OAKLAND -- Sean Manaea arrived at the Cape Cod League in the summer of 2012 as a late-blooming prospect from Indiana State with one prevailing thought in mind.
"I kept telling myself, 'Don't embarrass yourself,'" said Manaea, who made the 17-hour drive from Indiana with his mother, Opal. "I didn't really know what it was. I heard about people who had a couple bad starts and they booted them out."
Chad Gassman, manager of the Hyannis Harbor Hawks, anticipated Manaea would help his club, taking him solely based on the recommendation of Indiana State coach Rick Heller, who assured him Manaea would be good.