Side gig? Manoah is MLB Network's newest correspondent

KANSAS CITY -- Alek Manoah was born to stand atop a mound. He looks just as comfortable in front of a microphone, though, and he’s picked up a new side gig.

Manoah is joining MLB Network’s morning program, _MLB Central_, as a weekly correspondent, making him the first active player to have that position with the network. He’ll debut Tuesday morning at 10:30 a.m. ET, and this isn’t something Manoah is doing on a whim.

The 25-year-old is thoughtful and calculated when it comes to media, especially for his age. He recognizes that his talent and personality, when paired properly, can open doors for him, but he also sees this as an opportunity to connect with young baseball fans. As much as Manoah is a baseball star, he’s a baseball fan, and he wants to make it feel real for the next generation.

“The day kids stop dreaming about being in the big leagues, baseball ends,” Manoah said. “That’s something I don’t want to see happen.”

Manoah has become more and more involved with youth programs and young fans over his short MLB career. His upbringing was not always easy, and his path to the big leagues was not always a straight line, which is why he wants to connect with kids in similar situations.

“There’s a lot of kids out there who stuff is easy for, and it’s going great with lots of opportunities,” Manoah said. “On the other side, there’s not. There’s a lot of guys on this field and on fields around MLB who grew up in those circumstances. For me, players before us have paved the way for us and allowed us to grow our dreams. It’s our job to continue that.”

If Manoah were hosting a weekly cooking show, you could make the case that it’s a distraction. This keeps Manoah within the baseball world, though, and his weekly appearances can be shaped around his pitching and travel schedules with the Blue Jays.

Manoah’s personality extends well beyond baseball, of course, and he’s far more than a baseball player, but this is the avenue that he’s earned both respect and an audience in. We’ve seen players with big personalities before but Manoah backs it up, finishing third in AL Cy Young Award voting last season with a 2.24 ERA.

“My priority is baseball in everything,” Manoah said. “As I continue to grow and take other steps off the field, I obviously want to create a really good foundation for myself in baseball. I understand there’s a lot of kids out there who follow us and look up to us. The more and more we can give them a real presence -- not just from a distance -- they’ll continue to love the game even more.”

Toronto has long understood Manoah’s marketability, but the rest of the baseball world got to see it at the 2022 All-Star Game when Manoah was mic’d up. With two strikes to Jeff McNeil, he asked the booth which pitch they wanted him to throw, and John Smoltz requested a “back-foot slider, down and low.”

“Oh, you’re sexy. Here we go,” Manoah replied, live on the air.

He plunked McNeil with that pitch, but soon after, he struck out Ronald Acuña Jr. and bounced off the field.

“Right down the middle, but we’ll take it!” Manoah shouted over the broadcast. “Three punches! Let’s go!”

That’s what you’ll see more of on Manoah’s weekly segments. He sees and appreciates the former players who are part of coverage around the league, but he believes that he adds a fresh perspective on the fast-changing MLB landscape. It’s something that’s been done well in the NBA and NFL, so while Manoah is the first, he’s surely not the last.

The only certainty, says Manoah’s manager John Schneider, is that “Big Puma” will be entertaining.