Sean Manaea Bio
Sean Anthony Manaea, born February 1, 1992, in Wanatah, Indiana, is an American professional baseball pitcher for the New York Mets of Major League Baseball (MLB). The 6-foot-5 left-hander has built a reputation for power pitching, highlighted by a no-hitter against the Boston Red Sox in 2018 during his tenure with the Oakland Athletics. Across his MLB career, he has also suited up for the San Diego Padres and the San Francisco Giants.
Before reaching the majors, Manaea starred at Indiana State University, where his fastball climbed into the upper 90s and he earned recognition as one of college baseball’s top pitching prospects. He has continued to develop into a reliable starter for the Mets, signing a three-year contract in late 2024 to remain in Queens.
Early Life and Background
Sean Anthony Manaea grew up in the small town of Wanatah, Indiana, a community of roughly 1,000 residents. He is the son of Faaloloi Manaea, a Samoan-American who served in the Vietnam War before settling in Indiana and working for the Inland Steel Company, and Opal Manaea, a factory worker. His father, originally from Lauliʻi, American Samoa, raised Sean with deep family ties to Samoan heritage, even though Sean spent most of his childhood in the American Midwest.
Manaea attended South Central Junior-Senior High School in Union Mills, Indiana, for his first three years before transferring to Andrean High School in Merrillville. As a senior in 2010, he helped lead Andrean’s baseball team to an Indiana state championship. During high school, his fastball sat in the 82–85 mph range, a figure that would rise dramatically in later years as his mechanics and physical maturation caught up with his frame.
Path to Professional Baseball
After going undrafted out of high school, Manaea enrolled at Indiana State University, where he played college baseball for the Indiana State Sycamores in the Missouri Valley Conference. Following his freshman year, he joined the Dubois County Bombers of the Prospect League for collegiate summer baseball. By his sophomore season, he had become one of the most dominant strikeout pitchers in the country, recording 115 strikeouts in 105 innings.
That summer, Manaea pitched for the Hyannis Harbor Hawks in the prestigious Cape Cod Baseball League, going 5–1 with a 1.22 ERA and a league-leading 85 strikeouts in just over 51 innings. He won the league’s Outstanding Prospect Award, the B.F.C Whitehouse Top Pitcher honor, and was named Summer National Player of the Year by Perfect Game USA. Heading into his junior year, he was recognized as a Preseason All-American, and his fastball eventually touched 97 mph, cementing his status as a likely first-round talent.
Sean Manaea Career
Kansas City Royals Era (2013–2015)
The Kansas City Royals selected Manaea with the 34th overall pick in the 2013 MLB Draft, signing him to a $3.55 million bonus. However, a misdiagnosed hip injury that he had pitched through during his junior season at Indiana State required surgery to repair a torn acetabular labrum, forcing him to miss the rest of 2013. Healthy again in 2014, he pitched for the Wilmington Blue Rocks of the High-A Carolina League, leading the league with 146 strikeouts in 121⅔ innings and earning MiLB Organization All-Star honors.
On July 28, 2015, the Royals traded Manaea and Aaron Brooks to the Oakland Athletics in exchange for veteran Ben Zobrist. Assigned to the Midland RockHounds of the Texas League, Manaea posted a 1.90 ERA with 51 strikeouts in 42⅔ innings, earning an MiLB Organization All-Star selection and later being named an AFL Rising Star with the Mesa Solar Sox.
Oakland Athletics Breakthrough (2016–2021)
After three strong starts for the Triple-A Nashville Sounds in 2016, the Athletics promoted Manaea to the major leagues, where he made his MLB debut on April 29. In his rookie season, he went 7–9 with a 3.86 ERA across 25 games. The following year, he established himself as a rotation anchor, completing a streak of 16 consecutive outings of at least two innings allowing no more than five hits, surpassing Tom Gordon’s American League record that had stood since 1992. He finished 2017 with a 12–10 record and a 4.37 ERA.
On April 21, 2018, Manaea delivered the defining moment of his Oakland tenure, no-hitting the Boston Red Sox 3–0 at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. He struck out 10 and walked two, becoming the first Athletics pitcher to throw a no-hitter since Dallas Braden’s perfect game in 2010. He was named AL Co-Player of the Week for his performance. Shoulder issues later limited his 2018 and 2019 seasons, and he underwent arthroscopic surgery in September 2018. Returning in September 2019, he went 4–0 in five starts and was given the nod in the AL Wild Card Game against the Tampa Bay Rays. In 2021, he led the American League with 32 starts and went 11–10 with a 3.91 ERA and 194 strikeouts, re-establishing himself as one of the league’s most durable left-handers.
San Diego Padres and San Francisco Giants (2022–2023)
On April 3, 2022, the Athletics traded Manaea and Aaron Holiday to the San Diego Padres. He finished the 2022 season with an 8–9 record and a 4.96 ERA in 30 games for San Diego. After hitting free agency, he signed a two-year, $25 million contract with the San Francisco Giants in December 2022. In 2023, Manaea made 37 appearances, including 10 starts, going 7–6 with a 4.44 ERA and 128 strikeouts before opting out of his contract to enter free agency once more.
New York Mets Era (2024–Present)
On January 12, 2024, Manaea signed a two-year, $28 million contract with the New York Mets, which included an opt-out clause after the first season. He turned in a career-best campaign, going 12–6 with a 3.47 ERA and 184 strikeouts across 181⅔ innings over 32 starts. On June 26, 2024, he recorded the 1,000th strikeout of his career, fanning Juan Soto during a victory over the New York Yankees. He also earned his first career postseason win, pitching seven innings of one-run ball against the Philadelphia Phillies in Game 3 of the National League Division Series.
After opting out of his Mets contract, he declined a qualifying offer and signed a three-year, $75 million deal on December 27, 2024, to remain in Queens.
Driving Style and Strengths
Manaea is a power left-hander whose fastball has consistently sat in the mid-90s at his peak, complemented by a sharp slider and a changeup that generates swings and misses against right-handed hitters. His combination of size, angle from the left side, and improved strike-throwing ability has made him a matchup nightmare in the middle of a rotation.
Notable Events and Milestones
His no-hitter against the Red Sox in 2018 remains the signature moment of his career, but he has also collected milestones such as his 1,000th career strikeout, his first postseason win, and consecutive strong seasons in which he has logged 30-plus starts and 180-plus innings.
Sean Manaea Career Wins
Across his MLB career with the Oakland Athletics, San Diego Padres, San Francisco Giants, and New York Mets, Sean Manaea has compiled a strong résumé of regular-season victories, highlighted by double-digit win totals in 2017, 2018, 2021, and 2024.
American League Highlights
Manaea notched his first major win in his 2016 rookie season with the Athletics and went on to record 12 wins in both 2017 and 2018, capped by his no-hitter against Boston. He added 11 wins in 2021 while leading the American League with 32 starts, demonstrating his durability and consistency in the Oakland rotation.
Other Wins and Performances
With the San Diego Padres in 2022, Manaea added eight wins in a transitional season, and he followed that with seven wins for the San Francisco Giants in 2023. His career-high 12 wins came in 2024 with the Mets, a campaign that included his first career postseason victory.
| Team | Wins | Notable Achievement |
|---|---|---|
| Oakland Athletics | 42 | No-hitter vs. Boston Red Sox (2018) |
| San Diego Padres | 8 | 2022 Season |
| San Francisco Giants | 7 | 2023 Season |
| New York Mets | 12 | First Postseason Win (2024) |
Sean Manaea Family
Family Background and Heritage
Manaea’s father, Faaloloi Manaea, was born in Lauliʻi, American Samoa, served in the Vietnam War, and later settled in Indiana, where he worked for the Inland Steel Company. His mother, Opal Manaea, is a factory worker. Manaea has an older half-brother, David, who passed away from cancer in January 2024, and another older brother, Dane, who serves in the United States Navy. To honor David, Manaea wears the number 59 with the Mets, marking David’s age at his passing.
Personal Life
Growing up in Indiana, Manaea was largely separated from his father’s Samoan culture, but he first visited American Samoa in 2014, where he began a traditional sleeve tattoo incorporating Samoan symbols representing knowledge, wisdom, and strength. He married Talat Mirmalek, a former San Francisco Fire Department paramedic, on November 16, 2024, in Indianapolis.
2025 Season Performance
The 2025 season presented an early challenge for Manaea when the Mets announced on February 24 that he had suffered a right oblique strain and would begin the year on the injured list. His recovery was slow, and he was transferred to the 60-day injured list on April 29, delaying his return to the mound for several months.
Manaea finally made his 2025 debut on July 13 against the Kansas City Royals, appearing in relief and surrendering a walk-off hit to Nick Loftin in the bottom of the ninth inning. His return was rocky, and across 10 starts he struggled to a 5.76 ERA, prompting the Mets to move him to the bullpen on September 14 as the team reshuffled its rotation down the stretch.
Despite the difficult season, Manaea’s three-year contract keeps him under team control, giving the Mets a clear runway to support his recovery and reinstate him as a starter. With a full offseason to return to health, he is positioned to compete for a rotation role in 2026.