Jovani Moran - 2018

[AZTwin]

Jovani Moran
Position: RP
B/T: L
Height: 6'1"
Weight: 170
Born: April 24, 1997, age 20-21 season
Drafted by the Twins as a 7th round pick, 200th overall out of Carlos Beltran Academy in Puerto Rico in 2015
Signing Bonus: $275K

Jovani was very raw when drafted out of Puerto Rico in 2015.  I thought at one point I read he was a shortstop until his senior year, where he pitched but could not find that information (please link if you are able to find a reliable source on that).  He started in the GCL and had a 4.12 ERA with 17 strikeouts in 19.2 innings.  He also had 9 walks.  He missed 2016 due to elbow surgery removing bone chips.   In 2017, he took a huge step forward.

 

In 2017 he pitched for Elizabethton and was named Twins Daily short season pitcher of the year (http://twinsdaily.com/_/minnesota-twins-news/minnesota-twins-minor-leagues/twins-2017-short-season-pitcher-of-the-year-r6077 ).  He was moved to the bullpen and flat out dominated.  He pitched 24.2 innings with a 0.36 ERA and 45 strikeouts with just 5 walks.  If there was anything to fault him with, he gave up 1 home run.  I think we will live with that.

He is slender, fields his position well and has a mature approach on the mound.   He throws in the low 90's and is making progress on his off speed pitches.

He is starting the season in Cedar Rapids and could move up quickly if he continues the progress he showed in 2017. 

[AZTwin]

In his first outing with Cedar Rapids, Jovani threw 1 shutout inning.  He walked 3, but fortunately he also struck out 3.   He will need to show the type of command he had in rookie ball as he develops.

[DocBauer]

Any word on a return to the rotation? Thought for sure I had read that a year removed from surgery they wanted to look at him as a SP.

[AZTwin]

 

Any word on a return to the rotation? Thought for sure I had read that a year removed from surgery they wanted to look at him as a SP.

This is speculation, but with how slender he is he is going to remain in the pen.  The first season he had rough stats as a starter.  I think he could be a lights out pen guy but probably doesn't have the stuff to be a starter.

[AZTwin]

Jovani Moran is having a great season which has led him to recently being promoted to Ft. Myers.

First to go over his success in Iowa.

He pitched 44.1 innings in 22 appearances and 1 start.  He sported a 2.03 ERA and an EYE OPENING 70 STRIKEOUTS!   He walked 27.   As a reliever his ERA was even better at 1.71.  He had the best k per 9 in the Midwest league with 14.21 strikeouts per 9.   He didn't benefit from "luck" either as his BABIP against was .308.

He won Twins Daily Relief Pitcher of the Month for June and you can read about it here:  http://twinsdaily.com/articles.html/_/minnesota-twins-news/minnesota-twins-minor-leagues/twins-minor-league-relief-pitcher-of-the-month-june-2018-r6946

In July, he was promoted to High A ball and has made 1 appearance.   He pitched 2.2 innings, allowed 1 hit, no walks, no runs, and 3 strikeouts.  He received the win for his efforts.
 

[AZTwin]

Midseason prospect ratings are out and Jovani Moran has cracked the Twins top 30, ranked 29th. 

MLB.com had this to say about Jovani:

Scouting grades: Fastball: 55 | Slider: 50 | Changeup: 65 | Control: 45 | Overall: 45

 

The Twins have had some good success finding talent from Puerto Rico in the Draft, with Eddie Rosario and Jose Berrios standing out as examples. The scouting staff went there again in the seventh round of the 2015 Draft to take Moran, who missed all of the 2016 season because of bone chips in his elbow, but started to move a little more quickly with a switch to the bullpen in 2017.

 

Moran has three pitches at his disposal to get hitters out. He'll throw his fastball anywhere in the 89-94 mph range, a pitch that plays up as a plus pitch at the top of the strike zone thanks to his changeup. Some evaluators feel that offspeed pitch will be a 70 pitch in the future, a straight change that hitters swing right over consistently. The lefty will also mix in a low-80s slider effectively.

 

More than just a lefty specialist, Moran has shown the ability to pitch multiple innings effectively, getting swings and misses against hitters from both sides of the plate. The only thing holding him back at all is his command, which doesn't have to be pinpoint for him to be a successful left-handed setup man in the future.

[AZTwin]

Quick update.   Twins acquired 4 minor leaguers which bumped Jovani from the Twins top 30, but I imagine it won't be the last time Jovani cracks the top 30.

So far in Ft. Myers he has 12 innings pitched, 2 runs against, ZERO walks and 13 strikeouts for an ERA of 1.50.  He also has 2 saves.   Currently his BABIP against is only around .240 so we may need to see him work a little more with runners on in the future, but his strikeout rate suggests that won't be an issue

[AZTwin]

Glad I was so insistent on drafting Jovani Moran this year.  If you recall, I thought he should have been a day 1 pick.

Anyway, for a 2nd straight month Moran is Twins reliever of the month.  You can read more about it here:

http://twinsdaily.com/topic/30905-article-twins-minor-league-relief-pitcher-of-the-month-july-2018/