10 things to know about Alek Manoah
West Virginia righty is Blue Jays' top Draft pick
The Blue Jays selected West Virginia right-hander Alek Manoah with the 11th overall pick in the MLB Draft on Monday. Here are 10 things to know about Manoah, MLB Pipeline's No. 11 overall Draft prospect.
• Manoah is a big power pitcher -- the 21-year-old right-hander stands 6-foot-6 at 260 pounds. His fastball sits in the 94-97 mph range, and he couples it with a slider and changeup.
• Manoah enters the 2019 NCAA Tournament Regionals with an 9-3 record and a 1.85 ERA in his 15 starts, including two shutouts. His 135 strikeouts rank fifth among Division 1 pitchers. He was named the unanimous Big 12 Pitcher of the Year.
• Manoah is in the running for two of college baseball's top annual awards. He was named a semifinalist for both the Dick Howser Trophy (given to the top player in college baseball by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association) and the Golden Spikes Award (presented by USA Baseball to the nation's top amateur player).
Manoah is the first player in West Virginia program history to be named a semifinalist for either award. Both award winners will be announced on June 14.
• Manoah set West Virginia's single-season strikeout record this year, breaking a mark that had stood for over 50 years when he got to 125 K's in his final regular-season start on May 16. The school's previous single-season record was 123 strikeouts by John Radosevich in 1964.
• Manoah was named the NCBWA's National Pitcher of the Month for April, after going 3-0 with a 0.27 ERA in four starts, which included back-to-back 15-strikeout shutouts of Texas Tech and Kansas and a 33 1/3-inning scoreless streak.
• Manoah led the Cape Cod League in strikeouts in the 2018 summer season. He had 48 in 33 1/3 innings in his seven starts for the Chatham Anglers, also posting a 2.70 ERA.
• Manoah's older brother Erik is also a pro ballplayer. He was drafted by the Mets out of high school in the 13th round of the 2014 Draft and has pitched in the Minors for the past six seasons. The 23-year-old right-hander was most recently in the Angels organization but was released in early May.
• A Miami native, Manoah speaks Spanish and has four Cuban grandparents. He won a state championship at South Dade High School in 2014, collecting an RBI single in the championship game, while his brother Erik closed out the win in relief after pitching a shutout in the semifinals the previous day.
• Manoah's aspirations for MLB and beyond? "I plan to play 10 years in the big leagues, and then hop in the broadcast booth with Alex Rodriguez," he told the Miami Herald this month.
• You can follow Manoah on Twitter at @Alek_Manoah47.