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Matt Mantei
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Matthew Bruce Mantei [MAN-tie] (born July 7, 1973 in Tampa, Florida) is a Major League Baseball relief pitcher who most recently played for the Detroit Tigers. Previously, Mantei played with the Florida Marlins (1995-1996, 1998-99), the Arizona Diamondbacks (1999-2004) and the Boston Red Sox (2005). He bats and throws right-handed.
Mantei has four pitches, none of which he can throw for strikes. He has two fastballs, one of which goes 95 MPH and occasionally hits 100, a sharp curve and an occasional slider. He was also known to throw a Knuckleball earlier in his career. His quality has never been in question. His two problems have been his control and his ability to stay healthy.
After posting 32 saves in 1999, Mantei was slowed by injuries in 2000 and 2001, when a right-elbow injury ended his season in April and he underwent "Tommy John" ligament replacement surgery. In 2002 Mantei worked hard to regain his old form. Despite the fact that he missed a month in 2003, he finished strong in the last three months of the season. He got 29 saves (22-for-23 in save opportunities) while posting a 1.42 ERA and held opposing hitters to a low .150 batting average.
Mantei missed most of 2004 after a surgery to deal with bone spurs in his shoulder. In 12 games, he was 0-3 with an 11.81 ERA and four saves. At the end of the season he was signed by the Red Sox. 2005 was yet another injury-plagued season for Mantei, as he only pitched 26.3 innings before being placed on the disabled list for the remainder of the year. Mantei was invited to the Detroit Tigers spring training camp in 2006 to make a comeback try, but after suffering more arm troubles early in the spring, he left camp and appears to be out of baseball permanently.
In a ten-year career with Florida, Arizona, and Boston, Mantei owns a 14-18 record with a 4.07 ERA and 93 saves in 322.7 innings. He also has compiled a 1.98 strikeout-to-walk ratio (396-to-200) and a 1.39 WHIP.