Sean Manaea

Sean Manaea
Oakland Athletics – No. 55
Pitcher
Born: (1992-02-01) February 1, 1992
Valparaiso, Indiana
Bats: Right Throws: Left
MLB debut
April 29, 2016, for the Oakland Athletics
MLB statistics
(through 2016 season)
Win–loss record 7–9
Earned run average 3.86
Strikeouts 124
Teams

Sean Anthony Manaea (pronounced 'muh-NYE-uh';[1] born February 1, 1992) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Oakland Athletics of Major League Baseball (MLB). He played college baseball for the Indiana State Sycamores 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 Major League Baseball Draft, and traded him to the Athletics during the 2015 season.

Amateur career

Manaea was raised in Wanatah, Indiana.[2] 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.[3] Manaea transferred to Andrean High School in Merrillville, Indiana, so that he could qualify for a college baseball program in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).[1] Playing for the baseball team at Andrean, Manaea was part of the state champions in 2010, his senior year.[4]

Manaea was not selected in the Major League Baseball draft out of high school.[5] After graduating from high school, Manaea enrolled at Indiana State University, where he played college baseball for the Indiana State Sycamores baseball team, competing in the Missouri Valley Conference of NCAA's Division I. The summer after his freshman year at ISU, Manaea played for the Dubois County Bombers in Huntingburg, IN, then in the Prospect League. With the Bombers, he was awarded the Prospect League's MVP Award for 2011. Manaea recorded 115 strikeouts in 105 innings pitched as a sophomore.[6] Following his sophomore year at Indiana State, he competed for the Hyannis Harbor Hawks in the Cape Cod Baseball League.[1] He had a 5–1 win–loss record, a 1.22 earned run average (ERA), and recorded 85 strikeouts with only seven walks in  51 2⁄3 innings pitched. He won the Cape Cod League's Outstanding Prospect Award.[1][4][7] In 2013, Manaea was named a Preseason All-American[8] and added to the National Pitcher of the Year Watch List.[9] 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.[6][10]

Professional career

Manaea was considered a top prospect in the 2013 Major League Baseball Draft,[1][4] and was scouted by the Houston Astros, who had the first overall pick.[11] However, he was not drafted until the Kansas City Royals took him with the 34th pick of the draft, due to a hip injury.[12] The Royals signed Manaea to a $3.55 million signing bonus, above the recommended value for the 34th pick of $1,623,000.[10] He had surgery to repair a torn acetabular labrum and missed the remainder of the 2013 season.[6][13]

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.[6] Manaea had a 7-8 record with a 3.11 ERA in 25 games started, leading the Carolina League with 146 strikeouts.[14] 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.[15]

The Royals traded Manaea and Aaron Brooks to the Oakland Athletics on July 28, 2015, in exchange for Ben Zobrist.[16] The Athletics assigned him to the Midland RockHounds of the Texas League.[17] He began the 2016 season with the Nashville Sounds of the Class AAA Pacific Coast League.[18] The Athletics promoted Manaea to the major leagues to make his debut on April 29.[19]

Personal

Manaea's father, Faaloloi, settled in Indiana after leaving American Samoa. He worked for the Inland Steel Company following service in the Vietnam War.[1] His mother, Opal, is a factory worker.[2]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Richards, Phil (April 19, 2013). "Indiana State pitcher Manaea has become red-hot prospect". The Indianapolis Star. Retrieved April 20, 2013.
  2. 1 2 "Indiana State's Sean Manaea steps into the MLB draft spotlight – college baseball – ESPN". Espn.go.com. March 14, 2013. Retrieved April 19, 2013.
  3. ↑ 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.
  4. 1 2 3 Smith, Hillary (April 7, 2013). "Sean Manaea mania is on the rise". The Times of Northwest Indiana. Retrieved April 19, 2013.
  5. ↑ 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.
  6. 1 2 3 4 McCullough, Andy (March 9, 2014). "Royals pleased with pitching prospect Sean Manaea's progress". Kansas City Star. Retrieved March 10, 2014.
  7. ↑ "The MLB Careers of Cape League Award Winners | FanGraphs Baseball". Fangraphs.com. August 10, 2012. Retrieved April 19, 2013.
  8. ↑ "Perfect Game honors Sean Manaea | WTHITV.com Terre Haute, Indiana". Wthitv.com. January 21, 2013. Retrieved April 20, 2013.
  9. ↑ "Manaea added to national watch list wthitv.com terre haute indiana sports". Wthitv.com. April 15, 2013. Retrieved April 20, 2013.
  10. 1 2 "Royals Sign Sean Manaea". MLB.com (Press release). Kansas City Royals. June 21, 2013. Retrieved June 22, 2013.
  11. ↑ "Luhnow, scouts considering options for No. 1 Draft pick | astros.com: News". Mlb.mlb.com. April 22, 2013. Retrieved April 23, 2013.
  12. ↑ Kaegel, Dick (June 7, 2013). "Royals draft two big lefties in Manaea, Reed". MLB.com. Retrieved June 22, 2013.
  13. ↑ Gier, Kathleen (May 24, 2013). "Royals sign supplemental pick Sean Manaea | royals.com: News". MLB.com. Retrieved June 22, 2013.
  14. ↑ "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.
  15. ↑ "Royals promote pitching prospect Sean Manaea to Class AA Northwest Arkansas". Kansas City Star. Retrieved July 21, 2015.
  16. ↑ Berry, Adam (July 28, 2015). "Royals get Zobrist in trade with A's". MLB.com. Retrieved July 28, 2015.
  17. ↑ Korn, Will (July 30, 2015). "Manaea lands on 'Hounds after A's-Royals trade". Midland Reporter-Telegram. Retrieved August 6, 2015.
  18. ↑ Ammenheuser, David (April 4, 2016). "Nashville Sounds set opening day roster". The Tennessean. Retrieved April 11, 2016.
  19. ↑ Slusser, Susan (April 27, 2016). "A's to call up top prospect Sean Manaea for Friday start". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved April 27, 2016.
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