3 bold predictions for the Toronto Blue Jays for the 2023 season

Toronto Blue Jays bold prediction: Alek Manoah wins the Cy Young Award

In 2022, Manoah earned his first All-Star bid and finished third in the Cy Young balloting. This season, the 25-year-old right-hander will add the Cy Young Award to his resume and establish himself as one of the top American League pitchers heading into the postseason.

Coming off a season where he posted a 2.24 ERA/3.35 FIP/0.992 WHIP in 31 starts (196.2 innings), the possibilities for Manoah to pace the Blue Jays in 2023 seem off the chart. His tough outing against Seattle in the Wild Card round (allowing four hits and four runs and hitting two batters in 5.2 innings) will likely fuel Manoah heading into this season as he looks to atone for the sour ending to the season for him and the Blue Jays, one that reportedly made him inconsolable after the loss.

He has already made it clear that the Cy Young is not his goal, but rather leading to the Blue Jays to the World Series title. Manoah will start on Opening Day in St. Louis, and facing one of the toughest lineups in all of baseball will provide him and his team a quick first test of 2023.

I’ll be in St. Louis to cover Manoah’s first start of the season, so make sure you’re following me on Twitter (@kgh23) as well as @FanSidedMLB for the latest on the Blue Jays as they open what should be a memorable campaign.