Blue Jays' Gausman thinks Manoah's struggles started in spring training
Toronto Blue Jays star pitcher Kevin Gausman is doing his part to support his struggling teammate.
While the Jays had arguably baseball’s most impressive pitching staff in 2023, much of the story was dominated by the one player who didn’t play nearly as big a part for the team as expected.
After being named an American League Cy Young candidate in 2022, 25-year-old starter Alek Manoah had a 3-9 record with an ERA of 5.87 in 19 appearances this season, pitching just 87.1 innings for the Blue Jays while bouncing up and down between the MLB and the minor leagues. Being named Toronto’s Opening Day starter for the first time in his career, Manoah struggled out of the gate and never quite found his form this past season for any extended stretch of games.
“To be honest, I think he went through some things in spring [training],” Gausman said on a recent episode of the Foul Territory podcast. “I think he got off to a late start physically in spring — his shoulder just wasn’t — listen, the guy pitched almost 200 innings in his first full year as a starting pitcher. I’ve only gotten that close one time in my career.”
.@BlueJays ace @KevinGausman dishes on his teammate Alek Manoah's tough season
▶️ https://t.co/TTEYJogpav pic.twitter.com/xnbxqnhwUc
— Foul Territory (@FoulTerritoryTV) November 9, 2023
“When you’re a 24, 25-year-old guy, you don’t necessarily know the impact that’s going to take on your body,” Gausman said. “I think he came in and maybe tried to push it and get ready for Opening Day a little too early and never got into a good spot with his arm and with his mechanics.”
At age 32, Gausman himself earned a Cy Young nomination for the first time in his career this past season, with the Blue Jays now being the fifth team in his major league career.
“I kind of tell him this game is not easy, everybody is going to go through ups and downs — I’m a prime example of that,” Gausman said of his advice to Manoah. “I’ve been DFA’d before. I’ve been the best pitcher on the best team in baseball. I’ve been the worst pitcher on the worst team in baseball, and I’ve been everything in between.”
Toronto’s 2024 season kicks off on March 28, when they visit the Tampa Bay Rays for their opening series of the upcoming year.
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