Mountaineers in the Pros: Alek Manoah Strikes Out 12 in Triple-A Debut

One day after another former West Virginia ace pitcher threw an MLB no-hitter, 2019 Big 12 Pitcher of the Year Alek Manoah fanned 12 batters in just six innings in his Triple-A debut for the Buffalo Bison.

Manoah, the 11th overall pick in the 2019 MLB draft by the Toronto Blue Jays, allowed just two hits in six scoreless innings while striking out a career-high 12 batters as the Bison defeated the Worcester Red Sox 10-1 Thursday evening.

Have a debut, Alek Manoah!

6 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 12 K (career high) for @BuffaloBisons. pic.twitter.com/n8RFpn6WH9

— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) May 7, 2021

Manoah, Toronto’s No. 3 ranked prospect, has been considered a top-100 MLB prospect each of the last two seasons as he works his way towards a major league debut. He was a member of the Blue Jay’s 60-man player pool last season but was not called up to the majors.

Manoah had a 2.81 career ERA with the Mountaineers and was named the Big 12’s best pitcher in 2019 after going 9-4 with a 2.08 ERA and 144 strikeouts in 108 1/3 innings. After drafting Manoah, the Blue Jays sent him to the short-season Vancouver Canadians where he had a 2.65 ERA with 27 strikeouts in 17 innings in his first professional season.