Alek Manoah already showing ace-like potential
Drew Silva explains what led to Alek Manoah's quick rise to the majors and breaks down how he has already displayed ace-like potential for the Blue Jays.
Video Transcript
DREW SILVA: The all time list of pitchers who've debuted with six plus scoreless innings as a visitor at any version of Yankee Stadium, it's quite small, Luis Tiant of the 1964 Indians, Billy Rohr of the 1967 Red Sox, Vaughn Eshelman of the 1995 Red Sox. And now we can add a fourth, Alek Manoah of the 2021 Blue Jays.
Manoah was the 11th overall pick in the 2019 MLB Draft out of West Virginia University, and made only nine minor league starts before getting the call to the majors on May 27th. Why such a quick ascent? Probably because he allowed just one run and punched out 27 hitters through his first 18 innings, three starts this season at AAA Buffalo, giving up only seven hits and three walks among the 66 batters he faced.
The command, the swing and miss stuff, the overall results, it all points to a pitcher who was, and is, ready for his close up at age 23. Listed at 6 foot 6", 260 pounds, Manoah is an intimidating presence on the mound with ace-like potential. For a quickly rising Blue Jays team, that should net him a lot of wins moving forward.