SEATTLE – Preparing to pitch inside a Major League Baseball stadium for the first time, Twins pitching prospect David Festa tried to take in the moment as he emerged from the bullpen and ran toward the mound.
"It felt surreal seeing how big the stadium was and the crowd," Festa said after pitching at the MLB Futures Game at T-Mobile Park with an announced crowd of 42,755. "A lot more people than I thought would show up."
Festa retired three of the four batters he faced in a scoreless fifth inning. He reached 97.6 mph with his fastball. He struck out Brewers prospect Jackson Chourio , Baseball America's No. 3 overall prospect, with three consecutive sliders to end his outing.
The experience, he said, surpassed his own expectations.
A strong second half at Class AA Wichita could put him in the mix to make days like Saturday more of a regular occurrence. Twenty-two players who were in the Futures Game last year have played in the big leagues this season.
It's been an up-and-down start to the season for Festa, rated as the No. 10 prospect in the Twins' farm system by Baseball America. Through 14 starts, he owns a 5.21 ERA with 71 strikeouts and 24 walks across 57 innings. The 23-year-old assessed his season as "some good, some bad."
The biggest thing working in his favor is a strong strikeout rate. He can miss bats with his fastball, slider and changeup, a good three-pitch mix that improves his chances of remaining a starter for the major leagues. The downside is he has allowed six homers, matching his total from 103 2/3 innings last year, and hitters have an elevated .356 batting average on balls in play against him.
"That's all a part of the development process," said 6-foot-6, 185-pound Festa. "I'm still working on some things. I feel like I've made some strides. I just need to be a little more consistent in the second half. I like where I'm at."
There has been a good bit of development from Festa since he was taken in the 13th round of the 2021 MLB Draft. His fastball went from 88-92 mph for most of his collegiate career at Seton Hall to a guy touching 98 mph.
Initially, he planned to play college baseball as an infielder. He didn't spend time as a pitcher until his senior year of high school when a growth spurt shot him from "always the shortest kid" to a lanky right-hander. After three seasons at Seton Hall, the Twins thought there was untapped upside through his athleticism and lack of experience.
"I was never a guy who worried about my velocity," he said. "I'm pretty new to pitching. Really, the main thing for me when I started pitching was to learn the mindset and perfecting craft consistency. All that other stuff will kind of fall into place."
Festa, from Verona, N.J, recognizes he is still raw as a pitcher. His body, he says, is still maturing as he works on adding weight. He watches some pitchers and thinks to himself, "He knows himself very well," which he's striving toward.
He experimented with a curveball during spring training, and he may add the pitch during the second half of his season to see if it helps improve his fastball.
"We're trying to figure out fastball location, fastball execution," Festa said. "I'm pretty happy with where my slider and changeup have been. That curveball will allow for hitters to be honest with that slow pitch."
When Festa came out of the draft, he didn't have a reliable breaking ball. A couple of years later, he watched one of the sport's top prospects swing and miss at three straight sliders.
"I feel like," Festa said, "I'm in a good spot to have a good second half and see where it takes me."
