The Toronto Blue Jays selected pitcher Alek Manoah from the University of West Virginia with the 11th overall pick in the first round of the 2019 amateur draft.
He went 9-4, 2.08 in his final season with the Mountaineers, with a K/W ratio of 144/27 in 108 1/3 innings.
That summer, he pitched 17 innings in six starts for the Vancouver Canadians of the Northwest League, posting a 0-1 record and a 2.65 ERA.
As the minor leagues were shut down, Alek spent the entire year of 2020 at the Blue Jays’ alternate training facility, working out with major league players and other elite prospects.
Alek Manoah was invited to spring training and impressed everyone with his stuff, to the point where some were calling for him to start the season in the Show despite his lack of professional experience, especially since his main rival for the title of top pitching prospect in the organization, Nate Pearson, had to start the year on the disabled list.
He was sent all the way to AAA and was as dominant as dominant can be in his first three starts with the Buffalo Bisons, going 3-0 with a 0.50 ERA, allowing only 1 run on 7 hits and 3 walks in 18 innings while striking out 27 batters.
Alek’s figures were tough to ignore, as he was plainly too strong for AAA baseball.
Pearson had failed in his one start with the major league Jays, and the team had to make do with a band-aid solution every time the fifth starter’s place came up.
They announced on May 24th that he had been called up and would make his major league debut in the coming days.
How Old Is Alek Manoah?
Alek Manoah is 24 years old. He was born on January 9, 1998.