Mighty Mussels Playoff Preview & Game Notes – Tue, Sep 13 at Dunedin

September 13, 2022 – Florida State League (FSL) – Fort Myers Mighty Mussels News Release

The Mighty Mussels visit the Dunedin Blue Jays Tuesday for Game 1 of the FSL West Division Championship series. The Best-of-Three series will travel to Hammond Stadium on Thursday for Games 2 & 3.

All three games of the series can be heard LIVE on the Mighty Mussels Baseball Network here.

LET THE PLAYOFFS BEGIN!

The Fort Myers Mighty Mussels take on the Dunedin Blue Jays in a best-of-three series this week for the FSL West Division Championship and the right to play for the Florida State League Championship.

The Fort Myers franchise is bidding for its third FSL Championship in the last eight seasons, and its first with the Mighty Mussels moniker. The Mussels and Blue Jays split the regular season series 7-7. However, only three of Dunedin’s 13 current position players remain from the teams’ last series in July. The majority of the 10 new players come from the Blue Jays’ 2022 draft class.

ROSTERS FINALIZED

The Mighty Mussels added a secret weapon prior to today’s 12 PM roster deadline. Twins’ fourth-round pick Andrew Morris has been assigned to the Fort Myers bullpen and is set to make his Single-A debut in this week’s playoffs. Morris was a key piece for Texas Tech this spring, becoming a unanimous Top-300 draft prospect thanks to a fastball that sits 92-95 mph.

The Mussels do lose relief pitcher Niklas Rimmel, who returns to Germany this week to pitch for his home nation in the World Baseball Classic qualifiers. Rimmel was dominant for the Mussels in the second half, registering a 1.98 ERA over 41 fantastic innings this season (52 K, 19 BB, .188 AVG).

OPPOSITE APPROACHES

The D-Jays and Mussels will be employing two completely different pitching strategies this week. The Blue Jays will mix and match their way through every game, while Fort Myers is riding the horses that got them here.

All three scheduled starters for Fort Myers have logged at least 61 innings this season, while both Dunedin starters have yet to complete 12 innings at the Low-A level.

ON-BASE KINGS

The Mighty Mussels have had the best walk rate in the Florida State League on both sides of the ball all season. The Fort Myers hitters led the circuit in walks by 19. 2022 marked the first time the franchise has led the FSL in walks since 2015 (448), and the first time they’ve won the OBP crown since 2013 (.345).

BEST OF THE BEST

The Mighty Mussels won the FSL’s first half this season, finishing with a 41-23 record. Their .641 winning pct. ranked 5th in Minor League Baseball

Team Level W-L Win %

Myrtle Beach Pelicans (CHC) A 47-19 .712

Charleston River Dogs (TB) A 46-20 .697

Cedar Rapids Kernels (MIN) A+ 43-23 .652

Aberdeen IronBirds (BAL) A+ 43-23 .652

Fort Myers M. Mussels (MIN) A 41-23 .641

Somerset Patriots (NYY) AA 44-25 .638

The .641 winning percentage also ranked fifth in Fort Myers franchise history (Since 1992):

Year Half W-L Win % Key Players

1 2013 First 45-22 .672 K. Vargas, T. Rogers

2 1995 Second 41-21 .661 T. Hunter, A. Fultz

3 2008 First 45-24 .652 W. Ramos, B. Dinkelman

4 2000 Second 40-25 .643 M. Restovich, G. Balfour

5 2022 First 41-23 .641 E. Rodriguez, N. Miller

6 2003 First 44-26 .629 J. Kubel, T. Watkins

Fort Myers postseason facts:

– 2-Time FSL Champions (2014, 2018)

– 4th Postseason Berth in the Last 5 Championship Seasons (2017, 2018, 2019)

– 9 consecutive winning seasons

The Mussels will host Games 2 & 3 of the FSL West Division Playoffs on September 15 and 16. The game on the 16th is if necessary.

NO-HIT NONSENSE

The Mighty Mussels have thrown three no-hitters in the past ten months, with two coming during the same month (May 2021). The franchise went 10 full years since their previous no-hitter (2011).

TOP PROSPECTS

MLB Pipeline and Baseball America recently revealed their Midseason Prospect Rankings.The Mighty Mussels’ roster currently features six ranked prospects.

Age MLB BA

OF Emmanuel Rodriguez 19 3 4

RHP Marco Raya 20 7 9

OF Misael Urbina 20 8 22

INF Tanner Schobel 21 13 15

SS Noah Miller 19 16 14

OF Kala’i Rosario 19 – 24

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