Blue Jays’ Alek Manoah Fans 10 in First Double-A Outing Amidst Journey Back to Majors
Alek Manoah looked like his old, confident self on Sunday in New Hampshire as he toed the rubber for the Double-A Fisher Cats against the Portland Sea Dogs – the Boston Red Sox’s affiliate.
Less than a week after being shell-shocked in the Florida Complex League, allowing 11 runs on 10 hits – including two home runs – and two walks over 2.2 innings versus New York Yankees’ minor-leaguers, the Toronto Blue Jays hurler was far more recognizable this time around.
The conditions were soggy and wet, leading to a deteriorating mound, which required repairs a few different times, but that didn’t seem to phase Manoah, who believed his process was better than his results suggested in last week’s start. And he certainly cemented that theory Sunday night.
Things were a tad shaky at first, though, as Manoah surrendered a hard-hit single up the middle to begin the game, followed by consecutive loud flyouts and a four-pitch walk. But, with runners on the corners and two outs, the right-hander punched out the next batter to end the frame.
The 2022 All-Star allowed his only run of the game in the second after his first pitch of the inning resulted in a hit batter, who stole second and advanced to third on a poor throw before scoring on an RBI single. He then issued another walk afterwards, with the baserunner immediately swiping second.
Manoah responded perfectly under pressure, however, just as he did in the first inning, striking out the next two batters to avoid further damage.
That positivity nearly came undone in the third inning, as Manoah got hit by a comebacker off his left thigh by Red Sox top prospect Marcelo Mayer. But he still managed to record the out and shook off New Hampshire’s training staff following a brief meeting on the mound.
It didn’t have any lingering effects either, with the 25-year-old retiring nine straight batters across the second and fifth innings, eight of which were via strikeout. Despite allowing a single and a walk, he finished the frame with another punch out, registering his hardest pitch (95 mph) of the night.
The Fisher Cats went to the bullpen after receiving five innings of one-run ball from Manoah, who tossed 82 pitches, surrendering a trio of hits and walks while striking out 10 – the most he’s recorded in a single appearance since Oct. 2nd, 2021.
Manoah’s outing wasn’t perfect, though he improved as the game progressed, building his confidence on the hill. That, above anything else, should be among the main takeaways from his first career Double-A start.
The 6-foot-6 righty, who skipped double-A due to the cancelled 2020 minor-league season, has been mindful of the mental side of baseball just as much as the physical side since being demoted almost a month ago. And it has reminded the youngster of what sets him apart.
“It’s been a lot of ups and downs,” Manoah said to reporters following five promising innings, including Sportsnet’s Shi Davidi. “Being able to figure everything out and understand that there are a lot of people that are rooting for me, having a great support system around me and also understanding there are a lot of people that like to kick me when I’m down.”
“And that’s good because that means a lot of people want to see me down and that means they don’t want to see me come back up. And I’m ready to come back up. I’m ready to be a tiger. I’m ready to be a horse on that mound and I’m ready to help our team win, you know?” he continued. “That’s the biggest thing I’ve learned through this whole thing, is that you can kind of get down on yourself, you can think you’re not good, you can get emotional about it but nobody cares. Just got to go out there and compete and when your back’s against the wall, don’t lay down. Just keep fighting.”
There’s still room for improvement, of course, especially considering Manoah walked three and hit a batter while throwing 47 of his 82 pitches for strikes on Sunday. But he also displayed how far he’s come in other areas, particularly with his fastball command.
Manoah, leading the majors in walk rate (14.9 percent) at the time of his demotion, worked both sides of the strike zone with his four-seamer and two-seamer, generating most of his 13 whiffs with those pitches. The top of the zone, in particular, proved effective for each offering.
The right-hander didn’t throw a ton of sliders, but when he did, they were primarily located in safe spots and helped sequence his heaters effectively. On the surface, his mechanics also appeared similar to his 2021 and 2022 deliveries.
That saw Manoah driving down the mound more efficiently compared to his strides from earlier this season – a byproduct of working with Blue Jays personnel at the player development complex in Dunedin, Fla.
“I feel like that’s been the biggest change over the last three weeks, feeling confident in the stuff and even if it’s not good, throwing it like it is,” Manoah said. “That’s something I’ve always done. The will to win and the competitiveness out there has always overmatched the stuff. I got a little caught up in the stuff and then let it get away from me.”
“It was a good learning process and back to being able to compete and trust in the stuff and understanding that once the ball leaves my hand, I can’t control anything.”
Sunday’s start with the Fisher Cats was a critical step in the right direction for Manoah, but the Blue Jays aren’t mapping out his return to the majors quite yet. The plan since the beginning wasn’t to rush him, and things remain unchanged on that front.
At the same time, though, it’d make plenty of sense for Manoah’s next hurdle to come against improved competition at triple-A Buffalo before the All-Star break commences on July 10th.
-Thomas Hall
Twitter: @ThomasHall85
Photo: Waz8. This file is made available under the Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication.