Toronto Blue Jays' Projected Starting Pitcher Makes Major Physical Change Entering 2024

As he looks to hold onto his spot in the Toronto Blue Jays starting rotation, Alek Manoah looks to have lost considerable weight as spring training begins.

Starting pitcher Alek Manoah appears to have entered Toronto Blue Jays' camp in much better shape in 2024.

Manoah threw a bullpen this week as the team reported to Dunedin, Fla., and the physical change was evident.

Per Keegan Matheson of MLB.com on social media:

First look at Alek Manoah, who looks like he’s trimmed down his body and, more importantly, grown out his beard. #BlueJays

First look at Alek Manoah, who looks like he’s trimmed down his body and, more importantly, grown out his beard. #BlueJays pic.twitter.com/GfGpUxSSLP

— Keegan Matheson (@KeeganMatheson) February 15, 2024

Manoah's size and durability will be major storylines for the Jays this spring. There were worries that his disastrous 2023 season was aided in part by his physical conditioning and his inability to keep up with the pace of the new pitch clock.

The 26-year-old went 3-9 with a 5.87 ERA last year and struck out just 79 batters in 87.1 innings - just a year after being the Blue Jays Game 1 starter in the playoffs. He also was sent to the minor leagues on multiple occasions.

All that said, he's still young, and is under team control through 2027, so you can understand why the Blue Jays weren't eager to trade him this offseason and were willing to give him another chance. He went 16-7 in 2022 with a 2.24 ERA. He was an All-Star and finished third in the American League Cy Young voting.

Manoah currently projects to be the No. 5 starter in the rotation behind Kevin Gausman, Yusei Kikuchi, Jose Berrios and Chris Bassitt.

Toronto finished in the third place in the American League East and was bounced from the playoffs in the wild card round in 2023.

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