Robert Mehmet Manuel (born July 9, 1983) is a former

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Modern professional ...

relief pitcher In baseball and softball, a relief pitcher or reliever is a pitcher who enters the game after the starting pitcher is removed because of fatigue, ineffectiveness, injury, or ejection, or for other strategic reasons, such as inclement weat ...

. He pitched parts of two seasons in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

(MLB) for the Cincinnati Reds and

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) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eigh ...

Early years

After graduating from Bellaire High School in

Greater Houston Greater Houston, designated by the United States Office of Management and Budget as Houston–The Woodlands–Sugar Land, is the fifth-most populous metropolitan statistical area in the United States, encompassing nine counties along the Gulf Co ...

, Manuel attended Sam Houston State University. He was signed by the

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major league ...

as a non-drafted free agent in June 2005.

Career

Cincinnati Reds

Manuel was acquired by the Reds in a 2006 deal for veteran pitcher Dave Williams. In 2008, he received a MiLBY Award for Best Double-A Relief Pitcher. Manuel was called up to the majors on July 7, 2009. Manuel made his major league debut on July 9 against the Philadelphia Phillies, pitching innings, striking out two, allowing two hits and walking two; the first player he faced was

Pedro Feliz Pedro Julio Feliz (born April 27, 1975), is a Dominican former professional baseball third baseman, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Francisco Giants, Philadelphia Phillies, Houston Astros, and St. Louis Cardinals. Feliz hi ...

, and the first player Manuel struck out was

Paul Bako Gabor Paul Bako II (; born June 20, 1972) is an American former catcher in Major League Baseball. Bako is an example of a baseball "journeyman", having played for 11 different major league teams during his 12-year career. He is officially listed ...

. ;Seattle Mariners On July 29, 2009, Manuel was traded to the

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

for outfielder

Wladimir Balentien Wladimir Ramon Balentien (; born July 2, 1984), nicknamed "Coco", is a Curaçaoan-Dutch professional baseball outfielder who is currently a free agent. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Seattle Mariners and Cincinnati Reds, and in ...

. After finishing the season with their Triple-A

farm team In sports, a farm team, farm system, feeder team, feeder club, or nursery club is generally a team or club whose role is to provide experience and training for young players, with an agreement that any successful players can move on to a higher ...

, the

Tacoma Rainiers The Tacoma Rainiers are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Seattle Mariners. They are located in Tacoma, Washington, and play their home games at Cheney Stadium, which opened in 1960 ...

, Manuel was placed on waivers.

Boston Red Sox

Manuel was claimed on November 20, 2009, by the Boston Red Sox. He was designated for assignment on February 10 and assigned to the Triple-A

Pawtucket Red Sox The Pawtucket Red Sox, known colloquially as the PawSox, were a professional minor league baseball club based in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. From 1973 to 2020, the team was a member of the International League and served as the Triple-A affiliate ...

. In June 2010, Manuel was added to Boston's 40-man roster, and on July 3 made his first major league appearance of the season. He pitched in five games in July, then was returned to Pawtucket. He was called back up to the majors in September and pitched in five more games. In his final MLB appearance, he recorded his only MLB decision, a win against the

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

on October 2, when he pitched two innings of scoreless relief. ;Late career Manuel became a free agent on October 13, 2010, after he refused a minor league assignment. He played in the

American Association of Independent Professional Baseball The American Association of Professional Baseball is an independent professional baseball league founded in 2005. It operates in the central United States and Canada, mostly in cities not served by Major League Baseball teams or their minor lea ...

for the

Fort Worth Cats The Fort Worth Cats was a professional baseball team based in Fort Worth, Texas, in the United States. The Cats were a member of the South Division of the now disbanded United League Baseball, which was not affiliated with Major League Basebal ...

and St. Paul Saints in 2011. He last played during the 2011–2012 winter season of the

Puerto Rico Baseball League Puerto, a Spanish word meaning ''seaport'', may refer to: Places *El Puerto de Santa María, Andalusia, Spain *Puerto, a seaport town in Cagayan de Oro City, Philippines *Puerto Colombia, Colombia *Puerto Cumarebo, Venezuela *Puerto Galera, Orient ...

for the

Indios de Mayagüez The Indios de Mayagüez (Mayagüez Indians) are a baseball team in Puerto Rico's Liga de Béisbol Profesional Roberto Clemente (Roberto Clemente Professional Baseball League, in Spanish). Based in Mayagüez, the ''Indios'' have won 18 national ...

Post-playing career

After retiring from his professional sports career, Manuel returned to his hometown to become a coach at his former high school, Bellaire. He is now a pitching coach for the Bellaire Cardinals, and is also a

physical education Physical education, often abbreviated to Phys Ed. or P.E., is a subject taught in schools around the world. It is usually taught during primary and secondary education, and encourages psychomotor learning by using a play and movement explorat ...

coach.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Manuel, Robert Cincinnati Reds players Boston Red Sox players Major League Baseball pitchers Gulf Coast Mets players Brooklyn Cyclones players Dayton Dragons players Sarasota Reds players Chattanooga Lookouts players Louisville Bats players Tacoma Rainiers players Pawtucket Red Sox players Baseball players from Florida Sam Houston Bearkats baseball players 1983 births Living people St. Paul Saints players Fort Worth Cats players Peoria Javelinas players Indios de Mayagüez players