New lefty Manaea turns to YouTube to learn new pitch

PORT ST. LUCIE — Sean Manaea wanted to add another pitch to his arsenal. So, he did a very Millennial thing: He went on YouTube.

The new Mets’ left-hander was in the midst of a mediocre stretch with the San Francisco Giants last season when he found a video of Trevor Bauer explaining his slider grip. Manaea took that and turned it into a sweeper, integrating a pitch that turned around his season and led to a two-year contract with the Mets.

“I didn’t really know what I wanted,” Manaea told the Daily News. “I just wanted something that I could grip pretty easily, have it move in the direction I want it to, and be able to throw strikes. I think

I’ve checked all those boxes.”

Manaea already threw a slider, though it wasn’t a pitch he relied on heavily. But sweepers and sliders often have the same grip and a sweeper, essentially, is like a slider but with a different break. It “sweeps” across the strike zone while a slider spins tightly like a bullet before dropping. A sweeper has more horizontal movement and more break.

Manaea started throwing the sweeper in June. Per Statcast, by the end of the year, it had accounted for 9.1% of his pitches thrown. The success showed in his splits: Manaea went 3-3 with a 5.49 ERA in the first half of 2023 and 4-3 with a 3.43 ERA in the second. His walk rate decreased and his groundball rate increased.

Manaea opted out of his contract with San Francisco to test the free-agent waters. The Mets looked at the data and were encouraged. They signed him to a two-year $28 million contract with an opt-out. A two-year contract for a league-average pitcher might not seem important at face-value, but Manaea was the only free agent to sign a multi-year contract with the Mets this winter.

When asked why the Mets thought he could carry over his second-half stats, president of baseball operations David Stearns cited the sweeper.

The Giants deployed Manaea as a swingman last season, moving him to the bullpen after early-season struggles. However, the Mets plan to use him as a starter. The Indiana native also worked on a cutter this winter and plans to integrate that more often. He spent the offseason working on the changeup and the cutter, along with refining the sweeper. His pitch mix is much deeper now, with a lowto-mid-90s four-seam fastball, a changeup, a slider, a sweeper and an occasional sinker.

“If he’s able to throw that pitch and continue to work on it and develop it, along with not only the fastball but the changeup and the cutter, it gives him another weapon against lefties,” Mendoza said.

The Mets like that Manaea has faced setbacks in his career and bounced back. The 32-year-old was solid for the Oakland A’s until shoulder surgery took him out of action in 2019. He signed with the San Diego Padres as a free agent in 2022 and posted an ERA of nearly 5.00. Manaea then went to Driveline and increased the velocity on his fastball.

“He was a pretty good starter early in his career, and he’s been through a lot of ups and downs,” Mendoza said. “He’s gone through some struggles and it’s important that they have that experience. For him to go to Driveline and recognize that he needed to do something different, that was important. It says a lot about the player, about the person and his willingness to get better. We feel pretty confident that he’s going to be a big part of our rotation.”

Manaea threw live batting practice for the second time this spring Tuesday at Clover Park. Mendoza liked what he saw and was especially impressed that Manaea was asking about baserunners.

“It goes to show you that he’s invested in that part of the game,” Mendoza said. “That’s been a big point of emphasis in camp.”

The Mets didn’t go after one of the pricey free-agent aces this season, opting to go for depth starters like Manaea and Adrian Houser. They feel good about the depth they’ve created.

Manaea is looking forward to playing in New York after spending his entire career on the West Coast. He can thank his sweeper for getting him to the city.

“It’s an opportunity to pitch for a team that likes me,” he said. “They want me here and I’ll just go out there and show everyone what I’ve got.