A little bit of new, a little bit of old and a lot of fun is to be had at Hammond Stadium this summer.

The Fort Myers Mighty Mussels, a Low-A affiliate of the Minnesota Twins, start their 132-game campaign on the road Friday and welcome fans for the first time in 2022 next Tuesday.

This year’s roster (to start the season) boasts six top-30 prospects in the Twins’ system and the team is sure to compete at a high level.

“We’re excited,” said Mussels skipper Brian Meyer, now in his third season in the organization and second as manager. “We’re really looking forward to having butts in the seats with no restrictions, just brining back that fan interaction.”

Shortstop Noah Miller and outfielder Emmanuel Rodriguez headline the 2022 Mussels when it comes to prospect rankings. Miller is slated as the Twins’ No. 10 prospect by MLB Pipeline, while Rodriguez is No. 10 in the system according to Baseball America.

Mighty Mussels players show off new and throwback threads to be worn by the club on select nights throughout the 2022 season. The Mighty Mussels first game at Hammond Stadium is Tuesday, April 12. CJ HADDAD

Rodriguez crushed more homers than anyone on the Gulf Coast League Twins in 2021, bashing 10 dingers in just 37 games. He also led the team in walks (23) and finished the season with a .870 OPS. MLB Pipeline ranked Rodriguez as the No. 8 prospect in the entire 2019 international class before he signed with Minnesota for $2.5 million.

“I’m very happy to be here and to be healthy,” said Rodriguez, a 19-year-old Santiago, Dominican Republic, native. “I’m looking forward to do what I’ve been brought here to do and enjoy the season and the ride.

“I feel if I’m healthy, everything that was seen in the Complex League will show. My number one focus is just being healthy.”

Other than carrying some pop in his bat, Rodriguez has a heck of an arm at the outfield position.

“I’ve been blessed, and as far back as I can remember I’ve had a strong arm,” Rodriguez said. “It’s become stronger as the years go by, but I’ve always been ahead with my arm strength.”

Miller was drafted 36th overall in the 2021 MLB Draft after graduating from Ozaukee High School in Fredonia, Wisconsin. The younger brother of Guardians’ infielder Owen Miller, Noah hit .290 through his first 16 professional games last summer.

“Spring Training was fun to get together with the guys that we’re going to be playing with,” Miller said. “We’ve got a good group of guys, a good squad, and I think we’re going to be able to compete with a lot of teams.”

As far as being a top prospect with the club, Miller said, “I just play the game, that’s all I try to do. I don’t try to focus on anything else. I don’t go on social media often. I’m just trying to go out there and play the best baseball that I can.

“I’m always working on everything,” he continued. “My biggest thing was working on hitting the inside pitch this offseason, so that was a big thing I worked on. Hopefully this season it pays off.”

“Noah and Emmanuel are two, for very good reasons, highly ranked prospects,” Meyer said. “It’s going to be their first year in affiliated ball, and seeing the things that they can do both through Spring Training and instructs last year, it’s really exciting to see how they progress here over the next five months.”

When asked what he feels is the biggest strength of his ballclub, Meyer said his pitching staff.

“I think if you look at our roster, the pitching staff is what really stands out. We have developed a really strong philosophy of pitching and implementing principals to develop really strong pitchers. You look at some of the draftees from last year – really high ceilings for a lot of those guys.”

Southpaw Steve Hajjar is Fort Myers’ top-ranked pitching prospect, clocking in at No. 12 on Baseball America’s list. Set to make his pro debut this weekend, Hajjar struck out 110 batters in 81.2 innings for the University of Michigan in 2021, earning First Team All-Big Ten honors. He led the conference in punch-outs while finishing with a 3.09 ERA. Hajjar was the 2018 Massachusetts Gatorade Player of the Year at Central Catholic High School.

“I’m very excited to get out here for the first time,” said the 6-foot-5 Hajjar. “I think the biggest thing personally that I’ve learned since being here for Spring Training is the mental side of the game. I think I’ve taken big steps forward on that front. I’m trying to be as present as possible when I’m out there, trust my stuff and have supreme confidence in what the coaching staff is telling me to do and what we’ve been working on.”

A second-round draft pick in 2021, the 21-year-old said from a pitching perspective, he’s working on his off-speed selections and fine-tuning his location.

He said there’s been a great bond in the clubhouse with the rest of the guys that in turn, will help with the daily grind of a baseball season.

Other top prospects to start the season with Fort Myers include infielder Keoni Cavaco (No. 21 Baseball America), RHP Marco Raya (No. 26 MLB Pipeline) and outfielder Kala’i Rosario (No. 26 Baseball America).

Meyer said fans should expect his team to perform to their best each and every night.

“They can expect our guys to come out and give their best effort every night,” Meyer said. “These guys are young, they’re going to learn, it’s all part of the process here in Low-A. For a lot of them, it’s their first time playing (this many games). They’re going to give their best effort, play hard, and respect the game.”

Both players and coaches will also to navigate rule changes and experimentations Major League Baseball has implemented to the minors. Changes include the prohibition of defensive shifts, pickoff attempts, larger bases, 14-second pitch clock and automated ball/strike system challenges.

“Us as a staff, we’ve been talking a lot about how do we go about the players using (the challenges), and in what situations,” Meyer said. “I’m interested to see how it works when you align the umpire’s call with what the ABS is telling us.

“You’ve got to (take these rule changes) in stride. Our job with being kind of the test run for it, is our job is to try different things and to give feedback to the Major League staff, so if these rules come about we’re able to say we tried x, y and z – this is what worked, this is what didn’t work, so that feedback loop is going to be very important.”

The Mussels are also rolling out a hefty promotional schedule, with countless nights geared towards family fun.

Highlights of this year’s schedule include: The return of the Fort Myers “Miracle” name during all Thursday home games; “Party at the Park” concert with Joe Nichols and Parmelee (May 14); four specialty themed jerseys: tiger-themed (April 15), Pink Out Cancer (June 4), Hulk Smash (June 17), ’92 USA Olympic Basketball-themed (July 3); 17 post-game fireworks shows; multiple beer festivals; Cancer Sucks Series; and Four Celebrity Appearances: Carole Baskin (April 15), Brian Baumgartner (April 29), Jon Gries (June 3), Jerry Lawler (June 18).

The vision of John Martin, new owner of the Mussels, is to provide affordable family fun, and he wants the community to fall in love with the team.

“We’re going to serve – while an awesome baseball game is going on – warm hot dogs, cold beer, have fireworks, great promotions and serve up that experience to the fans of Southwest Florida,” Martin said. “With the excitement that’s down here and the number of people moving here – I’m not so sure this isn’t going to be one of the best markets for Minor League Baseball in the United States as we go forward.”

Get all the latest and full schedule of upcoming promotions and tickets by visiting mightymussels.com and by following the Mighty Mussels on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

— Connect with Associate Sports Editor CJ Haddad on Twitter: @haddad_cj