Twins #30 Prospect, Jovani Moran, Earns Promotion To St. Paul

ST. PAUL, MN (July 16, 2021) - The Minnesota Twins promoted left-handed pitcher Jovani Moran from Double-A Wichita to St. Paul on Friday. Moran is the #30 prospect in the Twins organization and will be making his first appearance on a Triple-A roster.

Moran, 24, started the season with the Double-A Wichita Wind Surge where he appeared in 20 games out of the bullpen. He amassed 37.2 innings of work, going 2-1 with a 1.91 ERA. He did not allow a run in eight straight appearances from May 23-June 16, a span of 13.2 innings, giving up just three hits in that stretch. Opponents were hitting .112 against him over the course of his 20 games with the Wind Surge. He leaves the Double-A Central tied for the eighth most strikeouts in the league with 64, compared to just 14 walks.

In 2019, the Mayaguez, Puerto Rico native spent most of his season at Double-A Pensacola, making three appearances with the GCL Twins. He pitched in 20 games with the Blue Wahoos, allowing a career-high 19 earned runs on a career-high 27 hits. He finished the campaign with a 2-2 record and a 4.54 ERA.

The southpaw had a successful 2018 season, going 9-3 with a 2.25 ERA in career-high 37 appearances between Cedar Rapids and Fort Myers. He finished the season with a career-high eight saves in 11 opportunities. He made 22 appearances in Cedar Rapids before getting the promotion to Fort Myers where he owned a 6-1 record in 15 games with the Miracle.

Moran made just 11 appearances in 2017 with the Elizabethton Twins. He won three games lost, one, and allowed just two runs (one earned) in 24.2 innings, both of which scored in the same game. He struck out 45 batters while walking six, finishing with a 0.36 ERA. He ended the season with a career best 16.4 strikeouts per nine innings and has averaged at least 10.5 K/9 in every season since.

The 2015 draft pick missed the 2016 season, after having left elbow surgery and pitched in just six games in his first professional season in 2015. He started all six games that year, with the only other start of his career coming in 2018 in Cedar Rapids. He went 0-2 in his rookie season with a 4.12 ERA.

Moran was drafted by the Twins in the seventh round of the 2015 First-Year Player Draft out of the Carlos Beltrán Academy in Puerto Rico. He was rated the second-best prospect out of Puerto Rico and the 300th overall by Baseball America entering the 2015 Draft.

The Saints’ roster now consists of 30 players, 16 pitchers and 14 position players with five on the injured list and two Major League Rehab assignments in Mitch Garver and Jake Cave.