Blue Jay Across The Pond

Alek Manoah’s highly anticipated return to pitching as a member of the Toronto Blue Jays didn’t go as planned in his first start of Spring Training. Down in Lakeland, FL, Manoah struggled as he gave up 4 Earned Runs, in 1.2IP with 1BB on 38 pitches and 17 strikes.

What was the most concerning about this outing was he hit 3 batters including 1B Spencer Torkelson on his helmet. Mark Canha, who was the second batter to be hit by Manoah, tied the game at 2 after Orelvis Martinez, the Jays No.2 Prospect hit a 2-run double to opening the scoring. In the bottom of the 2nd, Manoah hit catcher Carson Kelly before Torkelson hit a 2 run Double to make it 4-2 to Detroit which subsequently ended Manoah’s outing. Blue Jays fans were hoping for a good performance from Manoah considering he was coming off the worst year of his career in 2023 where he finished with a 5.87 ERA and he was demoted to the Florida Complex League. But it was clear from this outing that Alek continued to struggle with his control and command.

On the other hand, Alek’s velocity topped 94-95 mph and in an article written by the Blue Jays Beat Reporter for MLB.com Keegan Matheson, Manoah said: ‘I’m not having to think about velocity then being able to have pretty good velocity. That’s a good checkpoint.’ In other words an ‘inexpensive experience.’ This is an encouraging sign for him particularly in February and his fastball velocity was higher than his 2023 average.

We shouldn’t hit the panic buttons just yet. We have to remember that this was Manoah’s first start of Spring Training and it was clear that he’s made minor improvements, for example: his fastball velocity. It’s also clear that he’s improved his conditioning during the offseason. But he still needs to work on his command and control, hitting 3 batters is concerning but it’s fixable. It’s too early to count out Manoah especially at this stage of spring but we will keeping a close eye on his progress and rooting for him every step of the way….

What are your thoughts on Manoah’s performance? Can he resolve the issues that he’s been having with his control/command? Let me know in the comments down below!

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