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Jeff Manto

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Jeff Manto

Jeffrey Paul Manto (born August 23, 1964) is an American former journeyman baseball player and hitting coach. Manto is currently the head coach of the Conwell-Egan Catholic High School baseball team. He is the former manager of the Trenton Thunder of the MLB Draft League. He is a member of eight Halls of Fame. Manto played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cleveland Indians, Philadelphia Phillies, Baltimore Orioles, Boston Red Sox, Seattle Mariners, Detroit Tigers, New York Yankees, and Colorado Rockies. He also played in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) for the Yomiuri Giants.

Manto attended Temple University, where he accepted a full scholarship as a right-handed pitcher. After his freshman year, Manto was converted to a right fielder. During his Temple career, Manto had a career batting average of .412. He also held Owl records for total bases, extra base hits, home run percentage and slugging percentage. 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 New York Yankees as a 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 by the California Angels and signed on June 7, 1985.

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 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. In 1994, a season in which he played for both the Norfolk Tides and the Rochester Red Wings, 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 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 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 Yomiuri Giants in Japan, but struggled. He was released. Though he called Baltimore several times about signing a minor league deal, Syd Thrift, Baltimore's general manager, declined. Manto ended up in Syracuse and then Buffalo. 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, at the time the Indians' Class AAA 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.

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