Festa has a 1.46 ERA and 11.2 K/9 through four games (12.1 innings) at Triple-A St. Paul.
Festa threw four scoreless innings in his last start Wednesday. Festa is perhaps Minnesota's top pitching prospect, and his early success is notable with the last two spots in the big-league rotation struggling (Louie Varland and Chris Paddack). However, Festa has an ugly 8.2 BB/9 and hasn't gone more than four innings in any start. As a result, he may not be seen as an option this early in the season even if Varland and Paddack continue to labor.
Festa was promoted to Triple-A Rochester on Monday, the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.
Festa had a 4.39 ERA at Double-A Wichita but had a strong 11.7 K/BB and 3.11 FIP. He's one of Minnesota's top pitching prospects, so a strong final few starts at Triple-A could put him on the cusp of competing for a big-league job next spring.
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Twins' David Festa: Unlucky at Double-A
Rotowire
Festa has a 5.15 ERA, 3.99 FIP, 1.44 WHIP and 84 strikeouts in 62.2 innings for Double-A Wichita.
The 6-foot-6 righty has been very unlucky this year, as he has a 61.6 percent strand rate and a .360 BABIP against. Eric Longenhagen of FanGraphs reports that Festa has routinely touched 98 mph with his fastball this season while also showcasing an upper-80s slider and a potentially above-average changeup, and he gets good extension from his long, athletic frame to complement a deceptive short-arm delivery. He could be an option in the big-league rotation sometime next summer.
