Alek Manoah Voted Finalist for AL Cy Young Award
There was no sophomore slump for Alek Manoah.
The Blue Jays starting pitcher was voted one of the finalists for the 2022 American League Cy Young Award. Manoah finishing top three in voting for the award, given annually to the best pitcher in each league, alongside Houston's Justin Verlander and Chicago's Dylan Cease. The AL Cy winner will be announced on November 16.
Coming off a 2021 season that saw Manoah finish eighth in American League Rookie of the Year voting, the righty was even better in 2022. The 23-year-old posted a team-best 2.24 ERA in 31 starts, reaching 196.2 innings while striking out 180 batters.
Manoah logged the most innings of the three finalists, but both Verlander and Cease recorded lower ERA and more strikeouts. Manoah solidified his Cy Young case with a historic run in September. In six starts (41 innings) during the final month of the season, the sophomore starter posted a .88 ERA, the lowest mark for a single month in Blue Jays history.
With a Cy Young award win, Manoah would become the fifth Blue Jay to win the award and second in a row with Robbie Ray's win in 2021.
Mitch Bannon is a baseball reporter for Sports Illustrated covering the Toronto Blue Jays and their minor league affiliates.Twitter: @MitchBannon