BASEBALL

Sean Manaea hopes to bounce back with Giants after ‘underwhelming’ season with Padres

Dec 20, 2022, 8:10 AM

Sean Manaea #55 of the San Diego Padres looks on during the fifth inning against the Philadelphia P...

PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - OCTOBER 22: Sean Manaea #55 of the San Diego Padres looks on during the fifth inning against the Philadelphia Phillies in game four of the National League Championship Series at Citizens Bank Park on October 22, 2022 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)

(Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)

After finalizing his contract with the Giants over the weekend, newly signed pitcher Sean Manaea spoke to the media Monday via Zoom about the free agency process and why he chose San Francisco.

The 30-year-old pitcher spent his first six years with the Oakland Athletics before he was traded to San Diego in 2022. With the A’s, he amassed a 50-41 record with a 3.86 ERA, but his stats took a bump in San Diego, where he recorded 8 wins and 9 losses on a 4.96 ERA. He started 28 games. When asked about the decision to return to the Bay Area, he listed the foot and atmosphere, but the organization’s pitch sold him.

“I kind of got the sense that, you know, it’s a very professional organization and they take care of their players,” Manaea said.

When asked to elaborate, Manaea listed the Giants’ pitching department, specifically naming Giants pitching coach Andrew Bailey, as why he’s excited to join the organization. While he said he doesn’t know much about his role yet, he’s just excited to “work with this team and get their eyes on me.”

When Sean Manaea was traded from Oakland to San Diego, it was only days before the 2022 season kicked off. He talked about that experience and how he adjusted in Southern California.

“Overall last year it was very, very underwhelming. You know, I always have expectations for myself at the very beginning of the year and I definitely underperformed last year,” Manaea said. “You never want to have those seasons, but they did and you know, I definitely learned a lot as far as myself as a man, as a baseball player, going through the struggles, you know, having expectations that I didn’t really have too much in Oakland. But, you know, to be on a team like that and to do as poorly as I did, you know, I definitely, definitely learned a lot.”

He added that he’s going into this season with the Giants with still a lot to be learned. While there’s no singular thing he pinpointed to about last season, he said it was a combination of things that he needs to be more consistent with.

“I think it’s a combination of a lot of things, most importantly just being prepared, you know, with, with everything, with my routines, with scouting reports, with my mechanics, all these things,” Manaea said. “I think wasn’t just like last year. I think it’s just been, you know, a couple, maybe a couple of few years going where I just kind of just been a little like lackadaisical, lazy and you know, as far as like this offseason already, it definitely, you know, learned some things like going to the drive line, work on some things and mechanically and you know coming up with these routines and, you know, implementing them.”

Newsletter

Baseball

Logan Webb #62 of the San Francisco Giants pitches in the first inning during an Opening Day game a...

Amiliano Fragoso

Bip Roberts thinks the Giants won’t be a ‘pushover’ team in 2024

Former player Bip Roberts joined The Drive Guys Thursday to talk about opening day in the MLB and what it means to him.

10 hours ago

Logan Webb #62 of the San Francisco Giants pitches in the first inning during an Opening Day game a...

Field Level Media

Bob Melvin’s return to San Diego spoiled by Padres

Jake Cronenworth capped a four-run seventh inning with a two-run double Thursday afternoon as the San Diego Padres overtook the visiting San Francisco Giants for a 6-4 win in a matchup of new managers.

10 hours ago

A detailed view of the bases set to the side while the tarp is stretched across the infield during ...

Joseph Jarosz

Sac Bee writer explains why Sacramento is the perfect place for the A’s

Marcos Benton, Opinion Editor for the Sacramento Bee, joined "The Carmichael Dave Show with Jason Ross" on Thursday morning to dive into his recent piece, explaining why there's no downside for the state's capitol to temporarily host the Oakland Athletics.

15 hours ago

Sutter Health Park, home of the Sacramento River Cats....

Nijzel Dotson, KCRA Digital Producer

Sacramento River Cats ready for season amid talk A’s will share stadium in 2025

The Sacramento River Cats are ready for the upcoming season, with their home opener set for Friday against the Salt Lake Bees.

16 hours ago

Pablo Sandoval #48 of the San Francisco Giants prepares for a spring training game against the Texa...

Joseph Jarosz

Giants release Pablo Sandoval, solidify opening day roster

The comeback attempt by Pablo Sandoval is over, as the San Francisco Giants released Kung Fo Panda on Thursday.

16 hours ago

Logan Webb #62 shakes hands with Patrick Bailey #14 of the San Francisco Giants after they beat the...

Field Level Media

Giants RHP Logan Webb not worried about poor spring as he faces Padres

San Francisco Giants ace Logan Webb ended spring training with a 10.97 earned run average after allowing nine runs to the Chicago Cubs on Friday.

2 days ago

Sean Manaea hopes to bounce back with Giants after ‘underwhelming’ season with Padres