Mighty Mussels ready for today’s season-opener at Palm Beach
Baseball fans across Southwest Florida have lots to look forward to over the next six months, as the boys of summer are back in Fort Myers for another season of Mighty Mussels baseball.
The Low-A affiliate of the Minnesota Twins, this year’s Mighty Mussels squad is chalk-full of talent, including three of the top 30 prospects in the organization starting the year with the club.
Tonight marks the 32nd season of the team being affiliated with the Twins, as the Mussels start the year in Palm Beach taking on the Cardinals. Last year, Fort Myers finished the season in fourth place in the Florida State League West with a 66-59 record.
The club begins its home slate with a six-game set against the Tampa Tarpons starting April 8.
The Mussels are being led by a new skipper this season, as Seth Feldman, who had managed the Twins’ affiliates at the complex level for five years, will take the reins.
Former manager Brian Meyer has been assigned as manager for High-A Cedar Rapids after four straight winning seasons.
“We’re really looking forward to it,” Feldman said of the upcoming season. “It’s an exciting group of players. We’re all ready to get going with the season.”
With a winning percentage above .450 in three seasons with the FCL Twins, the 32-year-old oversaw the development of many of the Twins’ key prospects while working with many former and current Mussels’ players. He also played an integral role in player development during Spring Training, extended Spring Training and Instructional League.
“I think it’s going to be a really cool experience,” Feldman said of sort of “moving up” with many of the guys he’s already worked with. “You see these guys grow up, see how they’ve developed, some guys even from two, three, four years ago and where they’re at now.”
Minor League Baseball is all about improving and perfecting a craft to reach the next level. Oftentimes, a stop in Fort Myers is the first time a player will experience professional baseball after coming out of college or high school.
“It’s all about growth. It’s all about development at these levels,” Feldman said. “It’s all about helping push these guys forward in their careers. Our organizational philosophy is we care more about the person than just about the baseball player. We want to take care of these guys and help them develop as people and as players.
“Our job as coaches is to continually teach and take pride in our ability to connect with these guys.”
So, what should fans know about the team?
“There’s some young, really exciting players on this team,” Feldman said. “We have a lot of guys on this team that are going to be playing baseball for quite a while. I think this is going to be a fun team to watch, and a team that is going to play hard night in and night out.”
Southpaw Dasan Hill is the top-ranked prospect on the roster, coming in at No. 13 in the Twins’ organization, according to MLB Pipeline.
The 19-year-old was selected 69th overall in the 2024 MLB Draft out of Grapevine High School in Texas. The 6-foot-5 starter did not compete at any level following the draft, but has turned some heads this spring with his fastball that has jumped from the low-90s to as high as 98 mph.
“I would say the coaching staff here is just insane,” Hill said of his leap in velocity. “They’ve just been putting all their energy into us. And just getting bigger with the strength coaches.
“A lot of the drills that I do kind of make it so I’m not having to think about what I’m doing on the mound. It’s just doing those drills to where it’s just a natural change for the better.”
Hill said it’s a “dream come true” to start his professional career, and that he’s enjoyed facing top competition early on prior to the season starting.
To go along with his newfound heater, Hill features a devastating low-80s sweeper that he said is a go-to out pitch for him.
“It’s a relatively new pitch I developed my junior year,” Hill said. “I’m fine-tuning it even now to make it better. It’s my swing-and-miss pitch. To be able to have that weapon in the back of my pocket — I feel confident I can always throw it for a strike and it’s awesome to have.”
Hill has also been working on a curveball and changeup, the latter of which can play even more with a fastball in the upper-90s.
As for being the top prospect on the club, Hill said it’s in the back of his mind, but something he’s trying not to think about too much.
“You can’t think of it, you have to compete the same whether you’re a top prospect or just signed as a free agent,” he said. “Just keep competing and have the same mentality either way.”
Durability, especially for a pitcher that will throw more innings than he ever has before, is a vital piece of the puzzle for success. Hill said there’s been “huge” changes to his routine from high school to professional baseball with his workouts and conditioning.
“It’s about being a lot more consistent,” Hill said. “Our trainers and strength coaches definitely do a great job.”
Hill has been in Fort Myers since last year, and said he can’t wait to feel the experience of a live crowd and to make his pro debut, which is slated for Saturday.
A hometown kid will suit up for the Mussels this season, as Fort Myers native Peyton Carr starts the season in a stadium just 10 minutes from his childhood home.
Carr, a third baseman, was drafted in the 10th round of last year’s draft out of High Point University where he was First Team All-Conference in the Big South.
The 2020 graduate of Fort Myers High School said it’s a blessing to be able to suit up so close to home and continue his baseball journey.
“I grew up coming to games here — Spring Training games, Low-A games, so, it’s just such a blessing to look up to those guys growing up and now being in that spot is a blessing,” Carr said.
The 23-year-old said his family is “pumped” about him getting to return home and play out his baseball dreams, as well as a large group of friends that will surely venture to Lee County Sports Complex to see him compete.
In 2024, Carr started 27 games as a designated hitter and batted .417 with 13 home runs and 30 RBI. He posted an eye-opening 1.380 OPS and slugged .864 with just 12 strikeouts in 124 plate appearances. Carr battled through misdiagnosed abdominal muscle tears in 2023 and early 2024, but overcame the adversity to put up numbers that resulted in hearing his name on draft night.
“Coming back, I dealt with a misdiagnosed injury for quite a while,” Carr said. “Made a little bit of a swing change, saw a new hitting coach, and it all clicked. I decided to give everything to the Lord when I went down again. My relationship with (God) has advanced so much, and I decided to just give the whole season to (God). I give (God) all the glory and the praise.
“It was tough (to battle through injuries). I got a few different opinions and diagnoses. It was mentally taxing for sure.”
Carr said while he certainly wanted to be on the field with his teammates, being able to take in the game from the sidelines gave him a different perspective that ultimately benefited his game.
“It teaches you a lot,” Carr said. “Baseball is the best game in terms of relating it to life. You fail three out of 10 times and you’re a hall of famer. There’s a lot of failure that goes on in this game, and that relates well to life. You can’t be successful without failure.”
One of the 13 returning players on the roster is catcher Poncho Ruiz.
The 23-year-old San Diego State University product appeared in 71 games for the Mussels last season, hitting .256 with four home runs and 36 RBI. He was even promoted to High-A Cedar Rapids, logging 21 appearances.
“I’m ready for a new season,” Ruiz said. “I’m excited to be in this league and give 100%.”
Being a catcher is a taxing position on the body, especially in the Florida heat, but is also quite a cerebral position having to work seamlessly with each pitcher on the staff.
“It starts in Spring Training catching all of these guys,” Ruiz said. “Knowing their pitches. I love catching. It’s a passion for me to learn pitchers, what they have — I love pitch calling. It’s one of my favorite things.”
What does Ruiz think about this year’s team compared to last season?
“We have a really good team this year,” he said. “We have some more experienced guys, combined with the younger guys, we’re going to be able to help those guys develop into better baseball players and win some ball games.”
Feldman has served as the catching coach throughout the spring, working with Ruiz on blocking and pop time.
“I’ve been around him since the beginning of spring,” Ruiz said. “We work hard and we’re ready to go.”
Other top prospects on the Mussels roster to begin the year are outfielder Yasser Mercedes (No. 20) and infielder Dameury Pena (No. 25).
For more information on this year’s schedule, promotions, and tickets, visit milb.com.
Hammond Stadium at Lee County Sports Complex is at 14100 Six Mile Cypress Parkway in south Fort Myers.