Abdelrahman
Former Minnesota Twins prospect Derek Bender has come forward to address serious allegations that he tipped pitches to opposing teams while serving as a catcher in a minor-league game last September. Bender firmly denies the accusations that ultimately led to his release from the organization.
In an interview with The Athletic, Bender stated emphatically, “No. And I’ll live with this until the day I die. I never gave pitches away. I never attempted to give the opposing team an advantage against my own team.” These comments mark his first public remarks since parting ways with the Twins.
At 22 years old, Bender was drafted in the sixth round of the 2024 MLB Draft from Coastal Carolina University and was playing for the Twins’ Single-A affiliate in Fort Myers, Florida.
On September 6, prior to a doubleheader, he confessed he was eager for the season to wrap up and joked to his teammates that it wouldn’t be so bad if a ground ball slipped past them, as the team was nearing elimination from playoff contention.
Dan Sausville, a family friend and hitting coach, shared with The Athletic that Bender was struggling emotionally during that critical week. He reportedly conveyed to one of Bender’s agents at Octagon—who subsequently dropped him as a client for discussing the situation with the press—that Bender needed to return to his home in South Carolina.
“Everyone seems eager to head home.”
In light of the accusations that have placed his career on the line—MLB is still conducting an investigation with purported evidence against him, according to The Athletic—Bender is currently laying low in his one-bedroom apartment in Schenectady, New York, trying to avoid recognition as he grapples with feelings of isolation, especially as teammates and friends become unresponsive to him.
Bender expressed, “There have been numerous occasions where I’m talking to people I thought were friends, and they just don’t see me the same way anymore. I’ve overheard friends being questioned about our relationship, wondering why they’re still associated with me. That’s incredibly difficult to hear.”
“It’s not as if I’m being accused of a crime.”
According to Bender, the Twins had indicated they would retain him if he admitted to tipping pitches and issued an apology, which he declined to do, refusing to accept guilt.
“At that point, my character was all I had left,” Bender explained. “They essentially conveyed, ‘If you choose to go down this path, we’ll release you.’ I understood they weren’t bluffing.”
Bender has secured a position with the Brockton Rox in the independent Frontier League for the upcoming summer, set to earn $1,200, contingent upon the findings of MLB’s investigation.
Bender’s mother, Diane, is heartbroken, revealing to The Athletic that she often wakes in the night crying.
“It tears me apart for my son,” she shared. “The thought that he might not get to play this game at a high level again, that’s all he ever wanted to do.”
