Alek Manoah opens up about having to watch Blue Jays World Series run on TV, current narrative on career
Photo credit: https://www.mlb.com/angels
Former Toronto Blue Jays All-Star Alek Manoah is opening up about the public perception of his career arc, and what it was like watching his former teammates chase a championship without him.
In a recent interview with Sam Blum of The Athletic, Manoah addressed the criticism that followed his sudden decline and how quickly opinions can shift in the game.
«I just think that's the cycle of baseball. It's very, 'What have you done for me now?' There are a lot of guys that had a really good year two years ago, but because they had a bad year last year, a lot of people are writing them off for the rest of their careers. For me. It was a matter of, I had a down year.»
Not long ago, Alek Manoah was viewed as a cornerstone of Toronto's emerging core, a fiery competitor expected to anchor the rotation for years to come.
But his trajectory changed dramatically. His fastball lost its bite, his command wavered, and injuries compounded the struggles.
Despite the organization's efforts to help him rediscover his form, the comeback never fully took hold.
Years after being handed the ball to start the club's first postseason game in 2022, Manoah found himself on the outside looking in as the Blue Jays surged all the way to the World Series.
Manoah watched nearly all 18 of Toronto's postseason games from home
Just a month earlier, Manoah had been designated for assignment by the same franchise that drafted and developed him into an All-Star.
The decision, described by general manager Ross Atkins in September as the result of a «roster crunch» and the club's need for postseason depth, marked an unceremonious end to his tenure.
The timing made the moment even more surreal. Manoah wasn't just watching a former team, he was watching close friends compete on baseball's biggest stage.
«Those are all my friends,» Manoah said. «A lot of those guys I called my brothers. I rooted for them 100 percent. I wanted them to win it all.»
While he insisted there was no bitterness in cheering them on, he acknowledged the difficulty of being absent from something he helped build.
«I was a very big piece of that process, getting to that World Series run,» Manoah added. «I wasn't able to be there like I wanted to.»
That chapter of Manoah's career, filled with both dominance and disappointment, is now closed.
A new opportunity lies ahead, along with the responsibility of proving that the doubts and narratives surrounding his fall are not the final word on his story..
Also read on Blue Jays Central :
Blue Jays vs Tigers: Starting Lineup - Game Preview
Blue Jays vs Tigers: Starting Lineup - Game Preview
| POLL | ||
FEVRIER 25|141 ANSWERS Alek Manoah opens up about having to watch Blue Jays World Series run on TV, current narrative on career Do you think former Blue Jays starter Alek Manoah will have a career resurgence with the Los Angeles Angels? | ||
| Yes | 34 | 24.1 % |
| No | 65 | 46.1 % |
| Too early to tell | 42 | 29.8 % |
| List of polls | ||