David Festa

David Festa

24-Year-Old PitcherSP
Minnesota Twins
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
From Preseason
$Signed a one-year contract with the Twins in June of 2024.
Strikes out five in no-decision
PMinnesota Twins
September 27, 2024
Festa did not factor into the decision in an extra-innings loss to the Marlins on Thursday, allowing four runs (three earned) on seven hits and one walk over 4.1 innings. He struck out five.
ANALYSIS
Festa got tagged for a run in the first inning after issuing a leadoff walk to open the frame and then surrendering an RBI double to Jake Burger two batters later. The right-hander then went on to retire nine of the next 10 batters he faced before allowing four of the first five batters to reach in the fifth, leading to his early departure. Festa has failed to make it through five frames in three of his last four outings, allowing multiple runs three times over that span. He carries a 4.91 ERA in September and hasn't won a start since Aug. 5 against the Cubs, a span of nine starts.
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Pitching Stats
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2024
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Pitching Appearances Breakdown
Average Pitch Count
79
Last 10 Games
80
Last 5 Games
81
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 2022
 
 
-10%
BAA vs LHP
2024
 
 
-10%
BAA vs LHP
2023
No Stats
2022
No Stats
BAA Batters K BB H 2B 3B HR
Since 2022vs Left .233 134 38 13 28 5 2 4
Since 2022vs Right .260 143 39 10 34 9 1 5
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
2022vs Left 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2022vs Right 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
More Splits View More Split Stats
Home/Away Pitching Splits
Since 2022
 
 
-40%
ERA on Road
2024
 
 
-40%
ERA on Road
2023
No Stats
2022
No Stats
ERA WHIP IP W L SV K/9 BB/9 HR/9
Since 2022Home 6.03 1.46 34.1 0 4 0 10.7 3.9 1.8
Since 2022Away 3.60 1.17 30.0 2 2 0 10.8 2.4 0.6
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
2022Home 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2022Away 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
More Splits View More Split Stats
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
3.35
 
K/9
10.8
 
BB/9
3.2
 
HR/9
1.3
 
Fastball
94.8 mph
 
ERA
4.90
 
WHIP
1.32
 
BABIP
.337
 
GB/FB
1.07
 
Left On Base
67.7%
 
Exit Velocity
82.5 mph
 
Barrels/BBE
5.0%
 
Spin Rate
2298 rpm
 
Balls Hit 95+ MPH
24.3%
 
Swinging Strike
12.7%
 
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
Fans six in no-decision
PMinnesota Twins
September 21, 2024
Festa yielded a run on four hits and three walks over five innings in a no-decision Friday. He struck out six during the extra-innings win over Boston.
ANALYSIS
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Can't escape fourth inning
PMinnesota Twins
September 15, 2024
Festa did not factor into the decision Sunday, allowing two runs on three hits and three walks over 3.2 innings against the Reds. He struck out four.
ANALYSIS
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Takes sixth loss
PMinnesota Twins
September 9, 2024
Festa (2-6) allowed four runs on four hits and three walks while striking out four batters over four innings in a loss to the Angels on Monday.
ANALYSIS
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Drops third straight
PMinnesota Twins
September 3, 2024
Festa (2-5) took the loss Tuesday against Tampa Bay, allowing two runs on five hits and a walk over five innings. He struck out seven.
ANALYSIS
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Collects first career quality start
PMinnesota Twins
August 29, 2024
Festa (2-4) took the loss against Atlanta on Wednesday, allowing two runs on two hits and one walk while striking out seven batters over six-plus innings.
ANALYSIS
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Latest Fantasy Rumors
Could debut soon with Paddack on IL
PMinnesota Twins
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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