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Alek Manoah looks extremely fit on Blue Jays' first day of spring training

Colton Pankiw
Colton Pankiw
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Feb 15 2024, 4:40 pm
Alek Manoah looks extremely fit on Blue Jays' first day of spring training

Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Alek Manoah looks like he put in some serious work this offseason.

The Blue Jays are all back together today, as spring training is underway. While there are many exciting storylines to monitor with this team, a resurgent season from Manoah may have jumped to the top of the list given how good of shape he appears to be in.

“First look at Alek Manoah, who looks like he’s trimmed down his body and, more importantly, grown out his beard,” Blue Jays reporter Keegan Matheson wrote on X.

Manoah has plenty to prove this year, as his 2023 was a complete disaster. Entering the season as the top pitcher in the Blue Jays rotation, he was assigned once to the Florida Complex League, and the second time to Triple-A Buffalo.

The 26-year-old then made plenty of headlines, as he didn’t report to Buffalo right away. The relationship between the Blue Jays and Manoah appeared to have gotten toxic, which resulted in plenty of trade rumours throughout the offseason. That said, some time apart appears to have helped fix some issues, as Manoah seems eager to get the 2024 season underway.

“When you get your butt kicked, you want to start a fresh year with a new slate,” Manoah told reporters after his throwing session. “I’m super excited to help this year.”

Prior to last season’s struggles, Manoah was one of the most promising young pitchers in the game. He had a sparkling 2.24 ERA in 31 starts in 2022, and a 3.22 ERA in 20 starts the season before that. Whether he can get back to that calibre of play remains to be seen, but based on his appearance, it is safe to say he did everything in his power this offseason to give himself the best shot at doing so.

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