Alek Manoah Featured in MLB's Top 100 Players Rankings

AK getting some recognition as one of the game's best.

One of baseball's best pitchers hails from West Virginia University - Alek Manoah. The former Mountaineer ranks No. 57 in Major League Baseball's Top 100 Players list.

50 down, 50 to go!@MLBNetwork's Top 100 Players Countdown continues. pic.twitter.com/3M4QlfMaCK

— MLB (@MLB) February 16, 2023

During his time at WVU, Manoah dominated opposing hitters on a weekly basis, punching out as many as 13-15 hitters on any given night. He developed one of the nastier sliders in the country to go along with some serious heat, touching 95-96 and up on the radar gun.

As dominant as he was at WVU, there was no guarantee that it would translate to the next level. But here he is, striking out the likes of Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, and some of the game's best hitters every five days. 

Last year was Manoah's first full season in the bigs and boy, did he shine or what? He posted a 16-7 record with an ERA of 2.24, and struck out 180 compared to just 51 walks. He stole the show at the MLB All-Star game striking out the side and having fun doing so as he was mic'd up during his outing.

At the end of the season, Manoah was named a finalist for the American League Cy Young Award which is given to the best pitcher in the AL. He finished third in the voting, behind only Justin Verlander and Dylan Cease. But he did, however, finish ahead of some very prominent names such as Shohei Ohtani, Shane Beiber, and Gerrit Cole.

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