2025 Bounce back candidate: Alek Manoah
I still believe in Alek Manoah.
I can still vividly remember when he made is debut at Yankee Stadium back in 2021 mowing down Yankee after Yankee including Aaron Judge as his mother Susana yelling «Come on baby!» from the stands fists pumping and tears streaming down her face.
I have to admit I became a little emotional after seeing such love and support for her son.
That emotion changed quickly after seeing six scoreless innings in a 2-0 win. I hadn't seen that much dominance in a pitching debut in a very long time.
In his post game interview with Sportsnet he didn't talk about his amazing debut on the road at Yankee Stadium of all places.
Or the fact that that he struck out seven batters while allowing only two hits and two walks on 88 pitches.
He talked about his mother Susana and what she and his family means to him.
«I've seen my mom not eat dinner to feed me and my brother, those kinds of things, I'll give her the world; I'll do anything for her. She's my inspiration.»
«She teaches me how to work hard every day, she teaches me how to keep going, she teaches me how to compete.
Her, my father, my brother, everybody. I couldn't be more thankful. It's all for them.»
40 friends and family were there to support their boy to cheer and witness his dominance. I think even they were surprised at his impressive debut, after all it is the New York Yankees at home.
I remember telling a friend (Jesse Town) after the game this guy might be the next Roger Clemens, with his command, size, poise and presence on the mound.
The Blue Jays struck gold with this guy. He's going to be fun to watch.
In 2022 Manoah continued his dominance with an All-Star nod and another great 1 inning outing striking out the side including then MVP Ronald Acuna Jr.
Alek was also an American League Cy Young finalist in 2022 and the future looked very, very bright.
Then in 2023 it all came crashing down.
He had trouble with his command and attacking the strike zone, before his first of two minor league assignments.
The 2022 All-Star issued a major league high 42 walks over his first 13 starts of the season. In comparison, he only allowed 15 free passes during his first 13 starts to begin the 2022 campaign.
The walks continued to pile up even after Manoah returned from the minors in July. He ultimately finished with a 14.2% walk rate that ranked in the third percentile of the majors.
That came just one season after his career-best 6.5% clip placed in the 70th percentile. That 7.7% increase from 2022-23 ranked fourth highest among qualified pitchers.
As a result of his command, or lack thereof, the right-hander's swing-and-miss ability declined considerably.
While he wasn't elite in that department to begin with, posting strikeout (19%), whiff (21.8%) and chase rates (26%) all in the 20th percentile was still a big step backward.
It certainly didn't help him to compensate for his high walk rate.
Due to an increase in hard-hit balls, Manoah's home run total also shifted, and not in a positive direction, leading to a career-worst 1.55 HR/9.
Thanks to these factors, which led to the highest ERA of his career, he also struggled to a miserable 6.01 FIP in 87.1 innings across 19 starts with the Blue Jays, worth -0.4 fWAR.
When the 2023 season came to an end I thought, 2024 will be a fresh start he probably just had a bad year it happens to the best of them.
So when he had a rough start in 2024 I thought oh boy he cant shake it off, maybe its his mechanics or his release point, what do I know I'm just a fan.
Fans on social media were turning on him calling him this, calling him that. I felt bad for the kid, but deep down I knew he had it in him to figure it out with the help of Blue Jays pitching coach Pete Walker.
Then one day I get a personal message from a fellow group member 'TORONTO BLUE JAYS' group-the best group on facebook by the way (shameless plug).
Her name is Maria Rodriguez a cute little lady with purple hair, and she said «why are all these people so mean to my grandson!» She was not happy.
So I asked her "who is your grandson?" Maria proclaimed «my grandson is Alek Manoah!"
"Don't they know he's just going through some things right now and that he will be fine again!»
I said "well first off Maria never let the haters get you upset and secondly there are a lot of keyboard warriors who say whatever they want because there are no repercussions from behind the guise of a laptop and cellphone."
I told her that I believe in her grandson and that we will have the last laugh in the end.
I could tell that she immediately felt better and I thought to myself what a spicy little meatball this lady is and I wish that she was my grandma!
Maria messages me all the time now. Even on my birthday to let me know that us Virgos have to stick together.
Maria sent me this picture of her and Alek taken yesterday (November 28th 2024)
Eventually, the 26-year-old Manoah worked his way back to the Blue Jays in early May of 2024 and was promptly hit around in his first start, giving up six earned runs (seven in total) in four innings pitched.
However, Alek pitched back-to-back 7+ inning games, giving up no earned runs and striking out 13 batters.
His start of the season wasn't great though, giving up four earned runs in 4.2 innings pitched.
Five days later, he was pulled from his start against the Chicago White Sox, eventually getting the diagnosis that he needed Tommy John Surgery
Overall, Alek finished the season with a 3.70 ERA and a 5.18 FIP in five outings, or 24.1 innings pitched.
All things considered, he showed flashes of the dominance he had in 2021 and 2022, even if it was a sad end to his season.
As for his return, Manoah could return towards the end of the 2025 season, likely in either August or September after a rehab assignment. Maria and I still believe do you?
| POLL | ||
NOVEMBRE 29 | 269 ANSWERS 2025 Bounce back candidate: Alek Manoah Do you still believe in Alek Manoah? Will he bounce back in 2025? | ||
| Yes | 93 | 34.6 % |
| No | 100 | 37.2 % |
| Too early to tell | 76 | 28.3 % |
| List of polls | ||
