A's have a 'Samoan Randy Johnson,' and he could break out in 2016
Here's a name to remember as the 2016 season nears: Sean Manaea.
The Oakland Athletics obtained the 6-foot-5 lefty from the Kansas City Royals last summer in the Ben Zobrist trade, and he's quickly become one of the A's most talked-about prospects.
A former first-round pick out of Indiana State University, Manaea earned a spot on MLB.com's Top 100 Prospects list earlier this winter.
Sean Manaea, frame by frame. ???? pic.twitter.com/lpONzP6DbF
— Oakland Athletics (@Athletics) February 23, 2016
He turned heads while pitching for the A's Double-A affiliate in Midland after joining the organization and has some seriously big hair.
It's so big, in fact, that Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle wrote on Monday that he had to "go up a hat size" just to fit it all under the hat brim for spring training.
But wait, there's more! Bruce Maxwell, the catcher who became familiar with Manaea's presence on the mound at Midland, made a lofty comparison when chatting about his talents with CSN Bay Area's Joe Stiglich:
Stiglich notes that Oakland GM David Forst has said it would be "unlikely" that Manaea will break camp on the A's big-league roster. But that doesn't mean he won't show up at some point during the season.
Obviously, with the A's planning to employ a rotation featuring Sonny Gray and an injury-prone complement of arms including Rich Hill, Henderson Alvarez and Jesse Hahn, a spot might open up for Manaea to make his MLB debut at some point.
If that happens, manager Bob Melvin wouldn't be too surprised. As he said to Stiglich,
Manaea in his A's jersey during Arizona Fall League action.
Let this be your introduction to Sean Manaea, who -- if he's able to stay injury-free -- could be an impact pitcher sooner rather than later.
