Alek Manoah’s slider adds to his frustrating start to the season. He’s unable to command that pitch, and it’s proving costly for him this season. Until Manoah can locate his slider, starts like one against the Philadelphia Phillies are the types of starts the Toronto Blue Jays might expect. It wouldn’t be an issue in the first month of the season. However, now that it’s the second month of the season, there’s reason to have eyebrows raised.
Alek Manoah has thrown 63 sliders since he last got a swing & miss on one (4th inning, April 28 vs Seattle)
— Chris Black (@DownToBlack) May 10, 2023
Alek Manoah Slider Issues
Manoah’s Slider vs. Nick Castellanos
Nick Castellanos goes deep to put the Phillies on top! pic.twitter.com/FrY4iR809V
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) May 9, 2023
Castellanos’s at-bat against Manoah in the top of the fourth inning summarizes the year for the right-hander. Manoah made plenty of good pitches against Castellanos but couldn’t finish him with the slider. He set up excellent pitches, including his fastball, but the slider hurt him as Castellanos hit a two-run homer. He was out in front, almost fooled by the pitch, but it didn’t have that late finish Manoah was looking for. It could have been a strike if he got to the outer half.
Manoah struggled to put hitters away after 94 pitches to record 14 outs. 24 of his deliveries were fouled off by Phillies hitters, 10 with two strikes on the count.
His Slider Run-Value and Whiff Rates
According to Baseball Savant, Manoah’s slider earned a -6 run value tied with Justin Verlander‘s slider. However, this year it’s tied for the worst pitch in baseball with a +11 run value. Last season, Manaoh had a 31.8% whiff rate with his slider, the highest of his pitch repertoire. With a good feel for his slider, he has been able to get the opposing to bite on anything outside the strike zone.
On Tuesday, Philadelphia whiffed on just three of its 42 swings (7.1%) against Manoah. This comes after the Boston Red Sox missed one three of their 45 swings (6.7%) against Manoah at Fenway Park last week. Surprisingly, those are the second and third-worst whiff percentages of Manoah’s 59 career starts.
Still Finding His Way Into the Season
Through his first eight outings, Manoah has been erratic, yet he’s finding his way into the season. Before his start in Philadelphia, the 25-year-old put up consecutive strong outings heading into his start against the Red Sox. He had a gem of a start going until Rafael Devers’s liner caught him. He was through 3 1/3 shutout innings, allowing a hit and a walk with three strikeouts. Dever’s single was the first of seven hits allowed by Manaoh over the next 1/3 innings, giving up five runs with two earned.
What Manoah did in 2022 was finish off batters once he got to two strikes. Opposing pitchers were .139/.199/.211 with strikes against him last season. This year, they’re slashing .253/.340/.396 in two-strike counts. Even though Manoah has struggled in multiple areas, from his command to his two-strike approach, the Blue Jays are confident in him. It will fall into place as soon as Manoah can rediscover his slider.
Photo Credit: © Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports
Players mentioned:
Alek Manoah, Nick Castellanos, Justin Verlander, Rafael Devers
