Matt Manning – RHP, Sheldon High School (CA)
When the seventh best ranked prep pitcher, 11th overall, according to MLB.com, falls down to 21st, it’s an indication of a deep draft for pitchers, which means it makes little sense for a team to reach on a high school student who may not pan out for a number of years, if he ever pans out at all. That’s not necessarily the case with Matt Manning. The 6’6” Sacramento native is the son of former NBA player Rich Manning. The younger Manning arrived late to the diamond due to being a standout player in basketball as well.
The Loyola Marymount commit works down and in to batters with efficiency well beyond his years. He struggles with control, but when he misses, he misses in the dirt, above the batter’s head, or way outside. He can touch the upper-90s, which grades in the 99.79 percentile according to Perfect Game, with his fastball, but Manning is more effective when sitting in the low-90s with greater movement. Manning has a 17.83 K/9 average, and he strikes out almost 50% of hitters exactly. He also has a solid power curve and a changeup which should be at least an average pitch at the major league level.
Conclusion: Manning is an excellent young pitcher with a smooth, repeatable delivery driven in large part off of his back foot. It’s hardly a flaw. As he adds more muscle to his frame at the professional level, Manning could be able to reach triple digits on his fastball and maintain velocity throughout his starts. He could be used as a solid innings eater in a major league rotation, or Manning could be used as a setup man or closer with All-Star potential. Given the recent bullpen struggles and little in the way of replacement options, Manning is an option if the Pirates top choices are ransacked.
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