"He threw 56 pitches in total, including 28 in a difficult first inning, which saw him struggle with command and serve up a two-run home run to Nelson Velazquez. What's even more concerning is the dip in his velocity. His fastball sat mostly in the 88-mph range and topped out at a shade over 90 mph."
"I think I just have to get more reps. Other than that, I don't have any explanation, Manaea said. Adrenaline will definitely play a role once the season starts and I get to Citi Field, all that stuff. So I'm not worried about it."
"The hope is that the fastball can be established at 92 or 93 mph by the time the regular season comes around, which Manaea described as not a crazy amount, just an extra little bit. The veteran southpaw is just one of the wild cards in the equation of the Mets' six-man rotation to start the 2026 season."
Sean Manaea struggled during his Grapefruit League start against the St. Louis Cardinals, allowing three runs on six hits with one walk and four strikeouts over 2.2 innings. He threw 56 pitches total, with 28 in a difficult first inning where he surrendered a two-run home run to Nelson Velazquez. His fastball velocity dipped to the 88-mph range, topping out just over 90 mph, down from his 91.7 mph average last season. Manaea attributed the velocity decrease to needing more repetitions and expressed confidence that adrenaline and regular season conditions will help restore his fastball to 92-93 mph. He remains one of several question marks in the Mets' rotation after posting a 5.64 ERA in 2025.
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