Veteran pitcher's postseason gem shows he was grossly misused by SF Giants

The SF Giants have seen a number of former players in the playoffs this year. One who has thrived thus far has been New York Mets pitcher Sean Manaea which may make the Giants regret how they handled him.

Manaea has done very well for the Mets this postseason. In Game 2 of the Wild Card round against the Milwaukee Brewers, the big lefty delivered 5 innings allowing 2 earned runs. Then, on Tuesday in the divisional round against the Philadelphia Phillies he pitched masterfully, allowing just one earned run in 7 innings pitched. The great performance was even more remarkable knowing that Manaea's aunt sadly passed away the morning of the game.

The SF Giants misused pitcher Sean Manaea

Giants fans may remember that Manaea pitched for the Giants in 2023. He was signed to a 2-year, $25 million contract by the Giants prior to the 2023 season with an opt out after the first season. Although Manaea struggled early on with the Giants, he came on strong later in the year and was able to start games which may have given him the confidence to opt out of his deal and test free agency which paid off as he landed a 2-year, $28 million contract with the Mets.

He thrived in 2024 as a starting pitcher, posting an ERA of 3.47 in 32 starts and 181 and 2/3 innings. He also sported a record of 12-6.

These numbers were definitely an improvement over the 4.44 ERA he had in 117 and 2/3 innings as a member of the Giants in 2023. This can at least partly be attributed to the odd way in which he was used by the Giants. He only started 10 games for the Giants and was often used as a long reliever coming in after openers. He was even used as a leverage arm at times and even recorded his first career save with the Giants.

It seems as if this undefined role did not help him with the Giants, though. He has been a starting pitcher for practically his whole career but was forced to do something foreign to him with the Giants. His resurgence in 2024 with the Mets as a starter seemingly proves that he was misused by the Giants.

It should also be noted that a mechanical adjustment has played a part in his resurgence. He dropped his arm slot lower in the middle of this season which has made him an even more formidable pitcher.

Of course, even if Manaea was used properly by the Giants and had a better year in 2023, he still would have opted out and signed elsewhere. But it still makes one wonder why the coaching staff used him the way they did. Now, the front office that signed him is different and the coaching staff is different so one hopes that means the team will not misuse pitchers the way they misused Manaea going forward.