Alek Isaac Manoah...Brother to Erik Manoah Jr. who was drafted by the Mets in 2014 and joined the Angels organization after a trade in 2016...Attended South Dade High School in his hometown of Homestead, Fla....Went on to pitch for West Virginia University...Posted a 2.81 ERA with 249 strikeouts in 218.0 innings over three seasons...Ranked by Baseball America as Toronto’s fifth-best prospect in 2020 and is now listed at seventh going into the 2021 season.
2021
Named Toronto’s Rookie of the Year by the Toronto Chapter of the BBWAA as the Blue Jays went 16-4 in his 20 starts... His 3.22 season ERA was tied with Aaron Sanchez (2015) for the second-lowest by a rookie in team history, trailing only Juan Guzman’s 2.99 ERA in 1991 (min. 10 starts)... Led MLB rookies (min. 10 starts) in WHIP (1.05), opponents’ average (.192), and opponents’ OPS (.604), while 2nd in ERA, 3rd in K rate (27.7%) and 4th in SO/9 (10.24)...Became the fourth pitcher aged 23 or younger to average at least 10 strikeouts per nine innings in his debut season, joining Mark Prior (2002), Kerry Wood (1998) and Dwight Gooden (1984)... His 127 strikeouts were the most in franchise history by a player in his first 20 career games (2nd: Juan Guzman - 106)... Kept right-handed hitters to a .156 (30-for-199) batting average, the third-best mark in MLB (min. 200 BF)... Entered the season ranked by MLB Pipeline as the Blue Jays’ fifth-best prospect and 97th overall...Listed by Baseball America as Toronto’s seventh-best prospect and 91st overall... Held a 0-0 record and a 0.00 ERA (0 ER/7.0 IP) with no walks and 15 strikeouts over three appearances in Spring Training... Posted a 3-0 record with a 0.50 ERA (1 ER/18.0 IP) in three games with Triple-A Buffalo...Stuck out 27 batters, walked three and hit four (0.56 WHIP)... Earned the win in his MLB debut May 27 at NYY as he threw 6.0 scoreless innings...Allowed two hits, walked two and struck out seven batters...Became the first player in Blue Jays history with 6.0+ innings, 7+ K’s and 0 runs allowed in an MLB debut...Was the 50th player in team history to make his MLB debut as a starting pitcher (last: Nate Pearson on July 29, 2020, at WAS)...Became the second player from the 2019 draft to make the Majors (CWS’s Andrew Vaughn - April 2, 2021, at LAA)... Allowed 2R/1ER on June 9 at CWS, giving up four hits over 5.0 innings (2BB, 4K)...Became the fourth pitcher in Blue Jays history to have his team win each of his first three career games as a starter, joining Jerry Garvin (1977), Mauro Gozzo (1989), and Brett Cecil (2009)... Took a no-decision June 19 at BAL, allowing four hits (all solo home runs) and five runs with a walk and six strikeouts over 3.1 innings...Ejected for the 1st time in his career by Jerry Meals after hitting Maikel Franco with a pitch... Earned his 2nd career win July 2 vs. TB, tossing 7.0 scoreless innings, giving up three hits with a walk and 10 strikeouts on 109 pitches (71 strikes)...Kept a no-hitter through 5.1 innings, the longest no-hit bid by a Toronto rookie since Thomas Pannone on Aug. 22, 2018, vs. BAL (6.0 IP)...Set a franchise record by striking out seven consecutive batters from the first to the third inning (five other Toronto pitchers had six straight K’s)...Became the fourth pitcher since 1974 (as far as tracking goes back) to strike out seven straight batters in a game within his first seven career starts (last: Stephen Strasburg in 2010)...Became the 1st pitcher in club history to go 7+ IP with no runs and 10+ strikeouts in a game within his first seven career contests...Tied a club record by beginning his career with seven straight starts without a loss (Jerry Garvin in 1977)... Took his first career loss July 9 at TB, giving up 3R/2ER on three hits over 3.2 innings with a trio of walks and nine strikeouts... Placed on the injured list from July 16-30 with a back contusion after slipping on the dugout steps during a rain delay in Buffalo... Picked up his 3rd win on July 31 vs. KC, tossing 7.0 scoreless innings while giving up just two hits (1BB, 4K)...Became the first Blue Jay and 16th player all-time with no earned runs in four of his first nine career starts... Won his fourth game Aug. 6 vs. BOS, giving up two runs and four hits over 5.0 innings (3BB, 4K)...Became the fourth pitcher all-time to allow four or fewer hits and strike out 4+ batters in 10 straight games, joining Jacob deGrom (11 games in 2021), Mike Clevenger (10 games in 2018), and Johan Santana (10 games in 2004)...Allowed four hits or fewer in each of his first 10 career starts, the longest such streak to start a career in MLB history... Picked up his fifth win Aug. 11 at LAA, giving up two runs and five hits over 6.2 innings with a career-high 11 strikeouts and 114 pitches (78 strikes)...The 11 punchouts tied a franchise record for the most in a game by a rookie (fifth time)... Earned his sixth win Sept. 13 vs. TB, throwing 8.0 innings of one-hit, shutout ball with no walks and 10 strikeouts… Marked the longest outing of his career and tied for the longest by a Blue Jay in 2021 (Robbie Ray - 8.0 IP on Aug. 20 vs. DET)...Became the fastest pitcher in Toronto history to reach 100 career strikeouts, doing so in 17 games (2nd: Juan Guzmán/Drew Hutchison - 20 games)...Joined Dave Bush as the only rookies in franchise history with 8.0+ IP, no runs, and 10+ K’s in a game... Picked up his eighth win Sept. 26 at MIN, giving up two runs on six hits over 5.2 innings with two walks and eight strikeouts... Earned his ninth win in his last outing, on Oct. 2 vs. BAL, tossing 7.0 innings of one-hit, one-run ball with a walk and 10 strikeouts...Marked his fourth start with 10+ K’s, more than any other rookie in Blue Jays history... Named AL Rookie of the Month for Sept./Oct., going 4-0 with a 3.38 ERA and 41 strikeouts over 37.1 innings (six starts)... Was the first Blue Jay to win the award since Lourdes Gurriel Jr. in July of 2018, and the first Toronto pitcher since Scott Richmond in April of 2009... Named to the MLB Pipeline All-Rookie Team at the end of the season.
2020
Was one of 60 players invited to Summer Camp at Rogers Centre in July... Spent the season at Toronto’s alternate training site in Rochester, NY.
2019
Selected by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 1st round (11th overall) of the 2019 First-Year Player Draft...After he was taken 11th overall by the Blue Jays, was assigned to Class-A (short) Vancouver to begin his professional career...Made six starts for the Canadians, allowing a total of five runs over 17.0 frames for a 2.65 ERA...Fanned 27 batters and walked just five for a 1.06 WHIP and a 14.3 SO/9.
