Stroman says Manoah will be 'back better than ever'

Former Toronto Blue Jays star pitcher Marcus Stroman is in full support of struggling ace Alek Manoah.

Stroman, who is currently having one of the best seasons of his career with the Chicago Cubs, took to Twitter to show his support for the Blue Jays pitcher who was sent to the Florida Complex League on Tuesday following a very rough opening two months of the 2023 season. 

"Manoah is a dawg and will be back better than ever," Stroman wrote on Twitter. "All that slick talk from a bunch of nobodies who’ve never performed at the highest level. Small talk from small minds. We all need a reset at times in life. Excited to see him bounce back and dominate all future!"

The move comes after Manoah got just one out and allowed six earned runs Monday night against the Houston Astros, pushing his season ERA to 6.36.

Manoah allowed eight of the nine hitters he faced to reach base Monday as the Astros tagged him for seven hits and one walk. Some fans at Rogers Centre booed as Manoah walked back toward the dugout after he was pulled in favour of Jay Jackson.

Manoah finished his rookie season with a 3.22 ERA in 20 starts over 111.2 innings, striking out more than a hitter an inning. He took things to another level last season, posting a 2.24 ERA with a WHIP under 1.00 and allowing 144 hits in 196.2 innings. All that was enough to put him third in American League Cy Young voting and made him the Blue Jays’ clear-cut ace heading into 2023.

But Manoah has been unable to come anywhere close to those results in 2023, going six innings or more in just two of his 13 starts this season. In his three most recent starts, the 25-year-old has gone a total of 7.1 innings.

A native of Homestead, Fla., the Blue Jays selected Manoah with the No. 11 pick in the 2019 MLB Draft out of West Virginia. 

The 32-year-old Stroman spent six years in Toronto after the Blue Jays selected him 22nd overall in the 2012 MLB Draft out of Duke University. 

With the Blue Jays, Stroman posted a 47-45 record with a 3.76 ERA and 635 strikeouts over 789.2 innings pitched. He was named an All-Star in 2019, but didn't play in the game due to injury and was traded to the New York Mets in late July of that season. 

In 2023, Stroman has a 6-4 record with a 2.39 ERA and 1.00 WHIP with 68 strikeouts over 13 starts and 79 innings pitched.