The Kansas City Royals further strengthened their massive hold on the AL Central by adding Ben Zobrist from the Oakland Athletics, but it came at a price. And that price’s name is Sean Manaea.
ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick has the details of the trade:
Ben Zobrist is heading to the #Royals, says source.
Obviously I meant the #Athletics are getting Aaron Brooks and Sean Manaea from #Royals. My brain isn’t working so great.
Billy Beane loves prospects, and he’s getting an extremely enticing one in Manaea. Here’s everything you need to know.
1. He Was Selected 34th Overall in the 2013 MLB Draft
Manaea, a 6-foot-5 left-hander, attended Indiana State. Heading into his junior season, he was seen as a potential No. 1 overall pick but suffered a torn labrum.
He was still able to compile a 1.47 ERA in 13 starts, finishing fourth in the nation with a ridiculous 11.4 K/9 ratio, but the injury affected his draft stock and he was selected 34th by the Royals in 2013.
Manaea’s signing bonus of $3.55 million was a record amount for a supplemental first-rounder.
2. He Was Rated as the Royals’ 2nd-Best Prospect
Sean Manaea reportedly traded from @Royals to @Athletics in Zobrist deal.
Scouting report/vid: http://t.co/woasBKfqQD http://t.co/v2A3XZVBE8
According to MLB.com, Manaea was the No. 2 overall prospect in the Royals’ farm system behind only shortstop Raul Adalberto Mondesi, the son of former major leaguer Raul Mondesi. Miguel Almonte, who was also discussed as a potential piece in this trade, is fourth in the Royals’ farm system.
Manaea is ranked as the No. 43 overall prospect in MLB.com’s rankings and No. 85 in Baseball Prospectus‘.
3. He Missed the First Half of the 2015 Season With Injuries
(Twitter/CSNAuthentic)
First dealing with an abdominal strain, then suffering a setback due to a groin injury, Manaea didn’t make his debut this season until June 24.
He made one start in the rookie league, four with the High-A Wilmington Blue Rocks and moved to Double-A Northwest Arkansas on July 20. He has made two starts at that level, allowing nine hits, six walks and four earned runs through seven innings. He has struck out 11.
4. He Won the Cape Cod League’s Outstanding Prospect Award in 2012
After his sophomore season at Indiana State, Manaea played the 2012 summer in the Cape Cod League with the Hyannis Harbor Hawks. And he was downright nasty.
In 51.1 innings, he went 5-1 with a 1.22 ERA and 85 strikeouts to just seven walks. That’s a silly 14.9 K/9 ratio and 12.1-to-1 K-to-BB ratio. For his efforts, he won the Top Pitcher award and Outstanding Pro Prospect award.
5. He Is Described as Having an ‘Unhittable Fastball at Times’
MLB.com provided the following scouting report:
Manaea doesn’t have an extremely athletic delivery and probably won’t have better than average control or command. But he’s a left-hander with an unhittable fastball at times and a frame built for durability, and he should fit into the middle of Kansas City’s rotation in the near future.
His fastball is rated as a 65 (on a 20 to 80 scouting scale), while his secondary pitches still need a bit of refinement.