Daniel Corrigan | June 3rd, 2019
Alek Manoah– RHP, West Virginia
Height: 6’6
Weight: 260 LBS
Age: 21
Throws: Right
MLB Scouting Grades:
Manoah was born January 9th, 2019 in Homestead, FL. He attended South Dade high school in his hometown of Homestead. During his senior year, he committed to West Virginia. After going undrafted in the 2016 draft, he went off to Morgantown to pitch for the Mountaineers.
College Stats:
Strengths:
According to Perfect Game, Manoah has a mid-90s fastball that clocks-out at 98. He has some absolute gas behind his primary pitch. With that huge frame of his, he can still add power behind his heater, which makes it already more dangerous than before. The development of his slider makes him even scarier. While MLB Pipeline grades it at 55, FanGraphs has it as a 65, which would make it equally as effective as his fastball. Manoah had problems with walking batters. He was able to cut that down by more than half from his freshman year. His biggest strength has been able to improve so quickly.
Weaknesses:
The biggest problem with Manoah is that his role is still unclear. He spent most of his time in his freshman/sophomore year in the bullpen. While it may be a plus that he has fewer innings on his arm, you can also spin that to him not having enough experience. Manoah also needs to develop his changeup more. It just does not have the break needed for it to be an effective MLB pitch. With his big frame, he can add serious power and movement behind his pitches. It also makes him more prone to injury.
Overview:
Manoah has the tools to be a great draft pick. But he still has a lot of question marks. The biggest being his role. I see him more as a bullpen specialist. His fastball and slider have proven to be quality MLB pitches. He still needs work with his other supplementary pitches, but with the well-needed reps in the minors, he will become a great pitcher.
Draft Prediction:
Round 1 Pick 10: San Francisco Giants
The Giants need the arm talent. While they are in a full rebuild, they need to pounce on the talent that Manoah has. I can also see the Pirates, Tigers or Reds snatching up Manoah. It all really depends on who’s willing to take a chance on a project.
Check out our other Draft Previews:
Andrew Vaughn | Will Wilson | Jackson Rutledge | Hunter Bishop | JJ Bleday | Kameron Misner | Logan Davidson| Seth Johnson | Bobby Witt Jr. | Josh Jung|Adley Rutschman |Daniel Espino|Nick Lodolo|Kody Hoese| Matthew Allan|C.J. Abrams| Riley Greene|Corbin Carroll|Bryson Stott| Shea Langeliers|Brett Baty|
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