According to a report, the Minnesota Twins released minor league catcher Derek Bender after he was discovered aiding opposing hitters.
ESPN’s Jeff Passan and Kiley McDaniel write that the decision to cut Derek was made “after he told opposing hitters the type of pitch that was coming to the plate during at-bats of the game last week that eliminated his team from playoff contention.”
Bender had been assigned to the Fort Myers Mighty Mussels of the Single-A Florida State League. The Mussels were eliminated on Sept. 6 after being swept by the Lakeland Flying Tigers. In the second game, the Flying Tigers scored four runs in the second inning off starting pitcher Ross Dunn. This was the match in which Bender was allegedly tipping pitches.
ESPN sources told Jeff and Kiley that Bender explained his actions to teammates by saying that he wanted the season to be over. According to this, the Flying Tigers had no prior knowledge of Bender’s actions. Those actions came to light when Flying Tigers coaches talked with the Bender’s coaches after the game was completed. The Flying Tigers won that game 6-0 and eliminated Fort Myers Mighty Mussels from the playoff contention.
The Minnesota Twins drafted Bender earlier this year with a sixth-round pick out of Coastal Carolina University. He played 19 games for Fort Myers and Bender batted .200/.273/.333 with two home runs and two doubles.
