Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Alek Manoah John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports

Former Cy Young candidate rocked in rookie ball

By Tommy Fradenburg | Last updated 6/27/23

In 2022, Alek Manoah made the American League All-Star team and received multiple Cy Young Award votes for the Toronto Blue Jays. This season he's been far less successful, posting a 6.36 ERA and walking nearly as many batters as he's striking out.

With so much going wrong, Toronto decided to send him back to the minors to try and recapture last year's brilliance.

So far, things aren't going well.

Manoah made his debut for the Florida Complex League (FCL) Blue Jays, Toronto's rookie-ball minor league team, and got shelled by FCL Yankees. He surrendered 11 runs on 10 hits and two walks in just two-and-two-thirds innings.

Alek Manoah in his first rookie ball start today against the Florida Complex League Yankees:

2.2 IP, 11 ER, 10 H, 2 HR, 3 K, 2 BB pic.twitter.com/ZV3dBVd2n9
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) June 27, 2023

Despite the struggles of their presumptive ace heading in 2023, the Blue Jays' starting pitching has still been slightly above average. While throwing the fourth most innings in baseball, the rotation is 12th in ERA and 14th in opponent batting average. They Jays also keep the ball in the park, tied with the Orioles for fifth fewest home runs allowed so far.

So what's Toronto's problem?

First and foremost, the division. The Blue Jays play in the most competitive division in MLB, with every AL East team above .500. No other division has more than three such teams, and the Blue Jays' 43-36 record would lead both the AL and NL Central.

Toronto has also struggled to beat good teams, posting a 24-30 record against teams with a winning record. Facing a 10-game deficit in the AL East and leading the Houston Astros by just half a game in the final wild-card spot, Toronto will have to beat playoff-caliber teams to have any hope of qualifying for the postseason.

Finding a way to get Manoah back to his 2022 form would go a long way toward helping the Jays achieve that goal.

More must-reads: