Alek Manoah takes another step back with disastrous outing in minors
Alek Manoah was supposed to have his storybook comeback this season.
The Toronto Blue Jays pitcher appeared to be on the cusp of stardom entering the 2023 season. He was an All-Star in 2022, finishing third in the AL Cy Young award vote after posting a 16-7 record with a 2.24 ERA and 0.992 WHIP. At 25 years old, Manoah appeared set to be the star the Blue Jays needed.
Instead, everything fell apart in 2023. Manoah struggled through a disastrous season, posting a 5.87 ERA and a 1.740 WHIP over his 87.1 innings, striking out 79 batters with 59 walks. He was sent to the minors twice during the season, refusing to report to Triple-A the second time.
That was all in the past. Manager John Schneider met Manoah in Florida in December and Schneider and pitching coach Pete Walker kept in contact with him during the offseason. Manoah reported to spring training in a better mindset, his confidence back.
But in his first spring outing he allowed four runs on three hits and a walk, hitting three batters. That outing was a complete disaster.
The Blue Jays shut Manoah down after that outing. He returned to the mound on April 2, with Kaitlyn McGrath from The Athletic reporting that he performed well in a simulated game. That showing was encouraging enough for the Blue Jays to send him to Low-A Dunedin for another outing on Sunday.
He was unable to build on that reported success. Eric Cross from Rotoballer reported that Manoah walked the first four batters he faced, allowing two earned runs in the inning. Instead of the four innings the Blue Jays were hoping for, Manoah lasted just five outs. He allowed seven runs, six earned, on five hits and four walks and hit a batter.
It is impossible to know what has happened to Manoah. The Blue Jays feel it is a matter of his confidence and are looking to build him back up. Based on his simulated game, the tools and ability still appear to be there. However, those tools are not translating to the actual games. The Blue Jays have hope, but one has to wonder if Manoah will ever be the pitcher he was on track to becoming.
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