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The Minnesota Twins farm system is chock-full of intriguing arm talent, particularly when it comes to starting pitching. But while names such as Jhoan Duran, Jordan Balazovic, and Josh Winder grab the majority of the headlines, perhaps no single pitcher in the system is more ready for major league action than reliever Jovani Moran.
The Twins selected the 24-year-old lefty with the 200th pick of the 2015 draft out of the Carlos Beltran Baseball Academy located in Florida, Puerto Rico. Since putting pen to paper and officially signing with the Twins, Moran has experienced bouts of incredible success and overall mediocrity, though his performance to date this summer has catapulted him into the franchise's Top 30 prospects according to MLB Pipeline. As of this writing, he owns a 1.91 ERA and 0.70 WHIP to go along with 55 strikeouts in 33 innings for Double-A Wichita.
From a purely physical standpoint, nothing about Moran stands out. He's listed at 6-foot-1-inches tall and 165 pounds with an athletic, if a little slender, frame. That said, his mechanics are fluid and repeatable - he only throws out of the stretch - and generates good forward thrust with his powerful legs.
Moran primarily utilizes his 4-seam fastball, which sits 92-94 mph, though it can touch as high as 96 mph, to begin at-bats and mixes in an average slider that has good, but not overwhelming, bite. However, the pièce de résistance of Moran's arsenal is his Johan Santana-like changeup, blasphemous as that may sound.
His changeup "poofs" - for lack of a more technical scouting term - out of his hand and floats towards the catcher's mitt seemingly in slow motion while opposing batters corkscrew themselves into the ground. Batters know the changeup is coming, but the similar arm slots combined with the 10-12 mph difference between it and his 4-seamer keeps them on their heels. It is this combination that has led Moran to post the highest strikeout rate (45.8%) and second-best xFIP (2.09) among all minor league pitchers who have thrown at least 30 innings this season.
However, Moran is not without his warts.
He often falls behind in the count due to average command of his fastball and slider and has escaped multiple full-counts throughout the course of the season. (Note: His overall control is fine - he's walked only 11 batters in 33.0 innings - but his ability to place the ball where he wants it with every pitch is lacking. Think of control as accuracy, but command as precision. He can throw strikes, just not always in the location he and/or the catcher want.) Of the 12 hits he has allowed this summer, three have been home runs and his high leg kick, even with runners on base, leaves him susceptible to stolen base attempts; in the some-15 innings I've watched him throw this season, I have yet to seem him unleash a pick-off attempt. Additionally, Moran has a history of elbow and shoulder injuries, though he has not been placed on the injured list since July of 2019 and has not undergone any major surgeries (i.e. Tommy John).
That said, the numbers and video speak for themselves. Moran is one of the most untouchable relievers in all of Minor League Baseball and owns one of the league's most dominant pitches in his legitimate 70-grade changeup. It would not be surprising to see Moran take the hill at Target Field at some point this season, despite not currently being on the 40-man roster, and one could easily make the argument that he has earned the right to be called up directly from Double-A.
In all likelihood, though, he will see some time in St. Paul despite the Twins' bullpen woes and his consistent dominance at one of the minor league's top levels. But there is a legitimate argument to be made that he is the most likely candidate in the system to be the future ace of the Twins' bullpen due in large part to his ability to throw strikes and strike batters out.
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- dbminn, MN_ExPat and ToddlerHarmon
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