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When should the Jays promote Alek Manoah?

Tomorrow 18 (32.14%)
He needs 1-2 more starts in AAA 20 (35.71%)
July 1 12 (21.43%)
Later 6 (10.71%)
When should the Jays promote Alek Manoah? | 21 comments | Create New Account
The following comments are owned by whomever posted them. This site is not responsible for what they say.
hypobole - Wednesday, May 19 2021 @ 10:54 PM EDT (#398350) #
I voted tomorrow, just so I don't have to read post after post complaining about him not being promoted.
Spifficus - Wednesday, May 19 2021 @ 10:56 PM EDT (#398352) #
I'm thinking you give him a few months to see what happens when he fails, gets out of whack, and how he recovers.

If he still hasn't done that after about 12 starts, and the scouting says he's hitting his spots, consistent with his mechanics, is consistently executing his pitches well, and his changeup has developed into a decent third pitch... Well, then you have to really consider it.
Spifficus - Wednesday, May 19 2021 @ 10:58 PM EDT (#398354) #
Ok, hypobole, you've swayed me from July 1st to tomorrow. If only I could take my vote back.
Eephus - Wednesday, May 19 2021 @ 11:03 PM EDT (#398355) #
July 1st seems too late if he keeps this up, because if he's just feasting on hopeless AAA hitters he isn't really learning much beyond developing a professional routine (which is useful sure, but he'd be doing that in the Toronto rotation you'd figure also). My vote would be Other: sometime in early-ish June.
BlueJayWay - Wednesday, May 19 2021 @ 11:09 PM EDT (#398356) #
I'm also thinking early June. Couple more starts in AAA, and if he still looks like this, they'll have to give him an MLB tryout.
GabrielSyme - Wednesday, May 19 2021 @ 11:45 PM EDT (#398358) #
I’ll make the case for tomorrow: we are saying he’s only had 18 innings above low-A, but that ignores the fact he faced high-level competition last summer at the alt. site. He also was dominant this spring. Those aren’t the same thing as ordinary minor league experience but neither are they nothing.

If he had a glaring weakness or the Jays rotation was stronger in the back end, there would be a good case for keeping him down. As it is, there’s nothing substantive he needs to work on to keep him down and a clear need up with the Jays.
John Northey - Thursday, May 20 2021 @ 01:51 AM EDT (#398359) #
I said 1 or 2 more starts. He has been doing amazing but who has it been against? Not doing the research but I don't know if it has been AAAA guys or prospects mainly. Each has issues - is he just exploiting weaknesses that aren't there in the majors or is he able to beat anyone anytime? I figure the Jays want him down until June so 2 more starts is 10 days plus a few before his first ML one puts us into June.
scottt - Thursday, May 20 2021 @ 04:36 AM EDT (#398362) #
He was dominant against the Yankees MLB lineup in spring training.
That's good enough for me.

scottt - Thursday, May 20 2021 @ 04:39 AM EDT (#398363) #
He didn't throw any professional innings last year, but he was not sitting at home like Price and Rodriguez.
He worked his ass off and it has paid off.

Gerry - Thursday, May 20 2021 @ 08:48 AM EDT (#398368) #

My vote would be Other: sometime in early-ish June.

If Manoah makes two more starts in AAA, they could be on May 26 and June 1 (May 31 is an off day). Therefore the first start he could make in the majors would be June 6th. So sometime in early June is the second option, 1-2 more starts in AAA.

bpoz - Thursday, May 20 2021 @ 09:34 AM EDT (#398369) #
Don't really want to vote because it is a decision/policy for the FO regarding service time and other factors.

Manoah is dominating, so he is ready or close. I don't know. Service time may be a major factor. It was done to Acuna, Bryant, Vlad and others. When do they gain the extra year if it is service time? Atkins will take the heat until it is time. Baseball is a business.
hypobole - Thursday, May 20 2021 @ 11:04 AM EDT (#398376) #
I think the "who has he been against?" works much more for hitters than pitchers nowadays. Statcast does a pretty great job of tracking the mechanical aspects that make pitchers effective or not.
Mike Green - Thursday, May 20 2021 @ 12:17 PM EDT (#398381) #
I won't vote in this one. I don't know enough.

The considerations that go into the promotion decision have been discussed here and by Atkins in his press conferences.  I'd certainly want to know more about his pitch usage this year.  My only comment is that he's 23.  I doubt that a player has dominated as thoroughly as he has and been so "old", yet thrown so few innings without being injured.  COVID has changed the landscape.  The upshot is that I would have no difficulty if the club decided to promote him in a few days despite him having thrown fewer high minors innings than Roger Clemens (who was younger at the time).
Eephus - Thursday, May 20 2021 @ 12:25 PM EDT (#398383) #
So sometime in early June is the second option, 1-2 more starts in AAA.

Curses! I think I might need another start or two in AAA to properly read poll questions...
electric carrot - Thursday, May 20 2021 @ 12:59 PM EDT (#398386) #
I said tomorrow. I don't know one single thing about what's important and not important for his development. I expect in a weird way that that question isn't straightforward for those who really understand this well either. And it no doubt changes from one person to the next. But at the end of the day, he's a pitcher. Pitching is what he does. He's either going to face seasoned or less seasoned hitters. He's been great so far against less seasoned hitters. Why not see how that works against more seasoned hitters? I mean, isn't everyone curious? I bet he is. I know I am. If it doesn't go well -- well at least we know, and that can maybe motivate him to work on whatever the next steps need to be. That's my dilettante logic for getting what I want from this.
scottt - Thursday, May 20 2021 @ 02:06 PM EDT (#398396) #
I can't see any downside. All Atkins could come up with was that he needs to throw his change at different count including when he's behind. Jansen can't work with him on that?

Impact on the roster? DFA Milone, option Beasley, send Stripling to the pen to eat innings.

Any chance he'll be worse than Stripling's 7+ ERA?
I wouldn't put money on that.

Service time? No difference unless they keep him in AAA until May 2022 amid union grievances and a media backlash.

Super-two? Who cares? He'll be expensive only if he's elite.

Confidence? He's already pumped up and rearing to go.

What do you have?

Mike Green - Thursday, May 20 2021 @ 02:41 PM EDT (#398397) #
What's the downside of calling him up now?  Easy.  If he's not ready, he might get hit hard and have an ERA of 7 after 4 or 5 starts and get sent down.  That's no worse than Stripling, but it wouldn't be good at all for his confidence. 

The trick is knowing when he is ready enough to maintain an even keel through the inevitable less than stellar outings.  I think he may very well be right now, but I don't know enough to make a judgment. 
Nigel - Thursday, May 20 2021 @ 03:07 PM EDT (#398400) #
I'm with Mike on this one. Only people close to the situation know for certain, but I don't think that the recent experience with Pearson did him any favours. Yo-yo'ing young pitchers is risky. The immediate team needs should be secondary to what is best for Manoah because he has the potential to be a big part of the long term solution to the team's pitching needs.
GabrielSyme - Thursday, May 20 2021 @ 06:06 PM EDT (#398414) #
Mike and Nigel are right - we don't have enough information to make a perfect judgement. I'm not going to be upset if he stays another month or so in the minors, even at this level of dominance.

But I think the spirit of this discussion (and many on this site) is to make the best judgement we can with the information available, even if we acknowledge we don't necessarily know everything. So I think he should be up in time to move Stripling to the bullpen when his turn comes around again.
scottt - Thursday, May 20 2021 @ 06:32 PM EDT (#398416) #
After the game, Manoah posted a video of a hitter smashing his bat on the ground after a swinging strikeout.

Confidence is not an issue for  a power hitter who doesn't walk hitters.
Would Boston have been able to tee off on four-seamers and 2-seamers both coming at 97mph like they were on 90mph four-seamers and 67mph curves?

The only thing that would challenge Manoah in AAA is having to deal with an injury.
Is that what we're hoping for?

Spifficus - Thursday, May 20 2021 @ 09:45 PM EDT (#398429) #
The big thing is starting his service clock so far before you need to. He doesn't need to be added to the 40-man until after 2022. If he comes up now, and doesn't have to go back down, that's awesome. If he's just in the middle of a hot streak, and still has more work he has to do in the minors, then you've started the clock and are burning options you didn't need to.

Of course, no one except the cruelest humanity has to offer are saying keep him down to the ned of 2022. Most of us are arguing for a few weeks to a couple months to see well he holds things together from start to start.
When should the Jays promote Alek Manoah? | 21 comments | Create New Account
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