Twins cut top catcher prospect for purposely making his team lose as proof is revealed
Photo credit: Baseball America
The Twins announced yesterday most likely one of the most bizarre situations to happen in baseball involving their 6th round draft pick from the 2024 draft, Derek Bender.
Bender was drafted in the 6th round in July out of Coastal Carolina by the Twins where he continued to play with Minnesota's Single-A affiliate. The Twins decided to cut Bender last night after opposing teams told them that Bender was telling batters which pitch was coming in to purposely lose.
Fort Myers coaches were notified by Lakeland coaches about Bender's pitch tipping after the game, sources said. Bender's willingness to tip pitches surprised Lakeland players, and there were no indications of wrongdoing from the Flying Tigers, sources said. Bender had told teammates he wanted the season to be over, according to sources. - McDaniel
According to reports, the reasoning behind Bender's decision was because he did not want to make the playoffs and wanted the off-season to begin.
After signing a $297,500 contract, he has now been cut and the chances that a team gives him a shot after this are slim to none.
| POLL | ||
13 SEPTEMBRE | 104 ANSWERS Twins cut top catcher prospect for purposely making his team lose as proof is revealed Should Bender be banned for life? | ||
| Yes | 78 | 75 % |
| No | 26 | 25 % |
| List of polls | ||
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