'New haircut, new me': Manaea looks fresh in 2nd start

JUPITER, Fla. -- This past Sunday, Mets manager Carlos Mendoza announced that the Mets have a new player on the roster.

Well, he wasn’t exactly a new player. It just so happened that left-hander Sean Manaea had changed up his look. Gone was the beard, and long bushy hair that fell past his shoulder and would cover his face every time he threw on the mound. Manaea simply thought it was time to get a different look. The facial reaction of those who saw him told Manaea what people thought of his new look.

“It’s such a drastic change,” Manaea said. “It was a fun ride. I rode it out. I have to adapt to change.”

Almost a week after getting rid of his long locks, Manaea was back on the mound Saturday afternoon and had his best outing of the spring during a 9-3 victory over the Cardinals at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium.

Manaea became the first Mets pitcher to pitch at least four shutout innings this spring, while allowing two hits with five strikeouts and three walks. His fastball was clocked as high as 95 miles per hour. Manaea threw 61 pitches in the game. He will likely pitch five innings or 75 pitches in his next outing.

The Cardinals had a respectable lineup that faced Manaea. Brendan Donovan, Paul Goldschmidt, Nolan Arenado, Willson Contreras and Dylan Carlson went a combined 1-for-10 with two walks.

“Anytime you face their A squad, and you get some good results, it feels good. I wish I didn’t walk Goldy twice,” Manaea said.

Mendoza loved how Manaea handled the Cardinals.

“I thought it was good in a lot of different ways," Mendoza said. "The four-seam was up to 95 [mph]. He was good. He attacked the strike zone. The way he was using all his pitches, it was a good outing for him.”

Maybe it was the hair after all.

“Yeah, a new haircut, new me; I hope to keep trending in this direction,” Manaea said. “It’s so much easier. I don’t have hair in my eyes. A little cooler. Overall, a lot easier.”

After Jose Quintana and Luis Severino, there are three spots in the rotation that are up for grabs. Remember, Kodai Senga will not start the 2024 season on time because of a posterior capsule strain in his throwing shoulder.

Manaea is hoping he gets one of those spots. He believes the active starters battling for a rotation spot are attacking the strike zone.

“We are getting ahead of guys, not walking guys, limiting damage. Overall, it has been a great [start], so far.” Manaea said.