Pittsburgh Pirates: Players Who Must Be on Their Radar at the MLB Winter Meetings

Sean Manaea

Our third NL West pitcher of the day, we have lefty Sean Manaea. Manaea did not get off to the best of starts with the SF Giants. Through his first 26.1 innings, Manaea owned a 7.96 ERA, 6.56 FIP, and 1.77 WHIP. While he struck out nearly a quarter of opponents with a 24.8% K-rate, he also dished out a walk at a 12.8% rate. However, more worrisome is that he had a HR/9 of 2.42.

But from mid-May onward, Manaea would settle down and end the season on a high note. His final 91.2 innings of the year saw him pitch to the tune of a 3.44 ERA, 3.15 FIP, and 1.09 WHIP. Manaea’s strikeout rate took a slight step forward to 25.8%, however his walk rate plummeted to 7%, and his HR/9 fell to just 0.69. Manaea worked out of the bullpen for the most part, but re-took a starting pitching role and pitched well, only allowing six earned runs, striking out 18, and only allowing two free passes in his final four starts.