Twins Cut Catcher Derek Bender For Tipping Pitches

The Twins released catcher Derek Bender, their 2024 sixth-round pick, on Thursday for tipping pitches to opposing batters in a Low-A game last week, as first reported by ESPN and confirmed by Baseball America. Minnesota opted to release Bender following an internal investigation into the catcher’s behavior.

Bender reportedly told opposing batters which pitch types were coming from lefthanded starter Ross Dunn in a 6-0 Fort Myers loss to Lakeland on Sept. 6, the second game of a doubleheader. The loss eliminated Fort Myers from playoff contention and handed Lakeland the Florida State League West Division title.

Fort Myers staff learned of Bender’s actions following the game, which spawned an internal investigation by the Twins. Bender told teammates he wanted the season to end, according to ESPN’s report.

The Twins drafted Bender No. 188 overall this summer out of Coastal Carolina and signed him to a $297,500 bonus, which he is expected to keep even despite Thursday’s release. Bender hit .200/.273/.333 with a pair of homers and 20 strikeouts to five walks through 19 games with Low-A Fort Myers.

It’s extremely rare for a team to release a sixth-round pick within months of signing. Bender ranked No. 178 on Baseball America’s draft board this spring. Here’s his draft report:

Bender played in just 22 games as a freshman for Coastal Carolina in 2022 before a breakout 2023 season that included 19 home runs during the spring as well as a standout summer in the Cape Cod League following the season. In his three years with Coastal, Bender slashed .326/.408/.570 with 32 home runs, a 15.4% strikeout rate and a 9.1% walk rate.

He’s a strongly-built righthanded hitter with a 6-foot-1, 235-pound frame and the strength to drive the ball out of the park to all fields. He has a simple and surprisingly compact swing and generates power more via strength than bat speed, but employs an overly aggressive approach and chased out of the zone at a 31% clip this spring. There are also some questions about his ability to consistently handle premium velocity, which raises questions about whether his hit and power combination will translate to pro ball.

While Bender has spent some time behind the dish in college most scouts think he’ll need to move to first base which puts plenty of pressure on his offensive profile. Old school scouts and analysts seem a bit split on Bender’s profile, with the former being lower and the latter being higher, though he should fit somewhere in the 4-7 round range.