On April 3, four days before Opening Day of 2022, Sean Manaea packed his bags and moved his life from Oakland to San Diego, NorCal to SoCal, Mission Style burritos to french fry-packed ones.
That left Manaea hardly any acclimation time after spending the first six seasons of his career in Oakland. Though the left-handed starter refuses to use the unconventional timing of his trade as an excuse, starting out on a rushed foot preceded the worst season of Manaea’s career.
He felt more unprepared with his routine and studying scouting reports than he should have been. His mechanics got a bit “lazy,” he said. His between-starts execution wasn’t consistent. It added up to a career-high 4.96 ERA with the Padres.
In his introductory Zoom press conference with local media, Manaea said he learned a lot from last season’s struggles. He’s still learning.
Now that he’s made what he called a “fairly easy decision” to sign with the Giants on a two-year, $25 million deal with an opt-out, Manaea has a good shot to apply what he’s learned in the familiar environment of the Bay Area. A safe place with his favorite breakfast spots — Devil’s Teeth Bakery in the Richmond and Sweet Maple, known for its extra thick, sweet and spicy bacon — and home to his girlfriend, Talat.
“As much as it sucks, I think to have the year I had last year, I think going forward it’s part of the best thing for me as far as lighting a fire under my butt,” Manaea said via Zoom. “Really getting my routines down and realize I can’t stay in this game if I’m going to be lazy. It’s kind of disrespectful to the people that have come before me and the people that will come after me. This game’s not easy to stay, let alone make it up. (2022) really made me realize that.”
Before the Athletics traded him to San Diego, Manea blossomed into a reliable starter in Oakland. The Indiana native was originally drafted with the 34th pick by the Royals in 2013. He spent just enough time in the Royals organization to earn the nickname “Baby Giraffe” before being sent to Oakland for Ben Zobrist.
He debuted for Oakland in 2016 and established himself as a mainstay, throwing at least 140 innings in each of his first three big league campaigns. He became ingratiated in the Bay Area lifestyle.
“Playing with Oakland for six years, I got to get to know the Bay Area pretty well,” Manaea said. “And I love a lot of things about it: the food, the atmosphere, a lot of other things.”
Arthroscopic surgery on his left shoulder ended his 2018 season and limited him to five starts the next year, but Manaea has otherwise been dependable. In 2021, he posted a 3.91 ERA and dealt two complete game shutouts.
Then came the ill-timed trade to San Diego. Manaea’s once-elite command became merely average. He’s been relatively prone to allowing home runs in his career, but his 1.7 homers per nine innings showed more damage than ever before.
A recent Fangraphs article explained Manaea’s regression in detail. The skinny: the shapes of both Manaea’s changeup and sinker changed in ways that made them easier to hit.
The Giants have had success developing pitchers who feature a sinker and a slider, like Manaea. Logan Webb, Jakob Junis and Alex Wood have each thrived, to varying degrees, under San Francisco’s guidance. Though Manaea uses his sinker differently — he locates it higher in the zone and therefore induces far fewer ground balls — the Giants coaching staff could likely help him refine his repertoire.
Manaea had heard encouraging praise about the Giants’ pitching department, specifically pitching coach Andrew Bailey, he said. He mentioned San Francisco’s analytics department and focus on pitch design as aspects of the Giants’ pitch that excited him.
He mentioned eating as a part of his routine he’s working to become more consistent with. And this winter, he worked with Driveline — the data-driven pitching lab — which is “very new” for him.
Manaea spent about a month at Driveline to work on his mechanics, he said.
“I’ve already noticed some things as far as them talking about numbers and pitches, all that stuff with mechanics of the body — stuff like that,” Manaea said. “It’s been really eye-opening so far.”
He’ll have plenty of time this spring to implement Driveline’s advice in Scottsdale. There will be no last minute shake-up this time.
Fangraphs’ ZiPS projection predicts Manaea will make 28 starts and post a 4.02 ERA for a 1.9 WAR. With more stability, a more regimented routine, and input from SF’s coaches, Manaea could make those numbers look conservative.
“I definitely think I can return and be even better,” Manaea said.
