Jeffrey Paul Manto (born August 23, 1964) is an American former

journeyman A journeyman is a worker, skilled in a given building trade or craft, who has successfully completed an official apprenticeship qualification. Journeymen are considered competent and authorized to work in that field as a fully qualified employee ...

baseball player Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

and hitting coach. Manto is currently the head coach of the

Conwell-Egan Catholic High School Conwell-Egan Catholic High School is a coeducational, Catholic high school in Fairless Hills, Pennsylvania. It is located in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia. History The modern Conwell-Egan was formed in 1993 when the all-girls Bi ...

baseball team. He is the former manager of the

Trenton Thunder The Trenton Thunder are a collegiate summer baseball team of the MLB Draft League. They are located in Trenton, New Jersey, and play their home games at Trenton Thunder Ballpark. From 1994 to 2020, it was a Minor League Baseball team of the D ...

of the

MLB Draft League The MLB Draft League is a baseball league that began play in 2021. Created by Major League Baseball (MLB) and ''Prep Baseball Report'' (PBR), the league operates a split-season format of 80 games with a hybrid amateur–professional structure: f ...

. He is a member of eight Halls of Fame. Manto played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

(MLB) for the

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. Since , the team ...

Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. The Phillies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East Division. Since 2004, the team's home stadium has ...

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles (also known as the O's) are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East Division. As one of the America ...

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Founded in as one of the Ameri ...

Seattle Mariners The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. The Mariners compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. The team joined the American ...

Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. One of the AL's eight chart ...

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Am ...

, and

Colorado Rockies The Colorado Rockies are an American professional baseball team based in Denver. The Rockies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Division. Th ...

. He also played in

Nippon Professional Baseball is a professional baseball league and the highest level of baseball in Japan. Locally, it is often called , meaning simply ''Professional Baseball''; outside of Japan, NPB is often referred to as "Japanese baseball". The roots of the league ...

(NPB) for the

Yomiuri Giants The are a Japanese professional baseball team competing in Nippon Professional Baseball's Central League. Based in Bunkyo, Tokyo, they are one of two professional baseball teams based in Tokyo, the other being the Tokyo Yakult Swallows. They h ...

Early career

Manto attended

Temple University Temple University (Temple or TU) is a public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related research university in Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. It was founded in 1884 by the Baptist ministe ...

, where he accepted a full scholarship as a right-handed pitcher. After his freshman year, Manto was converted to a rightfielder. During his Temple career, Manto had a career

batting average Batting average is a statistic in cricket, baseball, and softball that measures the performance of batters. The development of the baseball statistic was influenced by the cricket statistic. Cricket In cricket, a player's batting average is ...

of .412. He also held

Owl Owls are birds from the order Strigiformes (), which includes over 200 species of mostly solitary and nocturnal birds of prey typified by an upright stance, a large, broad head, binocular vision, binaural hearing, sharp talons, and feathers a ...

records for

total bases In baseball statistics, total bases is the number of bases a player gains with hit (baseball), hits. It is a weighted sum with values of 1 for a single (baseball), single, 2 for a double (baseball), double, 3 for a triple (baseball), triple and 4 ...

extra base hits In baseball, an extra-base hit (EB, EBH or XBH), also known as a long hit, is any base hit on which the batter is able to advance past first base without the benefit of a fielder either committing an error or opting to make a throw to retire anot ...

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the Baseball (ball), ball is hit in such a way that the batting (baseball), batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safe (baseball), safely in one play without any error ( ...

percentage and

slugging percentage In baseball statistics, slugging percentage (SLG) is a measure of the batting productivity of a hitter. It is calculated as total bases divided by at-bats, through the following formula, where ''AB'' is the number of at-bats for a given player, an ...

. He was inducted into the Temple University Hall of Fame in 2000 and finished his degree in 2024. Manto was drafted in the 35th round of the 1982 Major League Baseball Draft by the

as a RH Pitcher, but opted not to sign with them. Three years later, he entered again into the draft where he was drafted in the 14th round of the

1985 Major League Baseball Draft The 1985 Major League Baseball draft took place in June 1985. The draft saw the Milwaukee Brewers select B. J. Surhoff first overall. Also picked in the first round were future stars Barry Bonds, Barry Larkin and Rafael Palmeiro. First round dr ...

by the

California Angels The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Greater Los Angeles area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West Division. Since 1966, the team has pl ...

and signed on June 7, 1985.

Professional career

Playing career

Manto was drafted by the Angels in 1985. He played 16 years and retired after the 2000 season. During that span, Manto was part of three teams that reached the

World Series The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB). It has been contested since between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winning team, determined through a best- ...

: the 1993 Philadelphia Phillies (lost), the 1997 Cleveland Indians (lost), and the 1999 New York Yankees (won, but not on the roster). Manto's nickname in his playing days was "Mickey". Manto won the Texas League Most Valuable Player in 1988 and the

International League Most Valuable Player Award The International League Most Valuable Player Award (MVP) is an annual award given to the best player in Minor League Baseball's International League based on their regular-season performance as voted on by league manager (baseball), managers. Bro ...

. In 1994, a season in which he played for both the

Norfolk Tides The Norfolk Tides are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles. They are located in Norfolk, Virginia, and are named in nautical reference to the city's loc ...

and the

Rochester Red Wings The Rochester Red Wings are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals. They are located in Rochester, New York, and play their home games at Innovative Fie ...

, he won the International League Most Valuable Player. Manto tied a major league record with four consecutive home runs in four consecutive official at bats. Though Manto's stay in Rochester was brief, he forever made a name for himself in franchise history. In the winter of 1995, the city of Rochester was at risk of losing the franchise. Governor

George Pataki George Elmer Pataki (; born June 24, 1945) is an American politician who served as the 53rd governor of New York from 1995 to 2006. He previously served in the State Legislature from 1985 to 1994, and as the mayor of Peekskill from 1981 to 1984 ...

had denied the city the funds needed to build a new stadium and keep the Red Wings in town. When team owners staged a rally called "StadiumStock," Jeff, along with his father Michael, drove from

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

through a massive snowstorm to attend the rally. Manto spoke at great length of his passion for the city, its fans, and the Silver family, which ran the Red Wings. The rally was successful and funding was restored. Manto made the Orioles team the following spring. After Baltimore let him go the following winter, Manto signed on with the

in Japan, but struggled. He was released. Though he called Baltimore several times about signing a minor league deal,

Syd Thrift Sydnor W. Thrift Jr. (February 25, 1929 – September 18, 2006) was an American scout and executive in Major League Baseball who served as the general manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1985 to 1988, and the '' de facto'' general manager of ...

, Baltimore's general manager, declined. Manto ended up in

Syracuse Syracuse most commonly refers to: * Syracuse, Sicily, Italy; in the province of Syracuse * Syracuse, New York, USA; in the Syracuse metropolitan area Syracuse may also refer to: Places * Syracuse railway station (disambiguation) Italy * Provi ...

and then

Buffalo Buffalo most commonly refers to: * True buffalo or Bubalina, a subtribe of wild cattle, including most "Old World" buffalo, such as water buffalo * Bison, a genus of wild cattle, including the American buffalo * Buffalo, New York, a city in the n ...

. However, Baltimore's decision not to bring back Manto to Rochester after what he did to help keep the franchise intact inflicted a wound that never healed, and the once warm relationship between Rochester and Baltimore began to show chinks in the armor. Manto's most sustained run with one team was as a member of the

Buffalo Bisons The Buffalo Bisons (known colloquially as the Herd) are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays. Located in Buffalo, New York, the team plays their home games at Sahlen Fiel ...

, at the time the Indians'

Class AAA Triple-A (officially Class AAA) has been the highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States since 1946. Currently, two leagues operate at the Triple-A level, the International League (IL) and the Pacific Coast League (PCL). ...

affiliate. In four interrupted years (1997–2000) with the Bisons, Manto hit 79 home runs. For his achievements, Manto's number 30 was retired by the Bisons, one of only three Bisons players ( Luke Easter and Ollie Carnegie being the others) to have earned the honor.

Coaching career

After Manto's playing career ended, he worked as a hitting coach, as well as

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of organizations, whether businesses, nonprofit organizations, or a government bodies through business administration, nonprofit management, or the political science sub-field of public administra ...

for the Philadelphia Phillies’

Lakewood BlueClaws The Jersey Shore BlueClaws (formerly Lakewood BlueClaws) are a Minor League Baseball team of the South Atlantic League and the High-A affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies. They are located in Lakewood, New Jersey, and are named for their locat ...

. Was hired as the

Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central ...

Hitting Coordinator in 2003 and then was named the Pittsburgh Pirates hitting coach in November 2005. He was the hitting coach for the Pirates for two seasons from 2006–2007. In 2006, Manto helped guide Freddy Sanchez to the

National League National League often refers to: *National League (baseball), one of the two baseball leagues constituting Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada *National League (division), the fifth division of the English football (soccer) system ...

batting title with a .344 batting average. Also during his time as the Pirates hitting coach, Manto saw the future breakout potential of then-Pirate

José Bautista José Antonio Bautista Santos (born October 19, 1980), nicknamed "Joey Bats", is a Dominican former professional baseball right fielder and third baseman who played 15 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB), primarily for the Toronto Blue Jays. ...

. According to

Keith Olbermann Keith Theodore Olbermann (born January 27, 1959) is an American sports and political commentator and writer. Olbermann spent the first 20 years of his career in sports journalism. He was a sports correspondent for CNN and for local TV and ra ...

, Manto had said of Bautista, "If we can get him to replicate his swing three days in a row, José Bautista could hit 25 homers a year. In fact, I think he could hit 40. He is just so easily frustrated when it doesn’t go right that he blames himself and forgets what he's learned. Or ignores it. But of all these guys I have, if you want one of them who will eventually do something special in this game, I’d pick him. I wouldn’t be very surprised." On October 31, 2011, Manto was named hitting coach for the

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The club plays its ...

where he helped guide

Adam Dunn Adam Troy Dunn (born November 9, 1979), nicknamed "Big Donkey", is an American former professional baseball left fielder and first baseman. He played 14 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB), primarily for the Cincinnati Reds. A two-time Major L ...

to an

American League The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is the younger of two sports leagues, leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western L ...

''Sporting News'' Comeback Player of the Year Award in 2012. He served as the Minor League Hitting Coordinator for the Baltimore Orioles from 2014 through 2019. On April 12, 2021, Manto was announced as the manager of the

for the inaugural season of the

Honors

Manto is a member of 8 Halls of Fame: * Bristol High School *

Bucks County, Pennsylvania Bucks County is a County (United States), county in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 646,538, making it the List of counties in Pennsylvania, four ...

* Pennsylvania Sports * Buffalo Bisons * Rochester Red Wings * Greater Buffalo *

International League The International League (IL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the United States. Along with the Pacific Coast League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major ...

References

External links

Manto Player Development Center
{{DEFAULTSORT:Manto, Jeff 1964 births Living people American expatriate baseball players in Canada American expatriate baseball players in Japan Baltimore Orioles players Baseball coaches from Pennsylvania Baseball players from Bucks County, Pennsylvania Boston Red Sox players Bowie Baysox players Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players Chicago White Sox coaches Cleveland Indians players Colorado Rockies players Colorado Springs Sky Sox players Detroit Tigers players Edmonton Trappers players Frederick Keys players International League MVP award winners Midland Angels players New York Yankees players Nippon Professional Baseball third basemen Norfolk Tides players Palm Springs Angels players Pawtucket Red Sox players People from Bristol, Pennsylvania Philadelphia Phillies players Pittsburgh Pirates coaches Quad Cities Angels players Richmond Braves players Rochester Red Wings players Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons players Seattle Mariners players Syracuse SkyChiefs players Temple Owls baseball players Trenton Thunder players Yomiuri Giants players 20th-century American sportsmen