3 Minnesota Twins prospects who have improved their stock, 2 who hurt it
By Josh Hill
Stock Up: David Festa, P
Team: St. Paul Saints (Triple-A)
Highest Rank: No. 100 (MLB Pipeline)
One prospect that shot up the rankings was David Festa, someone who many Twins fans think should have already been in the conversation as a top prospect. He was Minnesota's best young pitcher coming into the season and has only solidified that standing with his performance at Triple-A so far.
Festa generated 15 whiffs in his last start, running 32.6 whiff percentage while striking out six batters in five innings of work. That's sort of been his style all season, as Festa has jumped from one of the best pitching prospects in the Twins farm system to one of the best in all of baseball.
David Festa went 6 innings with 10 Ks and no runs allowed, which is great, but he also had 23 whiffs (!) for a whiff % of 57% (!!) including 91% (!!!!) on his changeup.
— Griffin Jax Truther (@BenAlfveby) May 12, 2024
This isn't a comparison, but Paul Skenes didn't even put up those kind of numbers in a AAA start this year. pic.twitter.com/aEpXczdWcJ
He has a 3.56 ERA and 1-2 record on the season, but the way he's able to force weak contact is a big reason to get excited about what he might be able to do in the majors.
Remember that Simeon Woods Richardson didn't truly pop until his third time up with the Twins, and now he's worked his way into being a key piece of the rotation this year. Festa is still a little ways off from getting called up, but the struggles at the back of the rotation might create some space and he's likely to be the next-man-up if there's an injury to a starter.
He cracked the MLB Pipeline Top 100 in the final spot of the ranking, but everything he's doing suggests he'll only continue to rise.