Toronto Blue Jays select RHP Alek Manoah 11th overall in draft

The Toronto Blue Jays addressed their need for pitching early in the 2019 MLB Draft, taking tall right-hander Alek Manoah with the No. 11 pick

The Toronto Blue Jays have had a rough season to date, but fans got to take their minds off the on-field results to focus on the first few rounds of the 2019 MLB Draft, which took place on Monday night.

Toronto held the 11th overall pick in the draft. There was a clear need for pitching with this pick, and the team didn’t disappoint, selecting right-hander Alek Manoah from the University of West Virginia.

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Manoah was a two-way player during his time at South Dade High School in Florida, but he went undrafted following his Senior year.

Over his first two years with the Mountaineers, Manoah looked to be heading in the direction of a reliever. He made the switch to pitching out of the stretch, which helped him have better outings. Manoah turned heads in the Cape Cod League – an MLB funded collegiate league. He led the league in strikeouts in 2018 with 48 over 33 1/3 innings.

Following his solid offseason, the 21-year-old came into the year as WVU’s ace and was extremely effective on the bump, fashioning a 9-4 record with a 2.08 ERA and a 0.94 WHIP over 108 1/3 innings. He also finished with a team-high 144 Ks and two complete games.

"“He’s pitched with a fastball typically in the 94-97 mph range, missing a ton of bats thanks to good sink. His slider flashes plus at times and has been a more reliable weapon for him. He has a solid changeup, relying on it in the Cape Cod championship game, but he hasn’t used it as much this spring.” – MLB.com"

Manoah has a three-pitch mix consisting of a four-seam fastball, slider, and changeup. The 6-foot-6, 260-pounder has a high ceiling, as his lack of college starts leave him projecting to be a solid big-league arm.

“I’m extremely excited, I met with the whole (Toronto) front office three weeks ago and met with a few teams in the top 10 a few weeks ago. I really left those meetings feeling like I would fit in best in Toronto and, obviously, they felt the same way. I was just hoping I’d slide to 11 and wouldn’t get picked at eight, nine, or 10.

“When I finally got picked, I spoke to the GM (Ross Atkins) and one of the first things he told me was that he was a Miami, Fla., child. That’s where his childhood took place and that’s where I’m from. I just told him ‘Hey man, us Miami boys have to stick together.'”