Sean Manaea

Amateur career

Manaea was raised in Wanatah, Indiana. He attended South Central Junior-Senior High School in Union Mills, Indiana for his first three years of high school. After his junior year, he competed in the first All-Indiana Crossroads Showcase Series. 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. He threw a fastball between 82–85 miles per hour (132–137 km/h).

Manaea was not selected in the Major League Baseball draft out of high school. 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. Following his sophomore year at Indiana State, he competed for the Hyannis Harbor Hawks in the Cape Cod Baseball League. 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. In 2013, Manaea was named a Preseason All-American and added to the National Pitcher of the Year Watch List. 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. By the end of his collegiate career, his fastball reached as high as 97 miles per hour (156 km/h).

Professional career

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

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

The Royals traded Manaea and Aaron Brooks to the Oakland Athletics on July 28, 2015, in exchange for Ben Zobrist. The Athletics assigned him to the Midland RockHounds of the Texas League. He began the 2016 season with the Nashville Sounds of the Class AAA Pacific Coast League. After he made three starts for Nashville, the Athletics promoted Manaea to the major leagues to make his debut on April 29. In his rookie season, Manaea pitched to a 7–9 win–loss record and a 3.86 ERA.

On April 30, 2017, Manaea was placed on the 10-day disabled list due to a left shoulder strain.

On June 5, 2017, Manaea completed his 16th consecutive outing in which he pitched at least two innings, but allowed no more than five hits. Manaea surpassed Tom Gordon's streak of 15 games (from June 24-Sept. 2, 1992). It represents the longest such streak by an American League pitcher since 1913.

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. His mother, Opal, is a factory worker.