David Festa

David Festa

25-Year-Old PitcherSP
Minnesota Twins AAA
2025 Fantasy Outlook
Festa showed promise in his first season in the majors and enters 2025 ready to secure a spot in the big league rotation. Nicknamed "The Slim Reaper," the 6-6 top pitching prospect excelled at Triple-A to begin last season with a 13.1 K.9 and 3.3 BB/9 while posting a less than impressive 4.06 ERA (3.68 FIP, however). Festa held his own in the rotation when called up in June with a 10.8 K/9 and 12.7% swing strike rate but a 4.40 ERA (though a 3.75 FIP). Festa has improved his velocity from the low-90s mph early in his pro career to reaching the high 90s mph and averaging a 94.5 mph fastball in the majors last season. His slider has become a plus pitch as it held batters to a .249 wOBA last season. Festa struggled in a few areas as he didn't pitch far into games averaging just 4.6 IP per start, gave up a few too many homers (1.26 HR/9) and had a 6.03 ERA on the road with seven homers allowed in six starts. Both his fastball and change-up, which were plus pitches in the minors, graded below average in the majors. Still, there's reason to think he'll improve as he had low home-run and walk rates in the minors and should get more efficient to extend his outings. Read Past Outlooks
RANKS
Rest of Season From Preseason
#334
ADP
$Signed a one-year contract with the Twins in March of 2025.
Returns from arm fatigue
PMinnesota Twins  AAA
May 23, 2025
Festa, who hadn't pitched at Triple-A St. Paul since May 6 due to right arm fatigue, gave up one run over 3.2 innings with seven strikeouts and one walk in Friday's start for the Saints.
ANALYSIS
With both Zebby Matthews and Simeon Woods Richardson struggling in the fifth-starter role in the majors, Festa could get another shot at the big-league rotation if he can get back to full strength. The righty has pitched well both in the majors (1.38 ERA, 15:5 K:BB in 13 innings) and minors (3.60 ERA, 22:2 K:BB in 20 innings before Friday) this season.
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Pitching Stats
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2025
2024
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2024 MLB Game Log
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Pitching Appearances Breakdown
Average Pitch Count
75
Last 10 Games
75
Last 5 Games
75
How many pitches does David Festa generally throw?
 
1-10
 
11-20
 
21-30
 
31-40
 
41-50
 
51-60
 
61-70
 
71-80
 
81-90
 
91-100
 
101-110
 
111-120
 
121+
 
1-10
 
11-20
 
21-30
 
31-40
 
41-50
 
51-60
 
61-70
 
71-80
 
81-90
 
91-100
 
101-110
 
111-120
 
121+
 
1-10
 
11-20
 
21-30
 
31-40
 
41-50
 
51-60
 
61-70
 
71-80
 
81-90
 
91-100
 
101-110
 
111-120
 
121+
What part of the game does David Festa generally pitch?
 
 
 
1st
 
 
 
2nd
 
 
 
3rd
 
 
 
4th
 
 
 
5th
 
 
 
6th
 
 
 
7th
 
 
 
8th
 
 
 
9th
 
Extra
 
 
 
1st
 
 
 
2nd
 
 
 
3rd
 
 
 
4th
 
 
 
5th
 
 
 
6th
 
 
 
7th
 
 
 
8th
 
 
 
9th
 
Extra
 
 
 
1st
 
 
 
2nd
 
 
 
3rd
 
 
 
4th
 
 
 
5th
 
 
 
6th
 
 
 
7th
 
 
 
8th
 
 
 
9th
 
Extra
% Games Reaching Innings Threshold
% Games By Number of Innings Pitched
Left/Right Pitching Splits
Since 2023
 
 
-20%
BAA vs LHP
2025
 
 
-56%
BAA vs LHP
2024
 
 
-10%
BAA vs LHP
2023
No Stats
BAA Batters K BB H 2B 3B HR
Since 2023vs Left .219 165 47 16 32 6 2 4
Since 2023vs Right .273 168 45 12 42 10 1 5
2025vs Left .154 31 9 3 4 1 0 0
2025vs Right .348 25 6 2 8 1 0 0
2024vs Left .233 134 38 13 28 5 2 4
2024vs Right .260 143 39 10 34 9 1 5
2023vs Left 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2023vs Right 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Home/Away Pitching Splits
Since 2023
 
 
-24%
ERA on Road
2025
 
 
-100%
ERA on Road
2024
 
 
-40%
ERA on Road
2023
No Stats
ERA WHIP IP W L SV K/9 BB/9 HR/9
Since 2023Home 4.75 1.42 47.1 0 4 0 10.6 3.8 1.3
Since 2023Away 3.60 1.17 30.0 2 2 0 10.8 2.4 0.6
2025Home 1.38 1.31 13.0 0 0 0 10.4 3.5 0.0
2025Away 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2024Home 6.03 1.46 34.1 0 4 0 10.7 3.9 1.8
2024Away 3.60 1.17 30.0 2 2 0 10.8 2.4 0.6
2023Home 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2023Away 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Minor League Left/Right Pitching Splits (AAA)
Since 2023
 
 
-10%
BAA vs RHP
2025
 
 
-3%
BAA vs LHP
2024
 
 
-24%
BAA vs RHP
2023
 
 
-39%
BAA vs LHP
BAA Batters K BB H 2B 3B HR
Since 2023vs Left .256 183 54 17 42 7 1 4
Since 2023vs Right .231 219 79 21 45 10 2 8
2025vs Left .233 45 14 1 10 4 0 0
2025vs Right .239 48 15 2 11 2 0 2
2024vs Left .290 106 33 12 27 2 1 4
2024vs Right .220 149 56 14 29 6 2 5
2023vs Left .179 32 7 4 5 1 0 0
2023vs Right .294 22 8 5 5 2 0 1
Stat Review
How does David Festa compare to other starting pitchers?
This section compares his stats with all starting pitcher seasons from the previous three seasons (minimum 120 innings)*. The bar represents the player's percentile rank. For example, if the bar is halfway across, then the player falls into the 50th percentile for that stat and it would be considered average.

* Exit Velocity, Barrels/BBE %, Balls Hit 95+ MPH %, and Spin Rate are benchmarked against 2019 data (min 120 IP). See here for more exit velocity/barrels stats plus an explanation of current limitations with that data set.
  • K/BB
    Strikeout to walk ratio.
  • K/9
    Average strikeouts per nine innings.
  • BB/9
    Average walks per nine innings.
  • HR/9
    Average home runs allowed per nine innings.
  • Fastball
    Average fastball velocity.
  • ERA
    Earned run average. The average earned runs allowed per nine innings.
  • WHIP
    Walks plus hits per inning pitched.
  • BABIP
    Batting average on balls in play. Measures how many balls in play against a pitcher go for hits.
  • GB/FB
    Groundball to flyball ratio. The higher the number, the more likely a pitcher is to induce groundballs.
  • Left On Base
    The percentage of base runners that a pitcher strands on base over the course of a season.
  • Exit Velocity
    The speed of the baseball as it comes off the bat, immediately after a batter makes contact.
  • Barrels/BBE
    The percentage of batted ball events resulting in a Barrel. A Barrel is a batted ball with similar exit velocity and launch angle to past ones that led to a minimum .500 batting average and 1.500 slugging percentage.
  • Spin Rate
    Spin Rate is the rate of spin on a baseball after it is released. It is measured in revolutions per minute (rpm).
  • Balls Hit 95+ MPH
    The percentage of batted balls hit that met or exceeded the 95 MPH threshold.
  • Swinging Strike
    The percentage of pitches that result in a swing and a miss.
K/BB
3.00
 
K/9
10.4
 
BB/9
3.5
 
HR/9
0.0
 
Fastball
94.9 mph
 
ERA
1.38
 
WHIP
1.31
 
BABIP
.357
 
GB/FB
0.77
 
Left On Base
82.4%
 
Exit Velocity
81.0 mph
 
Barrels/BBE
3.7%
 
Spin Rate
2375 rpm
 
Balls Hit 95+ MPH
20.7%
 
Swinging Strike
11.2%
 
Prospect Rankings History
Advanced Pitching Stats
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Defensive Stats
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Stats Vs Today's Lineup
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Past Fantasy Outlooks
2024
2023
Armed with a 93-96 mph fastball, an above-average changeup and an above-average slider, Festa has the stuff to pitch in Minnesota's rotation long term. He threw a career-high 103.2 innings in 2022 and was limited to 92.1 innings in 2023, not due to any major injury, but just due to the fact he averaged less than four innings in his 24 appearances. Festa walked nine in 12.1 innings in his three starts at Triple-A with automated balls and strikes, but he displayed starter-caliber command with human umpires prior to reaching Triple-A. A .349 BABIP and 66.1 LOB% at Double-A resulted in a bloated 4.39 ERA and 1.36 WHIP, which contributed to his shorter outings, but his 20.8 K-BB% was excellent and he deserved better ratios. The lanky 6-foot-6 righty could be the first man up whenever the Twins look to Triple-A to plug a rotation hole, assuming Louie Varland breaks camp in the big leagues.
Festa was an unheralded 13th-round draft pick in 2021 who had a breakout season in 2023 due in large part to increased velocity. Festa went from reaching the low 90s with his fastball when he was drafted to sometimes reaching the upper 90s last season. His mid-90s fastball led to an increased strikeout rate to 9.4 K/9 between Low-A and High-A last season. He also has improved his control to 2.3 BB/9 at High-A. He'll need to refine his offspead pitches as he advances, but he could be on the fast track for the majors with a strong 2023 season.
More Fantasy News
Overcoming arm fatigue at Triple-A
PMinnesota Twins  AAA
Arm
May 15, 2025
Festa hasn't pitched at Triple-A St. Paul since May 6 due to right arm fatigue but is expected to make a start this weekend, Bobby Nightengale of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune reports.
ANALYSIS
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Returning to Triple-A
PMinnesota Twins  AAA
April 24, 2025
The Twins optioned Festa to Triple-A St. Paul on Thursday.
ANALYSIS
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Punches out five in no-decision
PMinnesota Twins  AAA
April 23, 2025
Festa did not factor into the decision in Wednesday's win over the White Sox. He allowed two runs on four hits and three walks while striking out five across four-plus innings.
ANALYSIS
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Fans six in abbreviated outing
PMinnesota Twins  AAA
April 16, 2025
Festa came away with a no-decision in Wednesday's 4-3 extra-inning win over the Mets, allowing five hits and a walk over 4.1 scoreless innings. He struck out six.
ANALYSIS
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Getting another start
PMinnesota Twins  AAA
April 13, 2025
Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said Sunday that Festa will start Wednesday against the Mets, Phil Miller of The Minnesota Star Tribune reports.
ANALYSIS
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Latest Fantasy Rumors
Could debut soon with Paddack on IL
PMinnesota Twins  AAA
June 25, 2024
Dan Hayes of The Athletic labeled Festa as a "potential difference maker" for the Twins, and the right-hander could soon be called up for his MLB debut after Chris Paddack was placed on the 15-day injured list Tuesday with right arm fatigue.
ANALYSIS
Festa is the organization's top pitching prospect and has a 3.82 ERA, 1.31 WHIP and 91:26 K:BB across 63.2 innings for Triple-A St. Paul this season. One thing working against the 24-year-old is that he's not yet on Minnesota's 40-man roster, and it's unclear if the organization is ready to make that transaction. Depending how long Paddack is sidelined, the Twins may be more likely to turn to Caleb Boushley or Louie Varland, both of whom already possess 40-man roster spots.
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