Tipping Point: Twins Release 2024 Draft Pick for Pitch Tipping

[Seth Stohs]

According to ESPNs Jeff Passan and Kiley McDaniel, the Minnesota Twins have released 2024 sixth-round draft pick Derek Bender on Thursday. It might be one of the most wild stories you’ll hear. 

Image courtesy of William Parmeter

Pitch Tipping has always been a thing in baseball. Teams and players, trying to gain an advantage, watch everything a pitcher does on the mound. Maybe a pitcher holds his glove slightly higher when he’s going to throw a curveball. Maybe he slightly slows his delivery on a changeup. You would be surprised at how minute a detail can give a team an advantage. 

Going back to 2015, the year Torii Hunter returned to the organization for one more season. Paul Molitor was the manager and the two were both seen as among the best in picking up tells from the pitchers. Often, Twins pitchers would go to Hunter or Molitor and have them watch some pitches to see if they might see something that the opponents could pick up on. 

For decades, it was a source of pride if a team could find a tell by a pitcher and share it with his teammates. Other times, the team will be able to figure out a catcher’s sign pattern and give tiny hints to the hitter from second base about what pitch is coming. Sometimes the first base coach can see it. 

There were always rumors inside the game that in the late 70s and early 80s, the White Sox used to use a center field camera and the scoreboard features (lights) to pass information from video watcher to batter. Of course, players from those teams, and their manager Tony LaRussa deny such claims. LaRussa went on to manage in Oakland with players who rarely found controversy. 

It became a controversial topic when the Astros won the World Series with the help of technology and garbage cans. What was different? The use of technology to obtain the information. That is what MLB has tried to crack down on. 

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According to ESPNs Jeff Passan and Kiley McDaniel, the Twins cracked down on pitch tipping in the organization. They released 2024 draft pick Derek Bender about two months after selecting him for tipping pitches. 

If you aren’t aware, Bender is not a pitcher. He is a catcher, and according to the reports, he was flat-out telling opposing hitters what pitches were coming. 

If you recall, the Fort Myers Mighty Mussels were playing in Lakeland last week against the Tigers Low-A affiliate. After games were rained out on Wednesday and Thursday, the Mussels needed to win three of the final four games to claim the second-half division title from Lakeland. They played a double-header last Friday. They lost a suspended game.  

In the second game, Bender was set to bat ninth and catcher Mussels starter, lefty Ross Dunn. Dunn, a 2023 draft pick, went just 1 2/3 innings in that game but the damage had been done. He gave up four runs in the second inning. He gave up five hits and walked a batter. In the first inning, he got a ground out, gave up a double in between two strikeouts. 

The second inning began with a long home run by Archer Brookman. Jackson Strong singled. After a force out, there was a walk. And then a hard-hit, line-drive double by David Smith drove in two runs. After a ground out, Jack Penney drove in the fourth run with another double. At that point, Dunn was removed from the game. 

Lakeland scored just two more runs over the course of the game. The Mussels managed just two hits in the entire game, so ultimately it didn’t really affect the outcome. 

But that alone isn’t proof of anything. Dunn ended his first pro season with an ERA of 6.46. He often gave up big innings. 

However, it was the Lakeland coaches who approached the Mussels coaching staff after the game and after their players were reporting that the Mussels catcher was flat-out telling them what pitches were coming. 

From ESPN: “Fort Myers coaches were notified by Lakeland coaches about Bender's pitch tipping after the game, sources said. Bender's willingness to tip pitches surprised Lakeland players, and there were no indications of wrongdoing from the Flying Tigers, sources said. Bender had told teammates he wanted the season to be over, according to sources.”

Mussels manager Brian Meyer did not play Bender in the final two games. Instead, he was out in the bullpen. The Mussels won their final two games to go out on a good note, but this has to leave a sour taste in the mouths of a lot of teammates, coaches, and probably players around the game. 

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The Twins drafted Bender in the sixth round of the 2024 draft out of Coastal Carolina. He became an everyday player there as a sophomore in 2023. In 62 games, he hit .341/.399/.635 (1.034) with 13 doubles, 19 homers and 83 RBI.

That summer, he played for Bourne in the Cape Cod League.  You may remember seeing this video. 

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In 60 games this spring, Bender hit .320/.422/.520 (.942) with nine doubles, two triples, and 11 home runs. The Twins drafted him and quickly signed him with a $297,500 bonus (right at slot). He went to Fort Myers to begin his pro career.   

On August 7th, he made his pro debut and went 2-for-4 with a walk in Jupiter. Six days later, against Lakeland, he went 2-for-3 with his first professional home run, a three-run shot.   

A week later, in Tampa, he went 2-for-3 with a walk. He had two doubles and three RBI. 

Through his first 11 games, he hit .306/.405/.528 (.933) with two doubles and two home runs. However, over his final eight games, he was 1-for-24 (.042). Last week in Lakeland, he played in three games and went 0-for-7.  

There’s a reason that teams don’t worry too much about the small sample size of games that current year draft picks put up. Consider that the college kids have  been going hard every day since mid-January, played a full 60 game college season, went through the draft combine and other ways to be ready, and then come in and play another series of games. And then many of them stick around for the Bridge League or Instructs. Add in the grueling heat in both Florida and Arizona, and the southwest Florida humidity, and frequent tropical storms and hurricanes. There is just a lot. 

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Part of me wants to give Derek Bender the benefit of the doubt. I would love to hear his side of this story, whatever that may be. I did reach out to Bender and offered a place for him to tell his side, but as of publishing this article, there was no response. From the ESPN article, they reached out to him through his agency and got no comment, and obviously the Twins are going to try to keep it internal… as they should. 

Part of me wants to say that I understand burnout after a long season. It can be grueling, and frankly, players need their rest. That year is a lot. But others do it. Did Bender have a momentary lapse? Has he been wanting his season to end for a while? Maybe he doesn’t even like playing baseball all that much. Maybe he’s just always been so good at it that he felt obligated to keep going, and it gave him an opportunity in college, but now he’s ready to do something else. That’s OK. We don’t know. 

What isn’t OK, and obviously what he was released for is quitting on his team. Not only that, but actively helping them lose games. As a teammate, as much as I would want to understand, I would find it hard to have a guy around that you know has actively tried to make your team lose games. 

Could Bender play again? Probably. I know I tend to believe in second chances. He’s still a very young 21 year old. But if you were one of his teammates, could you ever trust him fully? Would that trust ever come back? Baseball is hard enough that you don’t want every error or every 0-for-4 game to come with additional questions about your effort. 

So, no, I don’t expect Derek Bender to ever return to the Twins organization. And with the coverage that this story has received, and that it will receive in coming days, I can’t imagine any other MLB team to give him an opportunity either. 

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If he ever does want to get into baseball, it may have to be by going through the independent leagues (if they are even interested). That’s the route that two of his Coastal Carolina teammates had to go. Fellow 2023 Chanticleers, Payton Eeles and Nick Lucky, were signed by the Twins earlier this season. Lucky spent five years in Conway (SC). Since signing with the Twins, he has played in Fort Myers, Cedar Rapids and even a game in St. Paul. Eeles? Well, since signing with the Twins very early this year, he has hit .307 with a .919 OPS between Fort Myers (34 games), Cedar Rapids (13), and St. Paul (54). 

The Twins did the right thing in releasing Bender. Hopefully Bender won’t find himself regretting this and asking himself What If for the next couple of decades?

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[ashbury]

Astounding.  I too would like to know his side of the story.

[Jocko87]

Crazy stuff, and good on the Twins for quickly taking care of an issue, but lets not get carried away with wildest ever.  If this is the wildest story Kiley McDaniels (video clip in ESPN story) has ever seen in baseball, he needs to look around.  In a year where a player signed a $700m contract and his interpreter stole millions to bet on god knows what-this is the wildest thing ever.  Right. I hate hyperbole. 

Truth is, stuff like this happens quite a lot in the real world.  I've seen quite a few people get pretty high positions and suddenly be gone, having a harmless or not so harmless lie told on the way get exposed.  Once the trust is gone, its gone.  He will have a hell of time even getting a regular job for a few years.  It's a tough road back.

I'm less interested in his side of the story, I trust the Twins got it and this is the result.  What I want to know is how much other stuff was he doing that this seemed like a thing to do even as a fairly young person.  Playing sports all his life to get to this point, this never crosses your mind or you've been riding free and loose for a long time.  Kids make mistakes and all that, but cheating your own team in your first few months after finally becoming a pro?  That's nuts.  Probably not the craziest story of even the month, but still nuts.

The stories of his past that will come out in the next few weeks should tell an interesting tale.

[Doctor Gast]

I'm sure it's quite a grind for a young kid. But the love of the game & winning would get you through. I can't understand why anyone would betray his teammates & further admit it to them. It goes beyond not loving the sport but a lack of character. This is a terrible spot on his resume.  I too believe in 2nd chances & hear his side of the story but IMO Twins did the right thing.

[Doctor Wu]

A sudden sad ending to a potentially promising career. But I have no sympathy for scumbag cheaters --- and doing it to your own team of all crazy things --- so good riddance! I hope he never gets a job in professional baseball again. 

[Whitey333]

Of course the Twins did the right thing.  It's a shame he took such a drastic measure because he was burned out or something.  Really despicable.  Goodbye and good riddance.

[FlyingFinn]

If your that worn out that you want the season to end, tell the team. With 4 games left, another catcher can probably be found from the FCL club that is done playing. I think there are even some catchers in Fort Myers who are just working on things in camp (could be wrong on that). Kudos to the opposing manager.

[Fezig]

Everyone deserves a second chance if they earn it. Based on the HR video, he looks like he's kind of a d bag. It will take a lot for teams to believe he's a changed man.

[CRF]

Guy just shot whatever career he might have had, right in the a**. Even if he gets a second chance, he'll never be trusted again. It's incredible that he would do this to his team. 

[DaveW44]

One other possibility is that he had a personal grudge against the pitcher. 
who knows? 

[big dog]

20 minutes ago, DaveW44 said:

One other possibility is that he had a personal grudge against the pitcher. 
who knows? 

That's what it would seem like to me, though it sounds like it was for more than one pitcher. Hard to believe he thought he would get away with it- very much a self-sabotage. I hope he can improve his mental state.

[Original_JB]

Here's CBSSport's article on it:  "Derek Bender reportedly told Single-A teammates that he wanted the season to be over"

https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/twins-minor-league-catcher-cut-after-allegedly-telling-opponents-about-incoming-pitches-per-report/

He's young and all that, but you'd think kids growing up their entire lives in the social media era where everything gets to everyone, everywhere, immediately, and lasts forever would have better, what, 'awareness' of the repercussions of such things; could just be tired after a long season, or maybe even realized that this isn't "really" his passion in life.

[MMMordabito]

Interesting.

 

[CharlieDee]

If true, I hope to never see his face again....Goodbye and good riddance.

[jorgenswest]

Some team may give him a shot but it is going to be hard to find a pitcher that trusts him to be his catcher. 

[old nurse]

Event hitter in college. He hit pretty good in the Cape Cod League. In A ball he is having adversity with his hitting. It might be his first time dealing with that. Ego can be a problem.. It looks like all he wanted to do was go home. Unfortunately he chose the wrong way to go about it. 

[Ex-Iowegian]

Stupid is.
Stupid does.

[LewFordLives]

Who does he think he is; Crash Davis?

I'm surprised it was the opposing coaches who spilled the beans.  You would think the umpire would say something.

[Trov]

So if his side is he wanted the season to end, he could have told the team he was gassed and needed a break.  To intentionally try to lose games to end your season is just crazy.  He may have had some good numbers on offense, but I do not know if any team will be willing to take him on now.  You cannot trust him.  He put himself above the team.  With betting these days he would be the type of guy that would throw games for a gambler. 

[Aggies7]

Oh sure it’s fine when Crash Davis does it, but now it’s a problem 

[Blyleven2011]

Really early in the morning to comprehend this article   , shocked that a teammate would do something like this to deny his other teammates a chance at glory ...

What a let down ...

Does he get to keep his signing bonus ???  , put the screws to him and take it away  ...

[Hawkeye Bean Counter]

Its a bad situation.  The person you feel bad for is Ross Dunn.  He has had an up and down season,  he just ruined that outing for him.  

As to Bender this event doesn't have to define him but this is not a good start to his career.  The bat can play,  between cape cod, Coastal Carolina and the first couple weeks,  the bat is solid enough to be a catcher.  There was always a question whether he could remain a catcher.   

If he wants to keep playing will likely have to go to the independent leagues.  Or maybe another team will take a chance on him.  Not sure I would have him play catcher to start out but I think you can gradually get to the point where you can trust him.  Time generally heals all. 

I said during the draft last year the Twins should draft Keaton Anthony last year.  He bet on college games and I believe even baseball games.  Was it dumb,  absolutely.   Could he learn from it,  I would sure hope so.  Phillies signed him as a udfa and by all accounts did very well and got to AA. 

Just like Anthony,  this was a very very bad move for Bender,  but I do hope he gets another chance if he wants to keep playing - it just won't be with the Twins.    

[Hawkeye Bean Counter]

NM -  error in the system,  reposted previous message.  

[DocBauer]

Read reports of this late last evening and couldn't believe it. If you are having a mental/emotional crisis, if you just feel burned out from the past 9 months, if there's a problem at home, just tell someone. I'm quite certain the Twins would have been understanding and get him the rest or break or help he needed.

Just no excuse for sabotaging other players and your teammates as a whole. If he's having issues, I hope he gets help. But again, no excuse to hurt other people and their careers. 

As to a mention above, the original articles I read stated he was to keep his signing money. I find that hard to believe, but that's the way it's been reported so far.

[Twins_Fan_in_NJ]

This is a bizarre story. WTH was he thinking? If he wanted the season to end, better off claiming an injury or fatigue. But to tip off the opposing team? Potentially cost himself his entire career for the sake of a few days off.

[Dave Borton]

Quote

 I did reach out to Bender and offered a place for him to tell his side, but as of publishing this article, there was no response.

Says it all.

Tough to face the homies now that it has been in Sports Illustrated, CBS national sports, and picked up all up and down the line.

 

[LambchoP]

Maybe the mob paid him off to throw the game lol. Never seen him play, but from the videos, he doesn't seem like the kind of teammate we want in this organization.

[IndianaTwin]

As a person who deals with depression, there have been times in my life when I have wanted to make (and have made) decisions that seem(ed) quite desperate (even dangerous) at the time. My later self sometimes looks back at them as irrational.

I have no reason to know the dynamics in this young man's life. I hesitate in even typing this, because messages like this lead to speculation. I'm saying it only to recognize that there is almost always more to a story than is seen on the surface.

I will refrain from making judgments on the young man, and I wish him well in the next steps of his life. 

[AKTwinsFan]

Yet signed correa after the Astros debacle.

[Vanimal46]

What a bizarre story. If the kid truly wanted to make it as a professional baseball player, that’s over now.