User talk:Is it different this year? Will Manoa, who pledges to rebound, make up for last year’s worst performance?
The Toronto Blue Jays had a tough season last year. They achieved four consecutive winning seasons and advanced to the postseason for the second year in a row, but it was a close call. They finished the regular season in third place in the American League East, 12 games behind the top-ranked Baltimore Orioles, and managed to catch the last train to fall ahead of the Seattle Mariners in the wild card race.
One of the big reasons Toronto had a tough season was the lackluster performance of its trusted ace, Alec Manoah. Manoah was the starting pitcher for last year's opener, but he had a disastrous season. In 19 games and 87.1 innings, he had 3-9 losses with a 5.87 ERA.
Manoa has been a "great star." Born in 1998, right-hander Manoa was selected by Toronto with the 11th overall pick in the first round of the 2019 rookie draft. He made his big league debut in 2021 and went 9-2 with a 3.22 ERA in 20 111.2 innings in his debut season. In 2022, his first full-time season, he went 16-7 with a 2.24 ERA in 31 games and 196.2 innings. He pitched well. In 2022, Manoa was named an All-Star and finished third in the Cy Young Award vote.
Toronto's hopes were high for Manoah, who completed his first two years with great success. There were veteran aces like Kevin Gausman, Jose Berrios, and Chris Bassett, but Manoah nailed the team's first start and was named the starting pitcher on opening day. However, his hopes were dramatically betrayed. Manoah showed a shocking slump last year and was even relegated to the minor leagues midway through the season.
Manoah's ball speed dropped last year, but the bigger problem was his ball control. Manoah's strength was that he did not yield a walk, which was unusual for a young pitcher, but he showed the worst ball control in the league last year. Manoah, who had only 6.5 percent (average 8.4 percent) of walks in the 2022 season, soared to a whopping 14.2 percent last year.
Manoah's average speed is not as fast as 94 miles per hour, but he is a pitcher who overpowers batters to avoid accurate hits based on his ball control. However, as his ball control disappeared, he had no time to hold on to the mound. His batting allowance rate (ML average 36.3 percent) that was below 31.5 percent in both 2021 and 2022 seasons soared to 44.8 percent last year, while his average speed to leave the mound was 89.5 miles per hour in both 2021 and 2022 seasons. In particular, his ball control completely fell, which was fatal.
Manoah is determined to rebound this year. According to MLB.com on the 16th (Korea time), Manoah, who attended the camp with his hair and beard, expressed confidence, saying, "I will start anew in the new year. It will help this year." He also received a passing grade in bullpen pitching on the first day of camp. It's just a start, but it's a good start.
According to MLBcom , Toronto manager John Schneider and pitching coach Pete Walker met Manoah in Miami in December last year. And they kept in touch throughout the offseason to help him prepare for the season. Not only Schneider but also General Manager Ross Atkins appreciate Manoah's attitude and look forward to this season.
Of course, we are close to being a "challenger" this year, as we showed our worst performance last year. Toronto has a trio of veterans in Gausman, Berrios, and Bassett, and Yusei Kikuchi has also established himself with good performances last year. Manoah will be in camp with Bowden Francis, Ricky Tideman, Mitch White, and Yariel Rodriguez. As he showed in the 2021-2022 season, it is true that he is ahead of his competitors, but that does not guarantee their position.
Toronto has reached the postseason three times out of the past four seasons, but all have been eliminated from the wild-card round. It has been losing consecutive postseason games since 2016. We have high expectations due to active investment. We cannot simply be satisfied with our advance to the postseason.
In order for Toronto to go higher, Manoa's rebound is desperately needed. For both himself and the team, Manoa must show a different appearance this season than last year. Attention is focusing on whether Manoa, who is determined to rebound, will be able to cheer up again in the 2022 season.
