American baseball player (born 1992)
Baseball player
Sean Anthony Manaea
(
m?-NY-?
;
[1]
born February 1, 1992) is an American
professional baseball
pitcher
for the
New York Mets
of
Major League Baseball
(MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the
Oakland Athletics
,
San Diego Padres
, and
San Francisco Giants
. He played
college baseball
at
Indiana State University
.
While attending Indiana State, Manaea was named the best prospect in the
Cape Cod Baseball League
in 2012. The
Kansas City Royals
selected Manaea with the 34th pick in the
2013 MLB draft
, and traded him to the Athletics during the 2015 season. He debuted in MLB in 2016, and pitched a
no-hitter
on April 21, 2018. Oakland traded Manaea to the Padres before the 2022 season and he signed with the Giants for the 2023 season.
Amateur career
[
edit
]
Manaea was raised in
Wanatah, Indiana
, population 1,000.
[2]
[3]
He attended
South Central Junior-Senior High School
in
Union Mills, Indiana
, for his first three years of high school.
[1]
After his junior year, he competed in the first All-
Indiana
Crossroads Showcase Series.
[4]
Manaea transferred to
Andrean High School
in
Merrillville, Indiana
. Playing for the baseball team at Andrean, Manaea was part of the state champions in 2010, his senior year.
[5]
He threw a
fastball
between 82?85 miles per hour (132?137 km/h).
[6]
Not selected in the
Major League Baseball (MLB) draft
out of high school,
[7]
Manaea enrolled at
Indiana State University
(ISU), where he played
college baseball
for the
Indiana State Sycamores baseball
team, competing in the
Missouri Valley Conference
of NCAA's
Division I
. After his freshman year at ISU, Manaea played
collegiate summer baseball
for the
Dubois County Bombers
of the
Prospect League
.
[8]
Manaea was 5?3 with a 3.34 ERA and recorded 115
strikeouts
(13th in the nation) in 105
innings pitched
for the Sycamores as a sophomore.
[9]
[10]
Following his sophomore year at Indiana State, he competed for the
Hyannis Harbor Hawks
in the
Cape Cod Baseball League
, where he went 5?1 with a 1.22
earned run average
(ERA) and a league-leading 85 strikeouts (setting the modern record for a single summer) in
51
+
2
⁄
3
innings pitched, and won the league's Outstanding Prospect Award, and was named the B.F.C Whitehouse Top Pitcher, Summer National Player of the Year by Perfect Game USA, and the Cape Cod League's top prospect by
Baseball America
.
[10]
[1]
[5]
[11]
[12]
[13]
In 2013, Manaea was named a Preseason
All-American
[14]
and added to the National Pitcher of the Year Watch List.
[15]
He compiled a 5?4 record, a 1.47 ERA, and 93 strikeouts in
73
+
1
⁄
3
innings, ranking fourth in the nation in
strikeouts per 9 innings pitched
(11.4), while leading the league with 5 balks.
[16]
[9]
[17]
By the end of his collegiate career, his fastball reached as high as 97 miles per hour (156 km/h).
[6]
Professional career
[
edit
]
Kansas City Royals
[
edit
]
Considered a top prospect in the
2013 Major League Baseball draft
,
[1]
[5]
Manaea was
scouted
by the
Houston Astros
, who had the
first overall pick
.
[18]
However, he had a hip injury that he pitched through during his junior year at Indiana State. Misdiagnosed as a
hip impingement
that he could play through as it healed, Manaea pitched through pain and saw his velocity decrease.
[9]
He was not selected until the
Kansas City Royals
took him with the 34th pick of the draft.
[19]
The Royals signed Manaea to a $3.55 million
signing bonus
, above the recommended value for the 34th pick of $1,623,000.
[17]
He had surgery to repair a torn
acetabular labrum
in his hip and missed the remainder of the 2013 season.
[9]
[20]
Healthy in time for
spring training
in 2014, the Royals assigned Manaea to the
Wilmington Blue Rocks
of the
Class A-Advanced
Carolina League
, with the plan to limit him to 150 innings pitched for the 2014 season.
[9]
Manaea had a 7?8 record with a 3.11 ERA in 25 games started, leading the Carolina League with 146 strikeouts in
121
+
2
⁄
3
innings (10.8 strikeouts per 9 innings).
[21]
[22]
He was named an MiLB Organization 2014 All Star.
[23]
He missed the beginning of the 2015 season with abdominal and groin injuries. After making four starts for Wilmington, Manaea received a promotion to the
Northwest Arkansas Naturals
of the
Class AA
Texas League
in July, for whom he pitched seven innings.
[24]
Oakland Athletics
[
edit
]
Manaea with the Athletics in 2016
The Royals traded Manaea and
Aaron Brooks
to the
Oakland Athletics
on July 28, 2015, in exchange for
Ben Zobrist
.
[25]
The Athletics assigned him to the
Midland RockHounds
of the Texas League.
[26]
With Midland, Manaea made seven starts, and had a 1.90 ERA with 51 strikeouts in
42
+
2
⁄
3
innings pitched.
[27]
He was named an MiLB Organization 2015 All Star.
[23]
Pitching for the
Mesa Solar Sox
in 2015, he was named an AFL Rising Star and to the AFL All-Prospect Team.
[23]
He began the 2016 season with the
Nashville Sounds
of the
Class AAA
Pacific Coast League
.
[28]
Manaea and
Jonathan Lucroy
celebrating Manaea's
no hitter
on April 21, 2018
After he made three starts for Nashville, with whom he was 2?0 with a 1.50 ERA in 18 innings with 21 strikeouts, the Athletics promoted Manaea to the major leagues to make his debut on April 29.
[29]
[30]
In his rookie season in 2016, Manaea pitched to a 7?9 win?loss record and a 3.86 ERA in 25 games (24 starts) covering
144
+
2
⁄
3
innings.
[31]
Manaea was placed on the 10-day disabled list due to a left shoulder strain on April 30, 2017.
[32]
[33]
Manaea completed his 16th consecutive outing in which he pitched at least two innings allowing no more than five hits on June 5. Manaea surpassed
Tom Gordon
's streak of 15 games (June 24 ? September 2, 1992), becoming the longest such streak by an
American League
(AL) pitcher since 1913.
[34]
In 16 starts prior to the
All-Star break
, Manaea had a 3.76 ERA.
[35]
He struggled with weight loss during the season due to changing dosage of an
attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
medication he was prescribed in the spring, going from 255 to 230 pounds (116 to 104 kg). He ended the 2017 season with a 12?10 record and a 4.37 ERA in 29 starts covering
158
+
2
⁄
3
innings.
[36]
[33]
On April 21, 2018, Manaea
no-hit
the
Boston Red Sox
3?0 at
Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum
, becoming the first Athletics pitcher to throw a no-hitter since
Dallas Braden's perfect game
in 2010. He struck out 10 and walked two.
[37]
[38]
With a .894 winning percentage, the Red Sox had the best record, at the time, of any team to be no-hit in baseball history.
[39]
Manaea and
Manny Machado
were named the AL's
Co-Players of the Week
for the week ending April 22.
[40]
In his next start against the
Houston Astros
on April 27, Manaea pitched seven scoreless innings and struck out seven as the A's won 8?1.
[41]
In August, Manaea went on the disabled list due to an impingement in his left shoulder.
[42]
On September 11, he was ruled out for the rest of the season due to arthroscopic surgery to repair the impingement.
[43]
He ended the 2018 season with a 12?9 record in 27 starts covering
160
+
2
⁄
3
innings in which he averaged 7.9 hits and 1.8 walks per 9 innings, with a 1.077 WHIP, and his 9 wild pitches were 10th in the AL.
[33]
He tied for the major league lead in bunt hits given up, with six.
[44]
Manaea began the 2019 season rehabilitating his shoulder, aiming to return to the Athletics at midseason.
[45]
He made his season debut in September. In five starts, he was 4?0 with 30 strikeouts in
29
+
2
⁄
3
innings.
[33]
Earning the start in the
2019 AL Wild Card Game
against the
Tampa Bay Rays
. He allowed four runs on four hits, including three home runs, despite striking out five, leading to his exit after two-plus innings in an eventual 5?1 Oakland loss.
[46]
In 2020, Manaea and the Athletics agreed to a $3.75 million salary.
[47]
He finished the pandemic-shortened season with a record of 4?3 and a 4.50 ERA in 11 starts covering 54 innings.
[33]
As Oakland advanced in the playoffs, Manaea pitched against the
Houston Astros
in Game 2 of the
2020 American League Division Series
. He took the loss as he allowed four runs in
4
+
1
⁄
3
innings.
[48]
Manaea and the Athletics agreed on a $5.95 million salary for the 2021 season.
[49]
He led the AL with 32 starts and two shutouts for the Athletics in 2021, and went 11?10 with a 3.91 ERA (10th in the AL) with 194 strikeouts (8th) in
179
+
2
⁄
3
innings (8th), with 4.732 strikeouts/walk (4th), 2.058 walks per 9 innings (6th), 9.736 strikeouts per 9 innings (7th), 8.983 hits per 9 innings (9th), 1.255 home runs/9 innings (9th), and a 1.227 WHIP (10th).
[33]
On March 22, 2022, Manaea signed a $9.75 million contract with Oakland, avoiding salary arbitration.
[50]
San Diego Padres
[
edit
]
On April 3, 2022, the Athletics traded Manaea and Aaron Holiday to the
San Diego Padres
for
Adrian Martinez
and
Euribiel Angeles
. In 2022 with San Diego he was 8?9 with a 4.96 ERA in 30 games (28 starts) in which he pitched 158 innings and struck out 156 batters.
[29]
Manaea became a free agent following the conclusion of the 2022 season.
[51]
[52]
[53]
San Francisco Giants
[
edit
]
On December 16, 2022, Manaea signed a two-year, $25 million contract with the
San Francisco Giants
.
[54]
On November 5, 2023, Manaea opted out of the second year of his contract and became a free agent.
[55]
New York Mets
[
edit
]
On January 12, 2024, Manaea signed a two-year, $28 million contract with the
New York Mets
. He can opt out of the contract after the 2024 season.
[56]
Personal life
[
edit
]
Manaea's father, Faaloloi, moved from
American Samoa
to
Hawaii
, served in the
Vietnam War
, and was then stationed in Indiana, where he settled and worked for the
Inland Steel Company
following his military service.
[57]
[1]
His mother, Opal, is a factory worker.
[3]
Manaea has two older brothers?a half-brother from his father's first marriage and a full brother.
[57]
One of his brothers, Dane, is in the
United States Navy
.
[58]
Growing up in Indiana, Manaea was isolated from his father's Samoan culture.
[59]
Manaea first visited American Samoa in 2014. There, he began his
sleeve tattoo
, using traditional Samoan symbols.
[60]
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
Richards, Phil (April 19, 2013).
"Indiana State pitcher Manaea has become red-hot prospect"
.
The Indianapolis Star
. Retrieved
April 20,
2013
.
- ^
Gallegos, Martin (May 25, 2018).
"The making of Sean Manaea: How A's ace has found the confidence to match his talent"
.
Dayton Daily News
. Retrieved
February 24,
2024
.
- ^
a
b
"Indiana State's Sean Manaea steps into the MLB draft spotlight ? college baseball ? ESPN"
. Espn.go.com. March 14, 2013
. Retrieved
April 19,
2013
.
- ^
Metz, Ryan (June 25, 2009).
"Northwest team boosts stock with sweep of All-Indiana Crossroads Series games"
.
The Times of Northwest Indiana
. Retrieved
April 22,
2013
.
- ^
a
b
c
Smith, Hillary (April 7, 2013).
"Sean Manaea mania is on the rise"
.
The Times of Northwest Indiana
. Retrieved
April 19,
2013
.
- ^
a
b
Slusser, Susan (May 5, 2016).
"Meet the A's hottest prospect: Sean Manaea ? San Francisco Chronicle"
. Sfchronicle.com
. Retrieved
April 22,
2018
.
- ^
Mayo, Jonathan.
"Sean Manaea's cool exterior masks inner fire as First-Year Player Draft nears | MLB.com: News"
. Mlb.mlb.com
. Retrieved
June 22,
2013
.
- ^
Adams, Lynn (January 8, 2020).
"Manaea named to Prospect League Hall of Fame"
.
Dubois County Herald
. Retrieved
February 25,
2024
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
McCullough, Andy (March 9, 2014).
"Royals pleased with pitching prospect Sean Manaea's progress"
.
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. Archived from
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on March 10, 2014
. Retrieved
March 10,
2014
.
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a
b
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.
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.
- ^
"On the mound | State Magazine | Indiana State University"
. State Magazine. April 1, 2017
. Retrieved
April 22,
2018
.
- ^
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. Fangraphs.com. August 10, 2012
. Retrieved
April 19,
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.
- ^
"#51 Sean Manaea"
. pointstreak.com
. Retrieved
July 20,
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.
- ^
"Perfect Game honors Sean Manaea | WTHITV.com Terre Haute, Indiana"
. Wthitv.com. January 21, 2013
. Retrieved
April 20,
2013
.
- ^
"Manaea added to national watch list wthitv.com terre haute indiana sports"
. Wthitv.com. April 15, 2013
. Retrieved
April 20,
2013
.
- ^
"2013 Missouri Valley Conference Pitching Leaders"
.
Baseball-Reference.com
.
- ^
a
b
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.
MLB.com
(Press release). Kansas City Royals. June 21, 2013
. Retrieved
March 19,
2023
.
- ^
"Luhnow, scouts considering options for No. 1 Draft pick | astros.com: News"
.
mlb.com
. April 22, 2013
. Retrieved
March 19,
2023
.
- ^
Kaegel, Dick (June 7, 2013).
"Royals draft two big lefties in Manaea, Reed"
.
MLB.com
. Retrieved
March 19,
2023
.
- ^
Gier, Kathleen (May 24, 2013).
"Royals sign supplemental pick Sean Manaea"
.
MLB.com
. Archived from
the original
on March 10, 2014
. Retrieved
June 22,
2013
.
- ^
"2014 Carolina League Pitching Leaders"
.
Baseball-Reference.com
.
- ^
Emery, Mark.
"Kansas City Royals prospect Sean Manaea and New York Mets prospect Brandon Nimmo assigned to Minor League camp ? Eastern League News"
.
Eastern League
. Retrieved
July 21,
2015
.
- ^
a
b
c
"Sean Manaea Stats, Fantasy & News"
.
MiLB.com
.
- ^
McCullough, Andy (July 18, 2015).
"Royals promote pitching prospect Sean Manaea to Class AA Northwest Arkansas"
.
Kansas City Star
. Retrieved
February 25,
2024
.
- ^
Berry, Adam (July 28, 2015).
"Royals get Zobrist in trade with A's"
.
MLB.com
. Retrieved
July 28,
2015
.
- ^
Korn, Will (July 30, 2015).
"Manaea lands on 'Hounds after A's-Royals trade"
.
Midland Reporter-Telegram
. Retrieved
August 6,
2015
.
- ^
Stiglich, Joe (February 21, 2016).
"Lefty Sean Manaea: The A's 'Samoan Randy Johnson'
"
.
NBCS Bay Area
. Retrieved
March 29,
2019
.
- ^
Ammenheuser, David (April 4, 2016).
"Nashville Sounds set opening day roster"
.
The Tennessean
. Retrieved
April 11,
2016
.
- ^
a
b
"Sean Manaea College, Amateur, Minor & Fall Leagues Statistics"
.
Baseball-Reference.com
.
- ^
Slusser, Susan
(April 27, 2016).
"A's to call up top prospect Sean Manaea for Friday start"
.
San Francisco Chronicle
. Retrieved
April 27,
2016
.
- ^
Kawahara, Matt (October 3, 2016).
"A's reflect on 2016 season mostly spent in 'crisis mode'
"
.
Sacramento Bee
. Retrieved
January 23,
2017
.
- ^
Macklin, Oliver.
"Left shoulder strain forces Sean Manaea to DL"
. MLB
. Retrieved
March 19,
2023
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
f
"Sean Manaea Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Rookie Status & More"
.
Baseball-Reference.com
.
- ^
Slusser, Susan
(June 5, 2017).
"A's Sean Manaea turns in another solid start"
.
San Francisco Chronicle
. Retrieved
June 6,
2017
.
- ^
Lee, Jane (January 20, 2016).
"A's Sean Manaea on cusp of a breakout season | Oakland Athletics"
.
Mlb.com
. Retrieved
April 22,
2018
.
- ^
Slusser, Susan (September 28, 2017).
"Sean Manaea wins at Texas, says weight loss affected season"
. SFGate
. Retrieved
April 22,
2018
.
- ^
Lee, Jane (April 21, 2018).
"A's Manaea throws no-hitter vs. red-hot Red Sox"
.
MLB.com
. Retrieved
April 22,
2018
.
- ^
Lee, Jane.
"Sean Manaea's no-hit bid survives pair of close calls"
.
MLB.com
. Retrieved
April 22,
2018
.
- ^
Mearns, Andrew (April 22, 2018).
"The Red Sox were red-hot, but it didn't stop Sean Manaea from twirling a no-hitter"
.
MLB.com Cut4
. Retrieved
May 5,
2018
.
- ^
Gallegos, Martin (April 23, 2018).
"Sean Manaea receives special honor for no-hitter against Red Sox"
.
San Jose Mercury News
. Retrieved
May 5,
2018
.
- ^
Lee, Jane.
"Sean Manaea makes history in 1st start after no-no"
.
MLB.com
. Retrieved
April 28,
2018
.
- ^
"A's place Manaea on 10-day DL (shoulder)"
.
ESPN.com
. August 26, 2018.
- ^
"A's Manaea to undergo surgery, sidelined through 2019"
.
SI.com
. September 11, 2018
. Retrieved
March 29,
2019
.
- ^
"2018 Major League Baseball Baserunning/Situ"
.
Baseball-Reference.com
.
- ^
"Oakland A's left-handed ace Sean Manaea is aiming for a midseason return from shoulder surgery ? The San Francisco Examiner"
. Sfexaminer.com. March 28, 2019
. Retrieved
April 3,
2022
.
- ^
Kerry Crowley (October 3, 2019).
"A's Sean Manaea gives up three homers in AL Wild Card Game"
.
Mercurynews.com
. Retrieved
April 3,
2022
.
- ^
"A's sign MVP finalist Marcus Semien, six others to avoid arbitration"
. NBC Sports. January 10, 2020
. Retrieved
April 3,
2022
.
- ^
"Sean Manaea doesn't get playoff redemption he hoped for in ALDS Game 2"
. NBC Sports
. Retrieved
April 3,
2022
.
- ^
Gallegos, Martin (January 15, 2021).
"A's agree with all 6 eligible for arbitration"
.
MLB.com
. Retrieved
February 25,
2024
.
- ^
Franco, Anthony (March 22, 2022).
"A's Avoid Arbitration With Montas, Manaea"
.
MLBTradeRumors
. Retrieved
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2022
.
- ^
"Padres land lefty Manaea as A's continue purge"
.
ESPN.com
. April 3, 2022.
- ^
Cassavell, AJ (April 3, 2022).
"Padres bolster rotation depth by acquiring Manaea from A's"
.
MLB.com
. Retrieved
April 3,
2022
.
- ^
"Sean Manaea Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Rookie Status & More"
.
Baseball-Reference.com
. Retrieved
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2024
.
- ^
"Giants agree to two-year contract with LHP Sean Manaea"
.
MLB.com
. December 16, 2022
. Retrieved
December 16,
2022
.
- ^
Wirth, Taylor (November 5, 2023).
"Manaea to opt out of Giants contract, become MLB free agent"
.
NBCsportsbayarea.com
. Retrieved
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2023
.
- ^
"New York Mets and LHP Sean Manaea finalize $28 million, 2-year contract"
.
Associated Press
. January 12, 2024
. Retrieved
January 13,
2024
.
- ^
a
b
Pemantle, Nico (April 27, 2016).
"AN Exclusive: Sean Manaea On His Future And His Heritage"
. Athletics Nation
. Retrieved
April 22,
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.
- ^
Cassavell, AJ (April 24, 2022).
"Manaea and brother reunite on mound during Military Appreciation Sunday"
.
MLB.com
. Retrieved
April 24,
2022
.
- ^
Guardado, Maria (March 1, 2023).
"How Samoan roots connect these two new Giants"
.
MLB.com
.
Major League Baseball
. Retrieved
April 9,
2023
.
- ^
Peng, Sheng (October 2019).
"Oakland A's pitcher Sean Manaea, 'The Throwin' Samoan,' talks small towns and heritage"
. Nbcnews.com
. Retrieved
April 3,
2022
.
External links
[
edit
]
Achievements
|
Preceded by
|
No-hitter
pitcher
April 21, 2018
|
Succeeded by
|
|
---|
Active roster
| |
---|
Inactive roster
| |
---|
Injured list
| |
---|
Coaching staff
| |
---|