CAN ALEK MANOAH BOUNCE BACK IN 2024?
Alek Manoah’s career took a turn for the worse last season as the former American League Cy Young finalist found himself demoted to the minors for most of the second half of 2023. Once considered the ace of the Toronto Blue Jays, Manoah didn’t see any action in the MLB after August 10th of last year.
Despite his struggles, the Blue Jays still believe in Manoah’s potential and have decided to give him a chance in their rotation for the upcoming 2024 season. While other teams expressed interest in acquiring him, Toronto remains committed to keeping Manoah on their roster, according to Jon Morosi.
Manoah’s struggles began early last season, as he gave up five runs and failed to complete four innings on Opening Day. Throughout his first 13 appearances, he only managed to produce two quality starts.
The breaking point for Manoah came in June when he allowed six runs in the first inning of a lopsided 11-4 loss to the Houston Astros. The Blue Jays promptly sent him down to the minors the following day.
Unfortunately, Manoah’s struggles continued in the minors as well. In his first start in the Florida Complex League, he gave up a staggering 11 runs in just 2.2 innings. He did return to the MLB for six more starts and showed some improvement, lowering his ERA from 6.36 before demotion to 4.91.
However, in August, Manoah was once again sent down and didn’t make any further appearances in organized games for the rest of the season. Some believed this marked the end of his tenure with the Blue Jays, but the team is willing to give him another shot unless there’s a last-minute change of heart.
Despite Manoah’s struggles, the Blue Jays’ pitching staff had an impressive performance last season, finishing with the fourth-best ERA in the league. The team’s starters even ranked third in ERA. It remains to be seen how Manoah and the rest of the Blue Jays’ pitching staff will fare in the upcoming 2024 season.
