| Alek Manoah | |
|---|---|
| Free agent | |
| Pitcher | |
| Born: (1998-01-09)January 9, 1998 (age 27) Homestead, Florida, U.S. | |
Bats: Right Throws: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| May 27, 2021, for the Toronto Blue Jays | |
| MLB statistics (through 2024 season) | |
| Win–loss record | 29–20 |
| Earned run average | 3.34 |
| Strikeouts | 412 |
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
Alek Isaac Manoah (born January 9, 1998) is an American professionalbaseballpitcher who is a free agent. He has previously played in MLB for theToronto Blue Jays. The Blue Jays selected Manoah with the 11th overall pick of the2019 MLB draft out ofWest Virginia University. Manoah made his MLB debut in 2021 and was anAll-Star in 2022.
Manoah attendedSouth Dade High School inHomestead, Florida, and played for the school's baseball team.[1] As a junior, hebatted .492 with fivehome runs and 32runs batted in.[2] That summer, he played in theUnder Armour All-America Baseball Game atWrigley Field.[3] During his senior year, he signed to playcollege baseball atWest Virginia University.[4] Manoah was not selected in the2016 Major League Baseball draft out of high school and thus enrolled at West Virginia.
In 2017, as a freshman for theWest Virginia Mountaineers, Manoah appeared in 19 games as apitcher (ten starts), pitching to a 1–1win-loss record with a 3.07earned run average (ERA),[5] earning a spot on theBig 12 Conference's All-Freshman Team.[6] As a sophomore in 2018, Manoah went 3–5 with a 4.00 ERA in 23 games (eight starts).[7][8] He particularly struggled with command, posting a 1.50 WHIP.[9] That summer, he pitched in theCape Cod Baseball League for theChatham Anglers where he went 4–3 with a 3.57 ERA in nine starts.[10][11] Prior to the 2019 season, Manoah was named a preseasonAll-American byBaseball America.[12] During the season, Manoah was named to theGolden Spikes Award watchlist along with unanimously being named the Big 12 Pitcher of the Year.[13][14] At the time he received the award, he was 8–3 with a 1.91 ERA in 14 starts, striking out 125 batters in 94 innings.[15] He finished his junior year with a 9–4 record and a 2.08 ERA over 16 starts, compiling 144 strikeouts over108+1⁄3 innings.[16]
Manoah was considered one of the top prospects for the2019 Major League Baseball draft.[17] He was selected by theToronto Blue Jays with the 11th overall pick.[18] He signed for $4.55 million and made his professional debut with theVancouver Canadians of theLow–ANorthwest League on July 27.[19][20] Over six starts, Manoah compiled a 2.65 ERA with 27 strikeouts over 17 innings.[21] Manoah did not play a minor league game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season because of theCOVID-19 pandemic.[22]
To begin the 2021 season, Manoah was assigned to theBuffalo Bisons of theTriple-A East.[23] In his first start of the season, he struck out 12 batters over six scoreless innings.[24] Over three starts with Buffalo, Manoah went 3–0 with a 0.50 ERA and 27 strikeouts over 18 innings.[25]
On May 27, 2021, Manoah was selected to the40-man roster and promoted to the major leagues for the first time, and started against theNew York Yankees that day, while picking up the win in a 2–0 final.[26] He recorded his first MLB strikeout in his debut against Yankees infielderRougned Odor. Overall, Manoah totalled seven strikeouts while allowing two walks, no runs, and two hits over six innings.[27] On June 22, he was suspended five games for an incident stemming from a June 19 game in which he was ejected for intentionally hittingBaltimore Orioles third basemanMaikel Franco with a pitch.[28] On July 2, Manoah recorded seven consecutivestrikeouts against theTampa Bay Rays atSahlen Field, setting a Blue Jays franchise record.[29] Manoah finished his rookie season with the Blue Jays having started twenty games in which he went 9–2 with a 3.22 ERA and 127 strikeouts over111+2⁄3 innings.[30]
Manoah was selected to represent the Blue Jays alongside teammatesSantiago Espinal,George Springer,Alejandro Kirk, andVladimir Guerrero Jr. in the2022 Major League Baseball All-Star Game.[31] Manoah pitched one scoreless inning andstruck out all three batters he faced.[32] In 2022, Manoah went 16–7 with a 2.24 ERA in 1962⁄3 innings while striking out 180 batters. He started the first game of theWild Card Series against theSeattle Mariners, pitching 52⁄3 innings, giving up four hits and four earned runs with four strikeouts, as the Blue Jays were swept by the Mariners in the series. Manoah also finished third inCy Young Award voting, behindDylan Cease of theChicago White Sox and winnerJustin Verlander of theHouston Astros.[33]
Coming off his first two major league seasons, expectations were high for Manoah, who was selected as Toronto's opening day starter.[34] Instead, the season turned into a disaster. Manoahstruggled early, posting a 6.36 ERA through his first 13 starts of the campaign. In one start against the Houston Astros on June 5, 2023, Manoah allowed six runs in the first inning and was relieved of duties after recording only one out.[35][36] The following day, Manoah was demoted to theFlorida Complex League.[37][38] His first start in the Florida Complex League on June 27 went poorly, as he allowed 11 earned runs on 10 hits in 2 2⁄3 innings of work.[39]
On July 7, after a month in the minors, Manoah was recalled to the major league club. In his first start against theDetroit Tigers, he earned the win while recording 8 strikeouts, only giving up 1 earned run in 6 innings. He struggled in subsequent starts, walking several batters in his final five starts before being optioned to Triple–A Buffalo after an August 10 loss to theCleveland Guardians. Manoah, however, reacted negatively to his demotion and did not report to the Bisons, and subsequently informed the Blue Jays that he would not pitch again during the 2023 season. Americanbaseball journalistBuster Olney later opined, "Every year there are literally dozens of players who get sent down and don't agree with the decision, but they get on the bus, get on the plane, they go down, they report to go to work to prove the team wrong. This is a bad career move for Manoah."[40]
Following the demotion to Buffalo, Manoah met with specialists who examined his knee, back and right quadricep, with no structural damage being found.[41] While media speculated on whether Manoah's struggles were mental or physical in origin, Blue Jays' managerJohn Schneider simply described the situation as "frustrating", adding that Manoah "feels like he's not ready to compete so we're going to respect that and kind of move on from it."[42] Manoah was officially shut down in September, having not thrown a pitch since his August 10th demotion.[43] In Manoah's absence, the Blue Jays secured a playoff spot, playing theMinnesota Twins in the best-of-three ALWild Card Series.[44] At season's end, GMRoss Atkins reiterated that no structural damage had been found, but that Manoah had recently received "an injection" to relieve discomfort in his right shoulder, and that team doctors had no input in that decision. He said that Manoah "felt as though that was the next best step", and also noted that Manoah was not seeking a trade and was unlikely to work through his issues in winter ball.[45]
On May 5, 2024, Manoah returned to the majors to pitch against theWashington Nationals. He pitched for 4 innings and surrendered 6 earned runs in an 11–8 loss.[46][47] On May 19, in a 5-2 win over theTampa Bay Rays, Manoah recorded his 400th career strikeout, becoming the second-fastest Blue Jay pitcher to accomplish this feat.[48] On June 7, it was announced that Manoah would undergo season-ending surgery to repair theUCL of his throwing elbow.[49]
On September 11, 2025, Manoah was activated from the 60-day injured list and optioned to Triple-A Buffalo.[50] Despite a strong showing in Buffalo with a 2.97 earned run average over 7 games started, Manoah wasdesignated for assignment on September 23.[51][52]
On September 26, 2025, theAtlanta Braves claimed Manoah off ofwaivers.[53][54] On November 21, he was non-tendered and became a free agent.[55]
Manoah features an upper 90s mph fourseam fastball, a mid 90s sinker, a changeup, and a slider that he learned from watchingDellin Betances onRob Friedman'sTwitter account, PitchingNinja.[56][57]
Manoah's older brother, Erik, was drafted by theNew York Mets in the 13th round of the2014 Major League Baseball draft, but was released in 2019.[58]