TORONTO – Just last week, as crisis grew in the Toronto Blue Jays’ starting rotation, debate raged in the organization over whether Alek Manoah was ready for the big-leagues. The front office puts a lot of thought into optimizing transitions for its top prospects and the 23-year-old right-hander had only 35 professional innings over nine minor-league starts under his belt.
Too soon? Three weeks at triple-A enough? Would his development be truncated?
Immediate need ultimately dictated the final call and Thursday afternoon, pitch-by-pitch over six dominant shutout innings, Manoah methodically shut down each and every doubt about his arrival. And in leading the Blue Jays to a 2-0 victory in the first half of a doubleheader against the New York Yankees, he also provided a significant boost to a team desperately seeking some rotation stability.
“It was just about not letting the moment get too big,” Manoah said. “I train extremely hard and I'd like to believe that my training is harder than what it is out there. That's the success that comes out of everything that happens in the background. Just being out there, it was the same as if I was in the weight room or running sprints, everything like that, it's hey, let's just compete right here. Hearing the crowd, hearing everything, just wanted to go out there and give it all I got.”
He certainly did that.
Impressive as the results were – two hits allowed, both jam shots by Miguel Andujar, two walks, seven strikeouts – what really stood out is the way Manoah dismantled the Yankees. He routinely beat elite hitters in the strike zone with his fastball. He was unpredictable – primarily using a four-seamer that sat 94.9 m.p.h. and a slider that generated two whiffs, six called strikes and five foul balls – but also his sinker and a changeup that led to three misses.
And regardless of what he was feeling inside, he carried himself with a steady confidence, unflappable composure amid what can be intimidating surroundings.
“Body was tingling,” he said with a grin. “Felt good. Really good.”
Rather than a question for a team in search of rotation stability beyond its front three, he not only looked like answer, but a very, very obvious one.
“He pitched,” said manager Charlie Montoyo. “His stuff wasn't as great as I saw in spring training, but he was good enough, of course, and he pitched. He wasn't just throwing and that makes me believe that he's got a chance, because even when you don't have your best stuff, he knows how to pitch. That's what I saw.”
Back-to-back homers from Marcus Semien and Bo Bichette in the third inning off Domingo German backed Manoah, while Jordan Romano locked things down in the seventh. Montoyo could not have asked for more ahead of the nightcap, when the Yankees grinded Robbie Ray in a 5-3 win that split the twin-bill and avoided a three-game sweep.
While Ray lamented the location of a few pivotal pitches over his 4.2 innings, particularly on homers by Aaron Judge and Gary Sanchez, he praised a debut from Manoah “that was great.”
“He gave us some huge innings when we needed it,” added Ray. “He brings energy. He brings the personality. We were all excited to have him here.”
In that way, there were victories for Manoah, personally, and for the team in multiple ways, particularly for the club’s scouting department. Seated in the back row of Section 123 was Coulson Barbiche, the area scout who tracked the West Virginia University product’s progress from scattershot reliever to first-round candidate.
Barbiche paid attention to Manoah from the outset – impressed that even as a freshman, juniors on the club described him a leader – but he was mostly a thrower. Underlining that in the scout’s mind was one sophomore-year, two-inning relief appearance May 23, 2018 against Oklahoma State, when Manoah “threw 31 pitches, 14 strikes and the only slider he threw hit a guy in the back.”
“You're like, alright, he's got a good arm, so you take a note, keep it in mind and we’ll see where he ends up,” he added, projecting a potential reliever in the Round 8-10 range.
But between Manoah’s sophomore and junior years, he went to the Cape Cod League and totally transformed himself and his game. A different set of Blue Jays scouts covered his time there and quickly noted his sudden gains in pitchability, command and use of a refined slider.
During a West Virginia scout day the fall afterwards, Barbiche and a couple of other scouts snuck off to catch a Manoah bullpen. He couldn’t believe it was the same guy.
“Everything he was doing was completely different,” Barbiche said. “He was under control, more rhythm – he was pitching. Granted there wasn't a hitter standing there, but you said, ‘Damn.’ It was really impressive.”
If that side session forced Manoah up Barbiche’s radar, the alert went on during his junior season opener Feb. 15, 2019 at Kennesaw State, when he struck out 13 batters while allowing two runs, one earned, over six innings.
After the game, Barbiche went out for dinner with Harry Einbinder, the Blue Jays’ manager, amateur and international scouting, and then phoned Michael Youngberg, the club’s regional cross-checker, because details of the outing had to be moved up the chain.
“He just dotted the fastball to both sides of the plate and wiped them out with his slider,” said Barbiche. “You're like, this guy is going to be in the conversation as a first-rounder. …
“He brings a lot of positive energy and he has a really infectious personality. That draws you in immediately. But there's a lot of substance to him. He has a lot of belief in himself. And it's a genuine belief. Some kids it’s like this false sense of confidence, they pound their chests and think they're tough guys. He really believes in himself.”
Four months later, the Blue Jays selected Manoah with the 11th overall pick.
“It's amazing, man,” said Manoah. “He saw me three years at West Virginia and he believed in me. He believed in me more than the other 10 teams that picked before the Blue Jays. I was happy to get to 11 and this is an extremely amazing moment for him and for me, knowing that he had all the confidence in the world to put everything on the line for them to pick me. Two years later, we're here in Yankee Stadium doing pretty good. It's a pretty amazing moment.”
Celebrating the hell out of it was Susana Lluch, Manoah’s mom, who was there with elder son Erik and other family. They cheered every out, jumping around and hugging each other as the success grew and in an emotional on-field interview with Hazel Mae, Manoah said he didn’t look up at them to avoid breaking focus, but got emotional discussing his mother’s impact, recalling how she would “not eat dinner to feed me and my brother.”
Later, when asked what it meant representing his hometown of Homestead, Fla., a Miami suburb, he became emotional again.
“There are a lot of kids like me that are going through it right now, man,” said Manoah. “Their parents probably can't pay for that travel team, can't pay for that brand new bat or that glove or things like that. But my goal in life is to inspire all those kids to be able to let them know that, hey, man, your dreams can come true. You don't need the best glove. You don't need the best bat. All you need is heart, give it all you got, work as hard as you can, compete every day.
“I definitely don't forget where I come from. All my family here, it means the world to me. To be able to inspire that community, to inspire everybody back home and make them proud is a huge blessing for me.”
If Thursday was an indication, his ascension to the majors may turn out to be a blessing for the Blue Jays, too.
