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This morning the Minnesota Twins traded catcher John Ryan Murphy to the Arizona Diamondbacks. In exchange, the Twins receive left-handed pitching prospect Gabriel Moya. Here’s a quick look at the newest Twin.
Gabriel Moya, LHP: The Diamondbacks signed Moya out of Venezuela in 2012. Despite a relative lack of press he’s been quite successful, posting a 1.55 ERA between Low-A and High-A in 2016 with an excellent 82/17 K/BB in 64 innings. He followed that with more strong pitching in 2017, posting a minuscule 0.82 ERA in 44 innings for Double-A Jackson with 68/12 K/BB. He’s also collected 17 saves this year in 17 opportunities.
Moya is listed at 6-0, 175, born January 9th, 1995. His best pitch is his change-up with tailing action. His fastball is around 89-92 but plays up due to his ability to change speeds and locate his pitches. He also has a fair slider. Moya has a history of reverse platoon splits and right-handed hitters seem to have a hard time picking him up.
Moya could be a very useful bullpen asset down the line. He is a nice exchange for a backup catcher excess to Minnesota’s needs.