In Appreciation of Jovani Moran

[Cody Pirkl]

The 2022 Twins bullpen has proven itself to be a minefield capable of turning even the likeliest of wins into embarrassing losses. With most pitchers taking their turn on blowing games, it’s only fair to show appreciation for one quiet breakout the Twins have seen this season.

 

Relief prospects rarely get a whole lot of hype, which may be why Jovani Moran seemed to come out of nowhere in 2021 when he dominated AA and AAA by limiting homers and striking out everyone in sight. As the Twins approach the trade deadline that hopefully brings several acquisitions to their MLB bullpen, Moran has proven to be one of the only current relievers that has proven he needs to stick around for the long haul.

Moran is something of a unicorn. Throwing left-handed and averaging around 93 mph with the fastball, he’s not exactly Aroldis Chapman blowing smoke by batters en route to his current 37% K rate. Nor does he attack hitters with a lights-out breaking pitch to take advantage of lefty on lefty matchups. Instead, he just pairs his modest fastball with a changeup of all pitches and has absolutely dominated the majors so far this season.

Moran has translated this dominance into a 0.96 ERA. He’s been lucky, although just to a small extent. His xERA is 2.40 and FIP is 1.88, both numbers would be much preferred to any other option in the bullpen aside from Jhoan Duran. His track record of high strikeouts and limiting homers has shone brightly with a 13.50 K/9 and having not allowed a single long ball in 18.2 innings.

The common knock on Moran is obviously his walk rate. His 14.7% mark in the MLB thus far is actually one of his better jobs of limiting free passes in recent years. It’s hard to deny that this can be a significant issue. Unlike pitchers such as Emilio Pagan however, Moran doesn’t allow historically high home run rates to pair with it which can only result in disaster. In fact, Moran has allowed less than 4.0 hits per 9 innings so far this season which is why despite the walks, his WHIP is still a fantastic 1.02. Many great relievers get by allowing high home run rates while avoiding free passes to get by. While unusual, it appears Moran is capable of dominating by doing the opposite.

In short, Jovani Moran has essentially duplicated what he’s been able to do in most of his MiLB career on the biggest stage. Despite a glaring flaw in his skillset, the rest of his abilities appear to outweigh his deficiency. He was a high-leverage, back-end of games type reliever in AA and AAA, and although it remains to be seen whether he can fill that role against the game's best hitters, it appears he can be an effective and dominant reliever in some fashion as is.

In a time where praise is hard to come by in the Twins bullpen, Jovani Moran deserves some attention. Not just for being flat out dominant, but for doing so in such an interesting way. Despite his limited and scattered opportunities, he’s been worth the same amount of Wins Above Replacement (0.4) as Griffin Jax and Caleb Thielbar. He’s been more valuable than several starting pitchers who have thrown many more innings such as Devin Smeltzer, Chris Archer and Josh Winder.

This isn’t necessarily a call for Moran to be moved into the 7th or 8th inning. Fill those spots at the deadline with proven options. Instead, it’s worth recognizing him for what he is: One of the few middle relievers who has actually done their job for the Twins this season. If he can stay right where he is and continue his absolute dominance, the Twins just may hold on to win some games in the second half. And that would be pretty cool.

 

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[Walser]

Best changeup in the organization since Johan.

[roger]

Seems that almost every time out, I find myself asking why he doesn't get more innings.  Then the next day he is sent back to St. Paul.  Why?

I would like to see this kid stay in the Twins pen as a second lefty and get the experience he needs to be a solid reliever next year and beyond.

[terrydactyls]

From the headline, I thought Moran had passed away.

[Rosterman]

I also hope Cano can come back and be a force in the bullpen. Add back in Alcala at some point, who knows.

BUT WITH YOUNGSTERS WHO SHINE, YOU HAVE TO HOPE THEY KEEP WORKING TO STAY THAT WAY.

[KScott]

Great article. Its nice to see a little light in the very dark bullpen.

[Danchat]

It’s too bad he’s only getting used in blowouts… it’d be nice if he or Cano could break through this year, but that’s probably just wishful thinking.

[Doctor Gast]

Moran is a bright spot in the dismal BP (except Duran & Jax) and should be used more. But you highly  exaggerate when you say he's more imortant than Archer, Smeltzer and Winder.

[DocBauer]

Ad roger alluded to, it's been a bit baffling that Moran does well, and then gets sent down in the roster shuffle game. And believe me, I understand the purpose behind that shuffle. But we're not talking about a 3-4 IP long/middle arm sent out for someone fresh. We're talking a 1 or 2 IP guy that looks good and is actually PERFORMING. No, he's not ready for the 8th inning at this point, but he's a good looking young arm who can help, and has a future.

To me, he is a bit of an enigma, however. Despite his somewhat high BB numbers, when I've watched him, he's USUALLY in the zone. I see his control issues as more batter to batter and not perpetual. At least when I've watched him. If he could just get a little more bite, a little more consistency with his slider, I think he could be the 7-8th inning weapon he's been in the minors.

[rwilfong86]

Puerto Rican legend Jovani Moran!

[h2oface]

Just had to write an article about him, eh? ? Didn’t do him right today. ?

[mnfireman]

50 minutes ago, h2oface said:

Just had to write an article about him, eh? ? Didn’t do him right today. ?

TD jinx strikes again...