Minnesota Twins Release 2024 Draft Pick After Catching Him Cheating for Opponents

It’s almost October and the Minnesota Twins are vying for postseason position , at the big league level. Unfortunately, their single-A affiliate, the Fort Myers Mighty Mussels, narrowly missed the playoffs. And apparently, it might have been an inside job…

Derek Bender turns out to be a loser for the Minnesota Twins

This might be the only time you’ve ever heard of Derek Bender, and it will probably be the last time, at least in the context of professional baseball. A 2024 6th round pick, the Twins gave the Coastal Carolina catcher nearly $300k of their signing bonus pool just a few months ago.

Then… according to reports and personal sources, the professional catcher tanked his career by telling opposing hitters, in a game on September 6, what pitches his pitcher was throwing. ESPN’s Jeff Passan dropped the damning report Thursday night, after the Twins released him Bender.

Bender, a sixth-round draft pick out of Coastal Carolina in July, was playing for the Fort Myers Mighty Mussels, the Twins’ Single-A affiliate. In the second game of a Sept. 6 doubleheader, Bender told multiple hitters for the Lakeland Flying Tigers, a Detroit farm team, the specific pitches being thrown by starter Ross Dunn, sources said.

Jeff Passan on the release of Derek Bender (ESPN)

Ross Dunn is a 10th round pick from the 2023 draft class for Minnesota. This was his first season pitching at the professional level and Bender’s incompetence forced the second shortest start of his career.

It’s like going into a test and being fed the answers. With Bender’s help, the Lakeland Flying Tigers put up 4 runs on 5 hits, in just 1 2/3 innings. This happened while the Mighty Mussels were literally in contention with Lakeland for the final playoff spot .

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The Minnesota Twins took Derek Bender in the sixth round of the 2024 Major League Baseball draft due to his .942 OPS with Coastal Carolina. After not selecting a single catcher during the 2023 draft , they took multiple in 2024 . Clearly, Bender was one they should have passed on.

Apparently, Bender had played enough baseball, this season. After dominating at Coastal Carolina, he’s struggled in the Twins organization, since being drafted. In 19 games , he posted a .200 batting average and .606 OPS. It’s hard to believe he will get another professional baseball job, after this.

Fort Myers should have angst towards Derek Bender’s actions

Multiple sources with ties to the Mighty Mussels had no idea about Bender’s episode. There’s a lot of frustration, and even some distaste, coming from those inside the single-A clubhouse.

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A catcher tipping pitchers to the other team is unfathomable, and difficult to comprehend. Multiple teammates were straight-dumbfounded at the entire situation. It remains to be seen what happens for Derek Bender from here on out. It seems unlikely that any professional baseball organization could ever employ him again.

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