- Stealing signs has been going on in baseball forever, peaking with the Houston Astros’ scandal in 2017 and 2018.
- However, players don’t help the opposition by giving them the pitches that are coming.
- That happened to Derek Bender, the Minnesota Twins’ minor-league catcher who has been released for telling hitters what pitches were coming up next.
While it is frowned upon, teams and players have been stealing signs in baseball for a long time, since the game has started. However, there is a crackdown on it since the Houston Astros’ scandal of 2017 and 2018, where it was found that the Astros were stealing signs blatantly.
However, something new emerged on Thursday evening. An ESPN report revealed that Derek Bender, a minor-league catcher for the Minnesota Twins, was telling hitters what pitches were coming. Bender has since been released by the Twins, and there is a good chance his career is over in the big leagues.
Bender Gets Team Eliminated from Playoff Contention by Tipping Off Opposition
The ESPN report looks terrible for Bender, who was drafted in the sixth round of the 2024 MLB Draft with the 188th pick by the Twins. Bender was drafted out of Coastal Carolina.
Bender was a catcher for the Fort Myers Mighty Mussels, which is the Twins’ Single-A team. The Mighty Mussels were battling to stay in playoff contention and had a six-game lead in the playoff race just three weeks prior.
In the second game of a September 6 doubleheader against the Lakeland Flying Tigers, which is the Detroit Tigers’ Single-A team, Bender was telling hitters what pitches were coming from starter Ross Dunn. This led to the Flying Tigers having a four-run second inning, which they would ride to a 6-0 victory. That loss would eliminate the Mighty Mussels from the playoff race.
The report then states that Lakeland coaches went to their counterparts on the Fort Myers team, to tell them that Bender was telling their hitters what pitches were coming. This was shocking to Lakeland players and startled them enough to tell their coaches. The report also states that Bender had revealed to teammates that he wanted the season to be done with.
He was removed from the dugout for the team’s last two games, which they won. He sat in the bullpen. Bender was hitting .200 with a pair of home runs and eight RBIs in 19 games for the Mighty Mussels.
So far, there is no opinion that Bender’s motivation had anything to do with gambling or MLB betting sites.
What’s Next for Bender?
There is an excellent chance that Bender has played his last game for any major-league team, even in the minor leagues. The Astros caught a lot of heat for their sign-stealing scandal, as Houston lost draft picks and were fined $5 million.
Manager A.J. Hinch and general manager Jeff Luhnow lost their jobs, and were suspended by Major League Baseball, as was then-bench coach Alex Cora. Some even called for the Astros’ 2017 World Series win to be taken away.
However, a player helping the opposition has never been done before, or at least been investigated and found guilty of it. Bender crossed a line that is rarely crossed, and it would be difficult for teams to trust that he wouldn’t do it again.
