Minors

O’s Instructor Jeff Manto talks Stewart’s stance change and promising young hitters on ‘Minor League Podcast’

By Dan Connolly

Posted on May 11, 2016

If you’ve followed the Orioles for the past 20-plus years, you’ll remember the name – and probably the feat.

Jeff Manto was a corner infielder who played for eight big league teams in parts of nine seasons. In 1995, he played 89 games and had 280 plate appearances for the Orioles – his most in one year in the majors.

He hit a career-high 17 homers that year, and had one remarkable run. In a three-game span from June 8-10 against Seattle and California, Manto homered five times and walked three times in nine plate appearances. That included four straight official at-bats with a home run (one on June 8, two on June 9 and one on June 10) and two walks mixed in.

The enduring nickname “Mickey Manto’ was most appropriate that week.

After his playing days, Manto became a coach, and was a big-league hitting instructor with the Pittsburgh Pirates and Chicago White Sox (he’s pictured above, left, alongside White Sox manager Robin Ventura in 2012). Manto is now in his third year with the Orioles and serves as minor league hitting coordinator, meaning he’s traveling all around in the minors instructing the organization’s batters and hitting coaches.

And he’s today’s primary guest on our “Minor League Podcast with Adam Pohl.”

Pohl, the voice of the Double-A Bowie Baysox, speaks to Manto about the 2013 draft class, which includes Trey “Boom Boom” Mancini, Chance Sisco, Mike Yastrzemski and Drew Dosch.

Manto also discusses the hitting prospects from the 2015 draft in extended spring training and explains why last year’s No. 1 pick, D.J. Stewart, has tweaked his hitting stance from a pronounced crouch to a more upright one.

Pohl also speaks to High-A Frederick broadcaster Geoff Arnold, who breaks down the games of Jomar Reyes and Tanner Scott, among others.

And Pohl also tells a brotherly tale in the organization. So check it out.