3 Blue Jays players on the 40-man roster who could make an underrated impact in 2025

P Alek Manoah

After bursting onto the baseball scene back in 2021 with a solid rookie campaign with the Jays, Alek Manoah took a huge step forward in 2022 in elevating himself into star status. Manoah quickly evolved into the ace that Toronto envisioned him to be, as he amassed a stellar 16-7 record with a 2.24 ERA, 0.99 WHIP, giving up just 49 earned runs with 180 strikeouts in 196 2/3 innings of work over 31 starts.

More notably, he had the composure and maturity of a seasoned veteran to constantly get out of tough situations unscathed. With that confident demeanor, he became an All-Star for the first time of his career in just his second season in the majors, along with finishing as an AL Cy Young Award finalist.

However, no one would have expected the severe drop off that we all witnessed in 2023 when Manoah fell completely apart. Struggling constantly with both his control and command, he compiled a dismal 3-9 record with a 5.87 ERA, 1.74 WHIP, giving up 57 earned runs including 15 home runs, along with 59 walks and 79 strikeouts in just 87 1/3 innings pitched over 19 starts. In fact, Manoah was even demoted to their minor league complex to work on his game at one point in time, but it did not end up helping much. He was eventually shut down towards the end of the season due to injury as it officially ended his nightmare 2023 campaign.

Nevertheless, Manoah was set to prove himself once again when he got another opportunity to get back into the rotation with the Jays during May of 2024. In his first five outings, he posted a respectable 1-2 record with a 3.70 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, with 26 strikeouts in 24 1/3 innings of work. More significantly, he showed signs of being the Manoah of old in the process. At that rate, he was well on his way to redemption before an unfortunate UCL injury that ended up requiring surgery ended his season abruptly. The timeline for his recovery has the potential return date for Manoah around August of 2025.

But for those that practically want to write off Manoah and his 2025 campaign as a result, look no further than to what former Blue Jays starter Hyun Jin Ryu did in 2023. Ryu had spent over a year on the sidelines due to Tommy John surgery at the time, but that didn’t stop him for returning late in the season in August to help stabilize the Jays back end of the rotation down the stretch. He went 3-3 with a solid 3.46 ERA and 1.29 WHIP to help Toronto reach the postseason for the second consecutive season.

As a result, one shouldn’t underestimate the potential impact of Manoah despite his late projected return this upcoming season. He could very much do the same this year for the Jays down the stretch as Ryu did in 2023, as his return would practically feel like a trade deadline pickup to help boost their pitching staff for any potential playoff run. 

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