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Toronto Blue Jays fans have unfortunately become accustomed to suffering crushing losses in the playoffs, but they at least expect the club to resemble a quality product during the regular season. That has not been the case in the early portion of the 2024 campaign.
The 15-18 Jays are reeling right now after dropping three-straight games and eight of their last 10. While it is only May, there is minimal room for error in the trying American League East. They need to find a spark in a hurry, and it might just come in the form of someone who is looking for his own turnaround.
Alek Manoah is finally going to make his 2024 debut with Toronto. The right-handed starting pitcher and 2022 All-Star will take the mound for the Blue Jays in Sunday’s game against the Washington Nationals, according to MLB.com’s Keegan Matheson.
After some initial injury hurdles, his road to redemption is officially underway. Manoah endured one of the most mind-boggling drop-offs in recent history in 2023, recording a 5.87 ERA, walking 59 batters and allowing 15 home runs in 87 1/3 innings of work. The struggles continued in the minor leagues, with a brutal start in rookie ball serving as a stunning rock bottom.
If the 26-year-old can come close to exhibiting the prowess that launched him into the top-three in AL Cy Young voting almost 18 months ago, then the Blue Jays might morph into the dangerous presence that many have touted them to be over the last few years. That is an unreasonable amount of pressure to place on Manoah, especially since he was dealing with shoulder soreness before the season, but it speaks more to his towering ceiling.
Alek Manoah, Blue Jays both trying to put everything together
Just like Toronto, Alek Manoah has the potential to achieve greatness in this league. He has already proven it. However, after such a massive meltdown, there will be significant pressure on him to be productive once more. It is essential that he possesses the mental fortitude to combat all the outside noise and past doubt.
The key to Manoah’s possible resurgence is control. He had no grasp of location last season. The ball was either way off the plate or right in a batter’s sweet spot. Finding the strike zone early against Washington should give him some much-needed confidence as the game progresses.
Returning on the road in Nationals Park will be a nice test for Manoah. Thriving under challenging conditions after a long layoff would be a testament to his composure, which will be of the utmost importance for him in 2024. Though, he was far worse pitching at home last year (8.15 ERA in Rogers Centre, per FanGraphs), so a successful Sunday outing will not be enough to win over the masses.
Even so, Alek Manoah is determined to leave his miserable 2023 campaign firmly in the rear-view mirror. If people are going to forget a sensational 2022, they might as well also erase the ugly stuff from their memories. Therefore, when the former first-round pick faces the Nats, he will have a clean slate.
There is something both exciting and fearful about such a scenario. Manoah is sure to embrace all of these emotions. Blue Jays fans should, too.
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