulting in a 41% miss rate last season. Festa also mixes in a changeup and a curveball that help him to keep batters off balance. 

Festa has shown strong strikeout ability as the Twins have continued to help him refine his mechanics. One of the biggest concerns has been his walk rate, which has fluctuated throughout his professional career. In the big leagues, he will need to continue to show that his adjustments can help him succeed at baseball’s highest level. 

What stands out about Festa’s professional career? What will you be watching for during his debut? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion. 

 

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[Patzky]

Alright there's one thing I don't believe the Twins do well (scout the umpires), and umpire peculiars seem to do them in until they adjust. Mike Muchlinski should be behind the plate today.. and he constantly calls the low strike. No guarantee that Festa will 'get the calls' but coming from the semi automated strike zone that is AAA to the bigs and dealing with unexpected inconsistencies behind the plate. I hope someone clues him in.

[MABB1959]

Super excited for today's game.   Hopefully he get's a lot of run support.

[Doctor Gast]

Wish Festa well today! I'll be watching & cheering. Hope Baldelli doesn't put together his getaway roster which handicaps the team.

[thelanges5]

1 hour ago, Doctor Gast said:

Wish Festa well today! I'll be watching & cheering. Hope Baldelli doesn't put together his getaway roster which handicaps the team.

 

lefty lineup today against Montgomery  

 

[Doctor Gast]

37 minutes ago, thelanges5 said:

 

lefty lineup today against Montgomery  

 

Decent line-up, they should do well. Lately with Farmer, Margot & Santana fixed against LHPs, (RH) Martin & Vazquez rarely if ever hit against LHPs.

[Dman]

I think most all of us have been waiting for this moment since 2022 and his 12/K9 with velo jump.  He can miss bats, but also give up hard contact.  I am hoping for a good first outing for him.  We will know more about how "ready" he is after today.

I have really enjoyed watching him move up and dominate most of the way.  He is going to be a good one.

[FlyingFinn]

I don't often concern myself with the lineup order but as hot as Castro has been, his placement befuddles me.

[Dman]

8 minutes ago, FlyingFinn said:

I don't often concern myself with the lineup order but as hot as Castro has been, his placement befuddles me.

I think he got hit by another pitch last night.  They might want to give him an extra day to stretch it out?

[Patzky]

1 hour ago, Dman said:

I think he got hit by another pitch last night.  They might want to give him an extra day to stretch it out?

I'm happy to see Miranda after Royce and Correa. Maybe Royce will see some meatballs and shake out of his funk, err slump,