Pitching remained the order of the day Sunday.
The 2019 No. 11 overall selection fanned seven batters in a row over three perfect frames in the Blue Jays’ 5-1 loss to the Yankees at TD Ballpark.
After coaxing Mike Tauchman to ground out to third base to start the game, Manoah got Luke Voit to swing over the top of an 82.7-mph slider before setting down Jay Bruce on five pitches. The right-hander retired the side in order on 15 pitches in the second, before punching out Tyler Wade and Thairo Estrada to start the third. All seven whiffs were swinging, and the 23-year-old tossed 29 of his 44 pitches for strikes.
It was Manoah’s second appearance of the spring after allowing a hit and fanning four over two scoreless innings on March 3. He is sporting a 0.20 WHIP and a .067 average-against.
During his rookie campaign with Class A Short Season Vancouver in 2019, the West Virginia product posted a 2.65 ERA and 1.06 WHIP with 27 punchouts and five walks in 17 frames spanning six starts.
Simeon Woods Richardson relieved Manoah and worked around a pair of hits and fanned three over three shutout innings. The No. 93 overall prospect has not allowed a run in two Grapefruit League appearances this spring while yielding a walk and amassing four strikeouts in five frames. Richardson posted a 2.54 ERA and a .182 average-against over 28 1/3 innings in the Florida State League in 2019.
Anthony Castro closed out the game by striking out the side in the ninth. The right-hander gave up a hit and walk, but promptly whiffed Oswald Peraza, Trey Amburgey and Estevan Florial on 15 pitches. Castro has allowed a run and one walk while striking out nine over 4 2/3 frames in five appearances this spring. The Venezuelan native is in his first Spring Training camp with Toronto since being claimed off waivers from the Tigers in December.
More top prospect performers from Sunday:
The top Rays prospect made his debut at third base and legged out an infield hit to lead off the third inning. It was the fifth knock for Franco in seven Grapefruit League games this spring. The toolsy infielder batted .328 across two levels of the Minors in 2019. Gameday »
The 23-year-old posted his first multi-hit effort of the spring after singling to left in the second and leading off the fifth with a double down the line. The performance halted a six-game Grapefruit League skid for Brujan. The Rays prospect accounted for 28 extra-base hits across two levels of the Minors in 2019. Gameday »
The 23-year-old backstop crushed his first homer of the spring — a solo shot to left in the eighth. The blast was Langeliers’ second hit of the spring, the other was also for extra bases — a double. The Braves prospect collected 15 extra-base hits in 54 South Atlantic League games in 2019. Gameday »
The Orioles prospect laced a pair of doubles in his first multi-hit performance of the spring. Mountcastle crushed a double to left in the fourth before going the other way for a two-bagger to right in the sixth. The 24-year-old batted .333 in 35 games with Baltimore last season. Gameday »
Minnesota’s No. 13 prospect had three hits in his first six Spring Training games. He matched that mark Sunday. Rooker went 3-for-3 with a double as the Twins and Red Sox played to a 5-5 tie. The outfielder pulled a two-bagger down the left-field line in the third, singled to left in the fourth and singled to right in the sixth. His last hit registered 109.6 mph off the bat via Statcast. Gameday »
The Yankees’ righty was stellar through three innings, allowing an unearned run on one hit in his third outing of the spring. That dropped Garcia’s Grapefruit League ERA to 2.25. The 21-year-old struck out two and walked two, throwing 44 pitches — the most of his three starts this year. Gameday »
Tied 1-1, Tigers prospect Short gave his team the lead with a three-run blast to left-center in the eighth. Short’s homer was his first of the spring and his second extra-base hit in six games. The blast left the shortstop’s bat at 107 mph and traveled 409 feet according to Statcast, en route to Detroit’s 5-1 victory over Baltimore. The Tigers acquired Short from the Cubs in August for big league outfielder Cameron Maybin. Gameday »
Two batters after Short left the yard, Baddoo went yard for the second straight day. The left-handed-hitting outfielder went to the opposite field with his blast, pushing his Grapefruit League slash line to .400/.556/.800 through 11 games. Baddoo, a 2016 Draft selection of the Twins, went to the Tigers on a waiver claim in December. Gameday »
Coming off the bench in his seventh game of the spring, Rays prospect Gomez hammered his second long ball in four games — a two-run blast to left in the eighth. Gomez has hits in three of his last five games and is batting .300 with a 1.264 OPS this spring. Gameday »