Six New Year’s resolutions for the Toronto Blue Jays

Prove Manoah’s Rookie Season was not a Fluke

Most fans were expecting Nate Pearson to make his mark during the 2021 starting rotation but it turned into the Alek Manoah show rather quickly last year. After dominating in Spring Training and through three starts in AAA, Manoah was promoted to the big league roster and continued to pitch well all season long. He was thrown to the wolves during his debut at Yankee Stadium and came out the victor and was a staple in the Jays rotation, finishing the year with a 3.22 ERA and a 10.2 K/9 through 20 starts.

As we are only hours away from 2022, let’s take a look at six New Year’s resolutions for the Toronto Blue Jays as they head into the next season.

Manoah will be experiencing his first full season in the Majors in 2022 (as long as the lockout does not drag on) and this campaign will be the one that proves his rookie season was not a fluke for anybody who doubts the right-hander (if you can find anybody). One area that could use some improvement is his HPB and walk rate, as his wild demeanor on the mound did lead to an AL-leading 16 hit batters and he didn’t even begin the year in the Major Leagues. If he can find the same form fans saw from his last season and continues to pitch well, the Blue Jays rotation could run away as one of the strongest in the American League and possibly all of baseball.

Find Hyun Jin Ryu’s 2020 Form

While players like Manoah and Ray had great 2021 campaigns, Hyun Jin Ryu struggled last season, dealing with inconsistency on the mound as well as some injury troubles throughout the campaign. There had been question marks regarding his ability to pitch an entire season prior to him arriving in Toronto and it would make sense that the Blue Jays will potentially give him extra rest days throughout the 2022 campaign to get the most out of their star pitcher.

Fans were spoiled when Ryu first arrived on the scene in 2020, where he finished the COVID shortened season with a 2.69 ERA through 12 starts with 72 strikeouts, finishing third in AL Cy Young voting. He is also only two years removed from leading the NL in ERA (2.32) with the Dodgers back in 2019, meaning when Ryu is in a groove, the southpaw from South Korea is an absolute monster on the mound. Having him return to that form after the departures of Ray and Matz will surely help the Jays and create one of the strongest rotations alongside Manoah, Gausman, Jose Berrios, and whoever the fifth starter is.