Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Alek Manoah, left, laughs with starting pitcher Chris Bassitt, right, during spring baseball practice in Dunedin, Fla. February 19.Nathan Denette
Blue Jays ace Alek Manoah isn’t resting on his laurels after an all-star season last year.
The 25-year-old personal ace is like a sponge in the team’s player development complex, regularly watching other pitchers’ shot practices and interacting with teammates and coaches to gather as much information as possible.
“I’m a big fan of the game,” he said. “I love to learn and see what guys are working on.”
He also quickly became friends with new teammate Chris Bassitt, who signed a three-year deal with Toronto during the offseason.
Manoah picked the experienced starter’s brains and they were regular throwing partners on the practice fields. The tall right-hander also attended Kevin Gausman’s throwing session on Sunday and they got a chance to swap ideas.
“The guys are looking really good,” said Manoah. “Some guys are adding some pitches and some are tweaking their deliveries a bit. I personally love watching their site [sessions].”
Bassitt, 34, has been one of the most reliable starters in the game over his eight seasons in the big league. He has a career record of 46-34, an earned run average of 3.45, and is known for unbalancing opposing hitters.
“He throws like 40 [different] Pitches,” joked Manoah. “Being able to just see the release points and how he’s using his body, some of the mental cues he’s using, they can help me in a lot of different ways.
“I’m super blessed to be able to throw with him, train with him and be his teammate.”
Bassitt went 15-9 with a 3.42 ERA for the New York Mets last season. He’s joining a rotation that also includes Jose Berrios but doesn’t have a definitive fifth starter yet.
Yusei Kikuchi and Mitch White are considered favorites for the role this spring. It’s possible that Hyun-jin Ryu, who is still recovering from Tommy John’s surgery last June, could return later in the season.
Manoah, meanwhile, finished third in voting for the AL Cy Young Award in 2022 after going 16-7 with a 2.24 ERA and 180 strikeouts.
“Confidence is never an issue with him, we all know that,” said Blue Jays manager John Schneider. “But I think [he’s] just a little more familiar with his routines. He speaks a little more and takes a little more leadership, which is great.
“He’s a big part of what we do.”
Manoah was 9-2 over 20 starts in his rookie season and last year showed it wasn’t a fluke. He said he was working on a few things in his pitching repertoire but wouldn’t shake his hand if asked on Sunday.
He also said that improving his defensive skills was a priority during the camp.
“I think just some of the really small things about the span of a major league season can add up,” he said. “That will be amplified in the playoffs.”
In other news on Sunday, Schneider said there was no update on when catcher Alejandro Kirk could join the team at camp. Kirk’s fiancee is supposed to give birth any day.
The skipper also said it’s up to players to decide if the team’s blue home run jacket returns this year. It has been worn in the dugout for the last two seasons after a player left court.
“Home runs are great and I think you celebrate them,” Schneider said. “But I also think the overall message, whether it’s putting on a jacket or doing something in the dugout, is that we want to do more than just celebrate home runs.
“We want to focus on catching the ball and we want to focus on getting on base and things like that.”
Source: www.theglobeandmail.com
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