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Potential 2013 Twins Draft Pick: Sean Manaea

Jeremy Nygaard

By Jeremy Nygaard
in Twins Minor League Talk

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Jeremy Nygaard St Paul Saints

Jeremy Nygaard

Twins Daily Staff
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Manaea is a long, projectable lefty from Indiana State who tore up the Cape Cod League last year to rocket his way up draft boards. Though he's struggled with command - repeating his delivery and keeping his release point consistent - he is expected to go off the board in the first handful of picks.

 

Perfect Game Draft Profile (subscription required)

 

In Sean Manaea’s case, the Cape and his performance there has lined him up as the favorite to be the No. 1 overall pick in the June draft.

 

Game Log:

2/15 vs IPFW - 4 IP, 4 H, R, ER, 3 BB, 6 K. (Loss, 0-1) (*Ranked 1B on initial draft board)

2/22 vs College of Charleston - 6 IP, H, 2 BB, 10 K, WP. 97 pitchers (ND, 0-1) (*Improved stock)

3/9 vs Mercer - 6 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 8 K, HBP. 97 pitches/63 strikes. (Win, 1-1)

3/15 vs Minnesota - 9 IP, 6 H, R, 0 ER, BB, 9 K, HBP. 111 pitches/87 strikes. (Win, 2-1)

3/22 vs S. Illinois - 7 IP, 3 H, 2 BB, 8 K, 2 WP, HBP, Balk. 100/68. (Win, 3-1)

3/29 vs Missouri St - 6.1 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 5 K, 114/71. (Loss, 3-2)

4/7 vs Wichita St - 6 IP, 5 H, 9 K, 92/65. (Win, 4-2)

4/13 vs Creighton - 6.2 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 4 BB, 8 K, 95/60. (Win, 5-2)

 

 

 

 

*This post will be updated throughout the season. Please link game stories or other related Manaea-themed posts below.

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mediocre Prep Ball

mediocre

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I'd really like to get this guy and would definitely be excited if he became a Twin, but I'd be lying if I said his delivery doesn't scare the bejeezus out of me. Maybe I'm worrying too much but definitely YouTube the guy to see what I'm talking about. Could have some potential arm issues in the future...

 

On the other hand, if he can stay healthy, Manaea would fit in well with our upcoming crop of talented pitchers. Plus, he's lefthanded, something we are lacking in our system, it seems. A future rotation of Meyer/Manaea/Gibson/May/Worley/Diamond/etc. is fun to think about...

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diehardtwinsfan Minnesota Twins

diehardtwinsfan

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Are you serious? Buxton is a top 25 prospect by nearly all accounts. Picking 3 and 5 in what is considered to be a down year would not be better.

 

The only reason Buxton is top 25 is because people get all googley eyed over tools. Unless he hits like Babe Ruth, his stock is almost sure to fall as everyone will be enfatuated with the next big thing that comes along...

 

Buxton is no Bryce Harper. He's Aaron Hicks part 2 with perhaps slightly better tools. Not a bad prospect by any means, but not worth the attention people give him around these parts.

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Jeremy Nygaard St Paul Saints

Jeremy Nygaard

Twins Daily Staff
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If Buxton was eligible for this draft, he would be gone before the Twins pick. So the Twins would end up with two guys held in lesser regard than Buxton... I'd take Buxton and 2013 #4 over 2013 #3 and #5, without a doubt.

 

Other organizations may disagree, but the scout who signed Buxton says he's got almost as many tools (5) as Meadows and Frazier do combined (6), and the Twins would likely take one of those two with that #5 pick. Of course, it's all on projection... and many times, projections are wrong.

 

In my estimation, Buxton has the highest-ceiling of any Twins prospect. Ever.

 

(Didn't realize this was the Manaea thread when I posted it... I'm make sure to take my Buxton discussion to another board.)

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Thrylos St Paul Saints

Thrylos

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Twins. 50 some years. And yes it is.

 

Ok, the Minnesotans then, and I am leaving the Ps out.

Arguably, he does not even have the highest ceiling among the current Twins prospects... (unless he cracks 20 HRs a season at some point)

Comparing him to Killebrew, Carew, Puckett or even Mauer is tough. And as far as ceiling goes, Hrbek's probably was way up there as well.

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Jeremy Nygaard St Paul Saints

Jeremy Nygaard

Twins Daily Staff
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Its all "arguable". He could fall completely on his face, sure.

 

I'm not sure why you continue to talk about his lack of power. He didn't hit them as a high school senior, I get that. He did finish 2nd in the HR Derby at the UA game, not a game situation but still "power". He also hit 4 HRs in 88 at-bats in the GCL. Sano had 4 in 148 at-bats in the GCL in 2010. (Arcia had 5 in 167 at-bats at 18.) I get that Sano was a year younger, but that's his major tool. You can point to small sample-sizes. To which I would refer you back to the small sample size that you're basing this argument on. Buxton is a legit five-tool prospect. He's also only 19. Let's dream on him a little bit and continue this discussion on the Buxton thread.

 

In fairness, I didn't put Buxton #1 on my own prospect list because he's so far away from his ceiling. I think he can be a 30/30 guy that plays plus-plus D with a plus-plus arm. That's a ceiling I wouldn't have put on anyone in my lifetime as a Twins fan. Will he be that guy? Who knows...

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Seth Stohs GOAT

Seth Stohs

Owner
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1.) Let's keep the Buxton talk on a Buxton threads, not the Manaea thread.

2.) I think it's very fair to say that he be called one of the great "prospects" in the organization. He's already a BA Top 10... How many Twins prospects have ranked that high. Mauer was #1 a couple of times. Morneau was top 10. Sano is obviously #9 this year. Puckett was never a top prospect. Knoblauch was a good prospect who moved up quickly, but he wouldn't have been a Top 10 prospect. No one is saying that Buxton WILL be a Hall of Famer. We don't even know if he will get to the big leagues for sure. But when it comes to the things that makes a "prospect," Byron Buxton represents them all.

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jimbo92107 Ft Myers Mighty Mussels

jimbo92107

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Here's four minutes of video of him pitching in the Cape Cod League.

 

[video=youtube;7sKZIVfIoCw]

 

I think I see the flaw in his mechanics. Starting at 2:56 in the video, notice where his throwing hand lines up with the vertical pole in the background. It's a subtle point, but when your hand travels backwards as your body travels forwards, the sudden change in direction puts a lot of stress on your shoulder. Manea's hand travels backwards against his body's motion only about six inches, but guess what - that's enough to put a sudden jerk into his shoulder joint every time he throws a pitch. Ideally, his throwing hand should either remain still or travel forward slightly along with his body.

 

A tennis coach taught me this technique when returning a high-speed serve. If you swing the racket back, you'll never be able to get it around in time to hit the ball straight ahead. Better is to move forward and pivot around the racket, never allowing the stick to move backwards. Turns out this same idea works great for throwing a baseball and swinging a bat, too. The infamous "hitch" in a batter's swing is the act of moving the bat backwards, creating momentum in the wrong direction, which results in a late swing. Conserving momentum is as old as Judo, but it works in a lot of different activities.

 

As for how to correct this problem, techniques vary. I favor holding a rattlesnake's head just behind the pitcher's hand. Obviously he won't move his hand backwards with a poisonous snake there. Others may favor a Taser or a sharp nail on a stick. One way or another, the young man's got to learn that it's important not to move that hand counter to his momentum.

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gunnarthor All-Star

gunnarthor

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I would love the Twins to draft him. He is more likely than not to be picked in the first three, but who knows?

 

Obviously, it's a long way off but at this point, yeah, I think he and Appel will both be gone. I'm starting to hope that Twins go after Kris Bryant, the college third baseman. Apparently he's already hit 8 HRs. I don't know much more about him but that sounds nice.

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maxisagod College Ball

maxisagod

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I think there's a chance that Manaea is around at 4. Maybe it's wishful thinking, but I'm still of the option the Astros will a sign a top 5-8 guy and spend their money on tougher signings later on, like last year. That would give the Twins a de facto #3 overall pick, and I can think of at least two guys that could easily be taken before Manaea.

...OR the same thing happens as last year and the Astro's pick the guy I like and I'm sitting there on Draft Day going "Well now who do I root for? I've got five minutes to pick a new favorite?".

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