Twins Prospect Retrospective: David Festa

David Festa’s baseball story started long 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) to decide to be a walk-on at Seton Hall University. 

During his freshman season there, 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, though, 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 in 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 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--perhaps too small 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. This time, 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 10, 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-best 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 over that span, he allowed 26 earned runs on 47 hits, with opponents posting a .709 OPS against him. Over his next 10 games, however, 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 St. 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 suggests an element of luck or insufficient defensive support may be hurting him. 

During the offseason, Festa added strength to his frame, which should 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 and 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 keep batters off balance. 

As the Twins have continued to help him refine his mechanics, Festa has shown strong strikeout ability. 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, but he's already beaten the odds a couple of times to reach this point in his professional development.

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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