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Much sacrifice from a small town in Puerto Rico to the Major Leagues 

A dream come true for Jovani Morán (Photo credit: MLB.com)
(This story written by Carlos Rosa Rosa first appeared in Puerto Rico’s daily, El Nuevo Dia (endi.com). We translated and edited in english for our readers.)

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The development of Jovani Moran a left-handed reliever for the Minnesota Twins had multiple trips to different towns, including Cabo Rojo, Florida, and Caguas, from his childhood to his youth. His persistency paid off.

When Sergio Morán heard the name of his son Jovani over the loudspeakers in the stands at Target Field, that afternoon of September 12, 2021, making his entrance to the mound for the first time in his major league career with the Minnesota Twins, he barely contained his emotion, while many memories flashed through his mind.

They were memories that led him to Jovani’s first steps in baseball in the Dodgers League in his native Sabana Grande since he was 4 years old, and that later moved to different leagues in the towns of Mayagüez, Cabo Rojo, Guánica and Lajas, where he went to play from the age of 8 to the youth leagues in search of a higher level of competition.

There are also memories in Florida at the Carlos Beltrán Academy and in Caguas in the Big League, months before the MLB rookie draft in 2015.

Sergio, his wife Migdalia, and his daughter Erika had reason to cry that day at Target Field. Certainly, the road to the Majors was paved with sacrifices for Jovani and his family.

“It has been exciting to see him fulfill his dream and ours. Since he was little, he didn’t have a plan B of what he wanted to do when he grew up. He always told me, I’m going to make it to the Major Leagues and there it is, thank God.” Sergio shared with emotion in an interview with El Nuevo Día at the Rafael D. Milán Stadium in this municipality.

Without the support of his parents, Jovani’s path to the best baseball in the world would have been more uphill. Sergio was a fan of baseball and always knew how to identify the opportunities that would help the development of his offspring.

Already at the age of 15, Jovani stood out as a left-handed pitcher. He was dominant in his leagues. But there was always room for improvement.

On one occasion, Sergio heard that the Carlos Beltrán Academy was going to hold a tryout at El Maní park in Mayagüez. Jovani had just finished tenth grade.

Jovani went to the training session and with pitches ranging between 79 and 81 miles he got a full scholarship from that institution.

The academy offered daily transportation to students from the western zone from Mayagüez. The family accepted the challenge and Jovani began eleventh grade at the school located in the town of Florida. This required a greater effort from Jovani and from Sergio.

“Jovani would get up between 3:30 and 4:00 in the morning and I would take him to the Mayagüez Mall, where a bus would pick him up. Then I would go to work in Hormigueros, where I started very early, and then I had to wait until 6:00 and 6:30 in the afternoon, “That was the same routine for two years,” he says.

And how many hours did Jovani sleep? Sergio was asked.

And Jovani interrupted and replied: “From 9 at night until 3 in the morning. Sometimes I tried to sleep in the bus”.

And the schedule got tighter in the months prior to the MLB rookie draft to be held in June 2015. Pick it up again in Mayagüez, and then go down to our house,” says Sergio, a mechanic by profession.

In search of greater exposure to the listeners of the organizations, Jovani moved to play in Caguas. So, Saturdays included a trip to the metropolitan area.

“He would go to Manatí for five days and then on Saturday to Caguas. My only day off was Sunday,” says Jovani, on his side.

All that sacrifice paid off, when Jovani was claimed by the Twins organization in the seventh round in 2015 and received a $275,000 signing bonus.

It was the start of a journey through the Minors that has taken him to the Majors the past two years. Last season he played a bigger role with the Twins and was dominant in relief, going 40.2 innings with a 2.21 ERA and 54 KO’s.

And now he also looks like a relevant piece in Puerto Rico’s bullpen for the next World Baseball Classic in Miami given the shortage of left-handed arms.

“For us there was never rest. We were always with him in the parks. It has been a very beautiful story. He is a very dedicated boy, and we enjoy what he is experiencing”, stated his father, Sergio to conclude the interview.

2 Comments

2 Comments

  1. Frances Ringswald

    April 6, 2024 at 7:50 pm

    How wonderful to hear about Jovani. I’ve been following him. I tried to reach you but I could not seem to get in touch. Regards, Fran Ringswald

  2. Frances Ringswald

    April 7, 2024 at 3:31 am

    Congratulations Jovani. So happy for you

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