Kyle Manzardo, former CdA and WSU standout, tries to concentrate on baseball while his mom awaits a heart transplant

CLEVELAND – Paul Manzardo said what his family is going through is a lot like the game of baseball.

“There are a lot of unknowns,” he said. “You never know what the next day will bring.”

The one thing that is known is that Windy Manzardo, Paul’s wife and mother to sons Kyle – a former Washington State infielder – and Marcus, is going to need a heart transplant.

On Sunday, they will fly to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, from their home in Coeur d’Alene for more tests and to consult with doctors. Windy, 50, has cardiac sarcoidosis, a rare autoimmune disease that causes inflammation in the heart.

Windy, a cardiac nurse, has been dealing with heart problems since 2021.

“We’re going to Mayo Clinic to do some additional testing to see if there’s other procedures we can do to calm down the sarcoidosis and give her some comfort until the time comes when there is a heart that matches her,” Paul Manzardo said. “It’s quite the process.”

Following their trip to the Mayo Clinic, the Manzardos will fly to Columbus, Ohio, to see their oldest son, Kyle, play for the Columbus Clippers. The Guardians acquired Manzardo on July 31 from the Tampa Bay Rays in the second of a series of trades that shook the clubhouse and all but ended their days as a contender in the AL Central.

Cleveland sent right-hander Aaron Civale, their hottest starting pitcher, and only healthy veteran in the rotation, to the Rays. Manzardo, meanwhile, was on the injured list at Triple-A Durham with a partially dislocated left shoulder.

Chris Antonetti, Cleveland’s president of baseball operations, said he could not pass on a chance to acquire a hitter like Manzardo. He was the Rays’ second-round draft pick in 2021 and ranked as their fourth best prospect by MLB Pipeline.

“I was shocked immediately after the trade,” Kyle Manzardo told cleveland.com recently at Huntington Park in Columbus. “Then I was excited to start fresh. A new place, new people. It’s a good organization.

“Just seeing the similarities between the Rays and Guardians has been cool. They’re similar in the way they operate. It hasn’t been a crazy, drastic change in that sense.”

The left-handed hitting Manzardo, 23, made his name in pro ball in 2022 . He hit a combined .327 (106 for 324) with 26 doubles, 22 homers and 81 RBIs in 93 games. He had a slash line of .327/.426/.617 at Class A Bowling Green and Double-A Montgomery.

This year he’s hitting a combined .236 (63 for 265) with 26 doubles, 12 homers and 46 RBIs in 73 games at Triple-A Durham, Columbus and Cleveland’s Class A complex team.

Manzardo has played in 13 games at Columbus after rehabbing his left shoulder at the team’s spring training facility in Goodyear, Arizona. He’s hitting .265 (13 for 49) with one homer and seven RBIs.

He’s had to deal with a lot this year, including his mother’s heart issues, a shoulder injury and a trade.

“I talk to my mom every few days,” Manzardo said. “She’s a trooper. Her heart has led to some other issues with her back because of the steroids she’s been on. She’s handling it as well as anyone could.”

Paul Manzardo said earlier this year Windy held frank conversations with Kyle and Marcus about the seriousness of her condition.

“I give both of my boys a lot of credit and dealing with it in a positive light,” he said. “Windy has been really good with both boys, telling them to follow their dreams and aspirations.

“She wants them to concentrate on what they’re doing, and that will make her happy and stronger to continue to fight and do what she needs to do.”

When asked if Windy’s health could be affecting Kyle’s play this year, Paul Manzardo said, “That’s a tough question. I don’t want to say it has affected how he’s playing. That’s kind of a cop out. You still have to go to work and do your job.

“But at the same time, for both boys, that’s their mom. I think about my mom all the time. The mom is the anchor of the house. The mom is the ruler of the roost. I’d have to say it’s in the back of their mind.”

Dealing with baseball

It’s no secret that the Guardians need offense. The 6-foot-3, 205-pound Manzardo could help, perhaps as soon as 2024.

They have an opening at first base following the trade of Josh Bell, should they decide to move Josh Naylor to DH.

Manzardo has a good idea of the strike zone. This year he has 56 walks and 76 strikeouts. In 2021, he had 59 walks and 65 strikeouts. In his last year at Washington State, he had more extra-base hits (31) than strikeouts (29).

As soon as the Guardians acquired him, MLB Pipeline listed Manzardo as their second-best prospect.

“I’d like to believe that I can impact the baseball pretty good,” Manzardo said. “I like to hit to all fields.”

Paul Manzardo coached Kyle and Marcus from Little League through Lake City High School. He stepped down last year to spend more time with Windy and watch Kyle and Marcus, who plays at Central Washington.

“His biggest strength is he’s savvy and very mature for his age when it comes to baseball,” Paul Manzardo said. “Other people who have coached him at the college level will tell you the same thing.”

Saturday night at Huntington Park, the Clippers were trailing Scranton/Wilke-Barre, the Yankees’ top farm club, 3-2 in the ninth inning. The ABS system, aka robot umpires, was in use. So was the challenge system, which allows the pitcher, catcher or hitter to challenge a ball or strike call with each team getting three challenges.

In the ninth inning, the Clippers had one on and no one out with Manzardo at the plate. A strike was called and he challenged it. The call was changed to a ball, which helped him walk. Jhonkensy Noel, the next batter, hit a winning three-run homer.

“I’m a big fan of the challenge system, the robo ump is good, too, once you get used to the zone,” Manzardo said after the game.

Of Manzardo, Columbus manager Andy Tracy said, “He’s a contact hitter with a quiet competitiveness about him. He’s probably still getting his timing back (from the injury). He goes to the plate with a plan and spreads the ball around the field.”

From the outside looking in, a scout worried about Manzardo against lefties, but added that his quality approach to each at-bat and his ability to bring the barrel to the ball should help correct that flaw. The scout liked Manzardo’s ability to make contact, but wondered if it will lead to his ability to hit for more power and impact.

The heart of the matter

It is a long way from Coeur d’Alene to Cleveland or Columbus, but the Manzardos are happy with the trade.

Paul Manzardo’s side of the family is from Michigan. He was a middle infielder at Ferris State in Michigan before it dropped baseball. This way his family and friends can get to Toledo, Ohio, Columbus or, they hope, Cleveland, much easier than flying to St. Petersburg, Florida, to see the Rays.

“While that side of the house is pretty excited, Kyle’s mom and I and a lot of guys he went to school with are excited because they’ll be holding spring training in Arizona,” Manzardo said.