Mussels Announce 2021 Opening Day Roster

FORT MYERS, Fla. (May 1, 2021) - The Fort Myers Mighty Mussels, in conjunction with the Minnesota Twins, have announced their Opening Day roster.

The Twins’ two previous first round picks and a total of five ranked prospects highlight the inaugural Mighty Mussels roster.

The active roster is comprised of 15 pitchers and 14 position players, ranging in age from 19 to 24 years old. Ten players were selected in the first ten rounds of their respective draft, and 15 have collegiate experience. The 29 Mussels players hail from four different nations – the United States (19), the Dominican Republic (6), Venezuela (3) and Canada (1).

2020 first round pick Aaron Sabato headlines an infield that features five ranked prospects. Listed as Minnesota’s No. 6 prospect by MLB Pipeline, Sabato registered a .325/.448/.664 career slash line at North Carolina, slugging 20 home runs in only 75 games. The Rye, New York native was named NCBWA National Freshman Hitter of the Year in 2019 and was selected 27th overall in last year’s draft.

2019 first rounder Keoni Cavaco will also begin the 2021 season in Fort Myers. A native of Chula Vista, California, Cavaco was selected 13th overall out of Eastlake High School. He is currently listed as the Twins’ No. 7 prospect by Keith Law of The Athletic.

Cavaco will share the left side of the infield with Will Holland. Ranked as Minnesota’s No. 23 prospect by MLB Pipeline, Holland hit .266 with 24 home runs and 102 RBI over three seasons at Auburn. The Lawrenceville, Georgia native recorded the most hits of any Tigers player in 2018 while leading Auburn to the College World Series the following year.

Yunior Severino and Charles Mack round out the five ranked prospects on the Fort Myers roster. Severino has been as high as the Twins’ No. 10 prospect, and currently sits at No. 28 according to Baseball America. The Dominican Republic native has hit .261 over three minor league seasons.

Mack signed with Minnesota after being selected in the sixth round of the 2018 draft. Originally from Williamsville, New York, Mack finished second on the Elizabethton Twins (Rk.) in home runs (8) and RBI (28) in 2019.

The Mussels’ roster also features four players who have played in other organizations. Severino was originally signed by Atlanta, while outfielder Leobaldo Cabrera earned a free agent contract after being released by the New York Yankees in 2018. Cabrera played for the Road City Explorers of the Empire League in 2019.

Right-handed pitcher Hunter McMahon was acquired from the Washington Nationals in exchange for Ryne Harper in 2020, while infielder Daniel Ozoria was traded from the Los Angeles Angels for John Curtiss in 2018.

Four players will also be making their professional debuts when they take the field next week – Sabato, infielder Edouard Julien, and right-handed pitchers Casey Legumina and Sean Mooney.

The Mussels are set to being the season in Bradenton at 6:05 p.m. on Tuesday, May 4. First pitch of the Mussels’ homer opener at Hammond Stadium is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Tuesday, May 11. Both games can be heard live on the Mighty Mussels Baseball Network.

FULL ROSTER

Catchers (3): Charles Mack, Jeferson Morales, Kyle Schmidt

Infielders (7): Keoni Cavaco, Will Holland, Edouard Julien, Charles Mack, Daniel Ozoria, Aaron Sabato, Yunior Severino, Wander Valdez

Outfielders (4): Leobaldo Cabrera, Willie Joe Garry Jr., Anthony Prato, Max Smith

Right-Handed Pitchers (12): Steven Cruz, Osiris German, Sawyer Gipson-Long, Regi Grace Jr., Bradley Hanner, Casey Legumina, Hunter McMahon, Sean Mooney, Miguel Rodriguez, Ryan Shreve, Matthew Swain, Louie Varland

Left-Handed Pitchers (3): Denny Bentley, Brent Headrick, Juan Pichardo