Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Alek Manoah has had a horrible start to the MLB season so far, to say the least. Manoah has struggled all season and the Blue Jays pitcher was so out of his depth on Monday's series opener against the Houston Astros that he had to be pulled after pitching only a single inning.
Former MLB catcher and manager Buck Martinez said on the 'Foul Territory' podcast that Manoah will be replaced by someone who delivers unless he picks up his game soon.
Alek Manoah made his debut for the Blue Jays in May 2021 after he was selected by the Toronto team in the 2019 MLB Draft. His breakthrough came in the 2022 season where he went 16–7 with a 2.24 ERA in 196.2 innings while striking out 180 batters.
He also played a huge role in sweeping the Seattle Mariners in the Wild Card Series and finishing third in the Cy Young voting.
As a result, expectations were high for the right-handed pitcher heading into the 2023 season. He was expected to be the Blue Jays first choice for starting pitcher but his dip in form has come as a surprise to fans and analysts alike.
On Monday's encounter against the Astros, Manoah allowed six runs and seven hits in the first innings, taking his record to 1-7 for the season. Retired MLB veteran Buck Martinez spoke about the pitcher's struggles and sent out a warning that baseball players must constantly work on improving unless they want to be replaced by someone working harder.
"Baseball will humble you in a heartbeat. It's a game you have to constantly work at," said Martinez.
Alek Manoah gets demoted to the Florida Complex League after horrific display vs Astros
The Toronto Blue Jays announced on Tuesday that struggling pitcher Alek Manoah has been demoted to the rookie-level Florida Complex League after his struggles in the MLB.
It perhaps comes as no surprise as the pitcher is having a terrible season and was booed off by Blue Jays fans after his disappointing outing against the Houston Astros. Now it is up to him to get back on track and make a push for the major leagues again.