Minnesota Twins prospect Derek Bender reportedly simply needed his season to be over.
Now his profession with the group, and maybe his profession in baseball, is over as a substitute.
The Twins launched Bender, their sixth-round decide from the 2024 MLB Draft, after it was discovered that he was tipping pitches to opposing hitters throughout a Florida State League sport with playoff implications.
According to a report from ESPN’s Jeff Passan and Kiley McDaniel, Bender, who was enjoying for the Fort Myers Mighty Mussels, was telling opposing hitters from the Lakeland Flying Tigers what pitch was coming throughout at-bats.
Lakeland ended up profitable the sport, 6-0, after scoring 4 runs within the second inning. That end result eradicated Fort Myers from playoff rivalry after they’d held a six-game lead within the standings simply a few weeks earlier.
In response to the report, Lakeland coaches knowledgeable Fort Myers about Bender’s actions after the sport.
His cause for doing so was that he had reportedly advised teammates he needed the season to be over.
From ESPN:
Fort Myers coaches have been notified by Lakeland coaches about Bender’s pitch tipping following the sport, sources stated. Bender’s willingness to tip pitches stunned Lakeland gamers, and there aren’t any indications of wrongdoing from the Flying Tigers, sources stated. Bender had advised teammates he needed the season to be over, based on sources.