Toronto Blue Jays All-Star pitcher Alek Manoah to serve as weekly MLB Central correspondent for 2023 season on MLB Network
April 3, 2023 - Toronto Blue Jays All-Star pitcher Alek Manoah will serve as a weekly correspondent on MLB Network¡¯s morning program MLB Central presented by Hyundai this season. Manoah will make his MLB Central debut with co-hosts Robert Flores, Mark DeRosa and Lauren Shehadi tomorrow, April 4, at 10:30 a.m. ET. This will mark the first time an active MLB player will serve as a regular correspondent on an MLB Network program. Each week, Manoah will break down his performance, the latest with the Blue Jays and observations on teams and players from around MLB.
¡°I couldn¡¯t be more fired up to have Alek join us regularly this season,¡± said DeRosa. ¡°His fun and fiery personality can only make the show better and take us inside the dugout, which is what our fans want.¡±
¡°I love talking about the game and I¡¯m a big fan of _MLB Central_, so I jumped at the chance when this opportunity came up,¡± said Manoah. ¡°It will be a different experience for me, but one I¡¯m incredibly excited about.¡±
Following Manoah¡¯s weekly appearance on MLB Central_, he will appear in a recurring content series on MLB social platforms. Launched in 2015, _MLB Central offers an informative, irreverent and humorous look at the game, covering the previous night¡¯s action and the slate of games ahead. MLB stars past and present have joined MLB Central over the years, including Sandy Alc¨¢ntara, Nolan Arenado, Jacob deGrom, Bryce Harper, Hall of Famer Jack Morris, Clayton Kershaw, Hall of Famer Cal Ripken Jr., Justin Verlander and Adam Wainwright.
Manoah, a 2022 MLB All-Star, finished third in American League Cy Young Award voting last season after going 16-7 with a 2.24 ERA and 180 strikeouts across 196.2 innings pitched. Manoah has a 25-9 (.735) career win-loss record, a 2.71 career ERA with a 153 career ERA+. Ranked 57th on MLB Network¡¯s Top 100 Players Right Now presented by Topps Now countdown this offseason, which marked his debut on the series. Manoah was been named the September AL Rookie of the Month in 2021 and September AL Pitcher of the Month in 2022. Manoah was drafted by the Blue Jays in the first round, 11th overall, in the 2019 MLB June Amateur Draft out of West Virginia, where he played three seasons.