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We've seen lots of young prospects get called up to the majors this season, including young pitchers getting their first crack at big-league hitters. Some have fared better than others, and there are more on the way.
You might have heard about Twins pitching prospect Zebby Matthews who made headlines in the minors this season after recording 49 strikeouts before walking his first batter of the season. Well, in case you haven't heard, the Twins have another pitching prospect who is likely closer to making his big-league debut, and that pitcher is David Festa.
Festa has big-time strikeout stuff and should get a chance with the big-league club sooner rather than later. Let's have a look at who he is and what he offers when he eventually gets a shot.
David Festa Prospect Update for Fantasy Baseball
Despite being selected in the 13th round of the 2021 MLB Draft, Festa has quickly moved through the Twins' farm system. For his minor league career, the righty carries a 3.34 ERA, 1.23 WHIP, and 320 strikeouts over 258 1/3 IP. Those numbers include his 2024 stats, which have really jumped off the page. While his ERA and WHIP this season are higher than his career numbers, they don't veer too far (3.50 ERA, 1.31 WHIP in 2024). But his K/9 from 2021-2023 was 28.4% and has exploded up to 36.0% in 2024.
David Festa looked incredible in AAA today!
6 IP 4 H 2 R 0 BB 10 K
17 whiffs and 39 CSW%Future ace🤔
pic.twitter.com/AglGT2O8N2— Andrew DeCeglie (@Andrew_FBB) June 15, 2024
There are a couple of minor flaws in his game, however, as with the high K-rates comes some command issues, and the 24-year-old has walked 10.7% of the batters he's faced this season. Additionally, the Seton Hall product has given up seven home runs through 13 starts, which has equated to a 23.3% HR/FB% and 1.17 HR/9.
David Festa Outlook for Fantasy Baseball
Clearly, when he gets the call, he'll be an asset in the strikeout category. He's struck out 10 batters in three separate starts this season at Triple-A and eight batters twice. We've seen other young strikeout pitchers come up and get Ks at the expense of ERA and WHIP, which could be the outcome for Festa as well, and the HR rate may give potential managers pause when considering whether or not to roster him. But Festa's elite strikeout rate may help limit the damage more than others.
Congrats to David Festa for being named Twins @MiLB Pitcher of the Week 👏
He has given up 2 or fewer runs in 11 of his 13 starts this season, and has struck out 8+ batters in 5 of his last 8 starts‼️#MNTwins pic.twitter.com/US41cqwiLy
— Twins Player Development (@TwinsPlayerDev) June 18, 2024
He also would be playing for a Twins team that is winners of five straight and has put up the 11th-most runs in the entire league thus far, which would help Festa and fantasy managers wrangle some victories for the Wins category. Festa was included in Eric Cross' "Top 25 Fantasy Baseball Prospects" article with an ETA of July. Managers in deeper should consider stashing him ahead of his call-up, and once he gets the call he'd be an immediate add in most other leagues.
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