Manaea was raised in Wanatah, Indiana, a town with a population if 1,000. He attended South Central Junior-Senior High School in Union Mills, Indiana, for his first three years of high school. After his junior year, he co… See more

Considered a top prospect in the 2013 Major League Baseball draft, Manaea was scouted by the Houston Astros, who had the first overall pick. However, he had a hip injury that he pitched through during his junior year … See more

Manaea's father, Faaloloi, was born in Papa Sataua, Samoa, American Samoa, moved to Hawaii, served in the Vietnam War, and was then stationed in Indiana, where he settled and worked for the Inland Steel Company following … See more