Blue Jays' Manoah shares encouraging update after disappointing year

Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Alek Manoah is looking to throw the past behind him.

It’s no secret Manoah didn’t have the best year in 2023, bouncing up and down between the MLB and various levels of the Jays’ minor league system in a year where he was expected to be one of the leaders of the team.

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.

In comparison to his 2022 campaign where he finished third in voting for the American League Cy Young award, Manoah’s season was a major disappointment for himself, his teammates, and the fan base, with his last appearance in a game at any level happening on August 10.

The answers behind Manoah’s struggles weren’t exactly clear: was he a victim of the new pitch clock rules? Was it merely a mental issue? Was there some medical issue that went undetected affecting his game?

In late September, Sportsnet’s Ben Nicholson-Smith reported that Manoah had “no structural issues” with his throwing arm, though he had received injections to his pitching arm in order to “reduce inflammation and discomfort.”

But with the MLB season nearly over, the 25-year-old right-hander seems to be putting in the work to reverse a season from hell.

Manoah shared a few videos from the gym documenting his offseason progress at the gym on his Instagram account.

Some more Manoah gym updates: https://t.co/OA4yCQzHQN pic.twitter.com/QzkA9Usexz

— Adam Laskaris (@adam_la2karis) October 25, 2023

For a player who had been so active on social media during the heights of his MLB breakout, it’s been pretty quiet for Manoah on Instagram, with no posts on his feed since August 6.

While you don’t win any Cy Young Awards for having the best offseason workout or social media presence, it’s encouraging at least to see a confident and determined Manoah look to get back to his winning ways.

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