It's been a bit of a struggle for Sean Manaea throughout spring training so far. However, he performed incredibly well in his latest trip to the mound, throwing for four perfect innings against the Miami Marlins. Despite that, there is one key issue that New York Mets fans are having about Manaea, as they express their concern about the veteran pitcher.
After recording four strikeouts in four innings without allowing a single hit or earned run during Tuesday's spring training game against the Marlins, it was reported that his fastball only reached 89.9 miles per hour, according to SNY Mets.
“Sean Manaea tosses four perfect innings today against the Marlins. His fastball topped out at 89.9 MPH.”
Fans are concerned that the 34-year-old left-hander is losing velocity as he heads into his 11th season in MLB. Although Mets fans liked his appearance on the mound on Tuesday, they are questioning how well he will play in the 2026 season.
“Very nice bounce back start, but I’m very concerned about the velo,” admitted one fan.
Another user claimed, “That fast ball is a slow ball.”
“He is now a soft-tossing lefty,” said another individual about Manaea.
This person stated, “He's washed. Won't be on the team by June.”
“89 yikes,” proclaimed a fan.
A fan-based podcast said, “This is quite concerning to say the least.”
“Not good, man. This is a bullpen arm at best,” claimed another user.
While there are plenty of negative reactions toward Sean Manaea's lack of velocity, there are some Mets fans who don't seem to care that his fastball topped out at 89.9 MPH. The more positive-minded fans simply like the results of Manaea's performance against the Marlins and believe he can be successful without having to throw 90+ MPH.
Sean Manaea aims to bounce back from a roller coaster of a 2025 campaign. He ended last season with a 5.64 ERA and 1.220 WHIP while recording 75 strikeouts through 60.2 innings pitched. He missed a large chunk of games last year due to a lingering oblique strain and left elbow injury.
