The Blue Jays' pitching prospect receiving the most buzz these days is Alek Manoah, a recent addition to MLB Pipelines Top 100 prospects class -- at No. 100. As with any prospect that reaches Triple-A and finds success there, which Manoah has so far, one obvious question looms: When might he make the ascent to MLB?<\/p>\n
Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins conducted a wide-ranging media session on Sunday, and this was the first question he received.<\/p>\n
As it relates to the timing and how were making that decision, obviously his effectiveness is a huge piece of that equation, Atkins said of Manoah, who has 17 strikeouts in 12 scoreless innings so far with Triple-A Buffalo. Its just not as simple as, OK, hes had two starts. Now lets just see if it works in [the Majors].<\/p>\n
Atkins identified a few areas he hopes Manoah can improve upon in the Minors: better command, smarter changeup usage and willingness to use breaking balls in more varied situations (i.e. while working from behind in counts).<\/p>\n
His fastball is such an effective weapon that he has to challenge himself against certain hitters to use his entire arsenal, Atkins said.<\/p>\n
Theres a bit of a what-if with Manoah, who the Blue Jays selected 11th overall in the 2019 MLB Draft, because of how the 2020 season was impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. With the shutdown of the Minor League season, Manoah missed out on what wouldve been his first full season as a pro.<\/p>\n
He did participate at the alternate training site, but due to contracting COVID-19 he wasnt able to participate as much as others. As far as his development goes, that lost time is being factored in, Atkins said.<\/p>\n
[Manoah] missed an opportunity there, Atkins said. However, he absolutely maximized his offseason and maximized Spring Training, and is getting absolutely every ounce out of Triple-A baseball right now.<\/p>\n
Whether Manoah stays in the Minors all season or not, his workload will be something to follow. Between college and Low-A Vancouver in 2019, Manoah tossed 125 1\/3 innings, which Atkins identified as an important marker for how he can be used moving forward.<\/p>\n
Hes checking a lot of boxes as it relates to thinking about workload, Atkins said. Its not something that we feel like we need to be restricting him by any means in development.<\/p>\n
Here are two additional takeaways from Atkinss session.<\/p>\n
Biggest need? A steady rotationDue to injuries and a general lack of consistency from about 40% of the rotation, the Blue Jays have had to get creative in eating innings from the starting spot. By May 9, theyd already deployed a league-high 12 starters.<\/p>\n
If we were to write it up and describe what we feel is ideal, it would not be just mixing and matching, Atkins said. Sustainable to get by and be competitive? I think so.<\/p>\n
But is that the blueprint theyre targeting? No.<\/p>\n
Our goal is to have five effective starters and a rotation where were getting five, six, seven innings deep, he said. To have a bullpen thats giving us three-to-four innings every night.<\/p>\n
So far, the bullpen has been asked to do quite a bit more than that. At 159 2\/3 innings, Torontos relief corps ranks fourth in the Majors in usage. The group has responded admirably, though, with a 2.99 ERA (also fourth in MLB).<\/p>\n
Wall, Moreno among prospects to watchWith as much talk as the Manoahs and the Nate Pearsons of the world receive, Atkins made sure to shower some praise on a couple of lesser-discussed prospects: catcher Gabriel Moreno (Double-A New Hampshire) and outfielder Forrest Wall (Triple-A).<\/p>\n
Moreno, the No. 7 prospect in the Blue Jays system, is off to a white-hot start with the Fisher Cats, slashing .455\/.526\/.636 in his first eight games this season. Atkins noted Morenos approach, \"and just how consistent and mature that has been, as the 21-year-old takes on his highest level of pro ball so far.<\/p>\n
In Walls case, Atkins called the Rockies former first-round pick (2014) an incredible off-roster prospect. Wall has gone 16-for-49 (.327) so far for Buffalo, with the type of speed that makes him an elite defender in Atkins eyes.<\/p>\n
I would imagine [hell] be on our roster at some point, Atkins said. And probably this year. I hope that, for him. [I'm] really exceptionally encouraged by Forrest.<\/p>\n
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Notes: Manoah making progress in Triple-A - MLB.com<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The Blue Jays' pitching prospect receiving the most buzz these days is Alek Manoah, a recent addition to MLB Pipelines Top 100 prospects class -- at No. 100. As with any prospect that reaches Triple-A and finds success there, which Manoah has so far, one obvious question looms: When might he make the ascent to MLB? Continue reading