Former Blue Jays with a worse reputation than they deserve

Looking ahead and remembering this concept

Before I drop this idea altogether, I want to talk about one player that could fit the “unfair criticism” description as soon as 2022.

As high as I am on the future of Alek Manoah, I’m also trying to keep my expectations in check for the big right-hander in 2022. He had an incredible rookie season and set the bar at a level that’s probably unfair for him or most young pitchers, and he still has plenty of lessons to learn as a big league starting pitcher. That doesn’t mean that I’m anything but excited about what he’s going to do on the mound in the future, but I hope Blue Jays fans are prepared to allow for some growing pains.

That often happens for young pitchers right from the time that they arrive in the big leagues, but that wasn’t really the case for Manoah. He finished last season with a 3.22 ERA and a 1.048 WHIP over 20 starts, striking out 127 batters over 111.2 innings. On the way he set several Blue Jay records, and has cemented himself in the rotation going forward. In fact, there are even some betting sites that see him as a legitimate contender for the Cy Young award in 2022.

Do I think that’s a fair expectation for the 24 year old? Absolutely not. My hope is that he can serve as a solid mid-rotation starter for the Blue Jays in 2022, and navigate his first full season as a big leaguer while learning plenty of valuable lessons along the way. I hope he stays healthy, and that he’s in a position to be making a playoff start or two by the time the fall rolls around. Those are all lofty enough goals for a sophomore hurler, especially with three veteran starters around him in the rotation.

At some point in 2022 Manoah is going to go through a stretch of tough starts, and when he does it will be important to remember just how great he’s been to start his career. He’s set us up for unrealistic expectations for a pitcher with as little experience as he’s had so far, and while that’s absolutely a great thing, it’s not going to last forever.

Having said all of that, I couldn’t be a whole lot higher on Manoah’s future, and that includes what I think he’ll accomplish in 2022. I just don’t think it’s fair to expect him to be a Cy Young contender, or even at an All-Star level. As Blue Jays fans, sometimes it’s hard to keep our expectations in check, but let’s do our best to do just that for one the most exciting young starters we’ve seen in Toronto in a very long time.