Ross Dunn: Meet the Pitcher on the Other Side of the Twins Pitch Tipping Scandal

[Cody Christie]

One Twins minor leaguer was let go for his actions on the field earlier this week. So, who was the pitcher who took the brunt of the damage in the pitch-tipping scandal?

Image courtesy of William Parmeter

Earlier this week, ESPN reported that the Twins released 2024 sixth-round pick Derek Bender after a wild series of events. Bender, a catcher, was caught telling the opposition what pitch was coming during a game that had playoff implications for both teams. According to the reports, his reasoning behind tipping pitches was that he wanted the team’s season to be finished so he could go home. Fort Myers lost the game and was eliminated from playoff contention. 

The pitcher on the mound for this debacle was lefty Ross Dunn, who the Twins selected in the 10th round of the 2023 MLB Draft from Arizona State University. Dunn played his first two collegiate seasons at Florida State, where he pitched very well as a reliever (2.13 ERA, 10.7 K/9) in his freshman season before some struggles as a sophomore (4.88 ERA, 1.42 WHIP, 14.4 K/9). During his junior season, he made 15 starts (65 1/3 innings) while allowing 31 earned runs with an 84-to-44 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Minnesota’s scouts likely were drawn to his strong strikeout numbers (11.6 K/9) during his final college season.

Dunn didn’t make his professional debut until this season, and all his appearances came at Low-A, where he was slightly older than the average age of the competition. He made 19 appearances (16 starts) with Fort Myers and posted a 6.46 ERA with a 1.60 WHIP and 8.8 K/9. Dunn surrendered more than one hit per inning, and batters combined for a .829 OPS against him. Most of that damage was from right-handed hitters (.881 OPS), as he held lefties to a .693 OPS in 79 plate appearances. 

Dunn’s performance in his final start, the pitch-tipping incident, was poor as he was charged with four earned runs on five hits in 1 2/3 innings. However, it wasn’t out of character for him to allow big innings in previous appearances. He had three appearances earlier in the year where he allowed six earned runs and three earned runs or more in nine of his 19 appearances. However, his numbers for the season would look different if the pitch-tipping incident were removed. 

He entered his final start of the season with a 6.03 ERA with opponents batting .264/.343/.452 (.795) against him in 18 appearances. Based on his final start, his ERA jumped nearly half a run, and his opponent’s OPS increased by over 30 points. Bender might have wanted his season to be done, but his actions impacted Dunn’s performance and his final numbers on the season. Dunn had shown some improvements in his recent starts leading into that game. In five games, he had held opponents to a .203/.286/.367 (.653). There are no guarantees that Dunn would have posted strong numbers in that start, but it should have been his performance to dictate. 

Dunn isn’t a top prospect in the Twins organization, so every appearance is essential for him to make an impression and show improvement. Minnesota’s player development department has also done a good job turning middle-to-late-round draft picks, like Dunn, into pitching prospects that can impact the farm system in recent years. Many players likely felt the same way as Bender, but they were still professionals and had to perform in the season’s final games. Overall, the Twins will likely take into account this incident when evaluating Dunn’s performance during the 2024 campaign. 

What can Dunn do next season to put himself on the prospect map? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion.

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[Old Crow]

Wouldn't the umpire have over heard the conversation and if so should he not report it?

[UhhOK]

17 minutes ago, Old Crow said:

Wouldn't the umpire have over heard the conversation and if so should he not report it?

Do we know that the ump didn’t do that?  It’s not really his responsibility. He might have told the coach after the game.  Bender has got to be pretty narcissistic to think he could pull that off. 

[LambchoP]

Did Bender actually think this was Ok and nobody would find out? Even if he was never caught by the coaches, dude would have to be the most hated player on the team. Poor way to start out your professional career pulling that crap because you "want to go home". Glad we dumped this guy, not someone we want in our system. Sucks we wasted a pick on him though...

[FlyingFinn]

31 minutes ago, Old Crow said:

Wouldn't the umpire have over heard the conversation and if so should he not report it?

The umps are supposed to be impartial. I'm not sure I would have reported it during the game (after the game, yes I would reported it in private conversation). 

But the umps and catchers usually have a close relationship. If I was umping, I would certainly have asked the catcher what in the world he was doing.

[AceWrigley]

The umpire did say he was aware of the situation but as the impartial arbiter was not responsible to report what was going on. Tipping pitches is not against the rules, just bad conduct. I think the ump said he was going to report it after the game, but the opposing team took care of it for him.

[Ghost of Kirby Puckett]

5 hours ago, LambchoP said:

Did Bender actually think this was Ok and nobody would find out? Even if he was never caught by the coaches, dude would have to be the most hated player on the team. Poor way to start out your professional career pulling that crap because you "want to go home". Glad we dumped this guy, not someone we want in our system. Sucks we wasted a pick on him though...

Poor way to end your career. Fify

[old nurse]

Not that I know anything too much about this guy but averaging =g about a hit every in inning, a all every other and a strikeout  an inning, it might be safe to say he has a control issue.. when he has to aim closer to the center of the zone bad things can happen.. maybe the coaching to increase velocity and spin will help the control. Maybe he has to spend a little of what is left on his signing bonus on outside coaching. 

[DocBauer]

The worst part, for Dunn at least, was losing the opportunity to finish strong and carry on some of the positive momentum he had to close out the season. And as stated, I'm sure that will be in consideration to how the Twins view his season.

A 10th round pick isn't early, but it's not exactly late either. Being LH with some K potential, and only his debut season, he'll almost certainly be back in 2025.

Still can't believe Bender deliberately affected an individual directly like this, and his team as a whole, helping to eliminate a playoff opportunity. Just an abysmal way to act.

[Old Crow]

10 hours ago, FlyingFinn said:

The umps are supposed to be impartial. I'm not sure I would have reported it during the game (after the game, yes I would reported it in private conversation). 

But the umps and catchers usually have a close relationship. If I was umping, I would certainly have asked the catcher what in the world he was doing.

My point.

[Fatbat]

There is nothing more important than baseball when you are getting paid to play the game.  Bender should be banned from the game. 

[Doctor Wu]

17 hours ago, AceWrigley said:

Tipping pitches is not against the rules, just bad conduct.

If what you said is correct, I wonder why it's not against the rules. Or is just one of those "unwritten" rules that baseball has so many of already?