All You Need To Know About Top 2019 MLB Draft Prospect Alek Manoah

The MLB Draft is just two short days away, and teams are locking in their draft boards as they hope to land the next big thing for their respective franchise. Guys like Adley Rutschman, Andrew Vaughn and Bobby Witt Jr. have been the talk of the draft, with pitchers being a bit further from the spotlight than in years past. However, one pitcher has put himself in the conversation of being one of the better prospects in the 2019 MLB Draft with his dominant play, and that's Alek Manoah.

Alek Manoah Stats

The West Virginia product is a fascinating college player. Manoah stands at a beefy 6-6 and 260 pounds, has tattoos all down his right arm, and sports a wicked beard. He also misses the occasional button or two on his jersey, which adds that extra swag on the mound. He kind of looks like an MLB: Road to the Show player someone would create. It's totally acceptable for Manoah to look like this, however, as he rarely gets hit. In 2019, he is 8-3 with a 1.91 ERA, and has 125 strikeouts through 94.1 innings pitched, with just 22 walks. This fantastic performance helped him capture a First Team All-American honor, and makes him just the fourth Mountaineer to be named to the first team.

Manoah was initially WVU's long-reliever/spot starter for his first two seasons, but showed his potential in the Cape Cod League, where he posted a 3-2 record with a 2.70 ERA last summer. This performance gave West Virginia reason to make Manoah a starter, and he never looked back.

Manoah's fastball sits comfortably between the 94-97 mph range, touching around 98 at times. He uses his big frame to get excellent extension, and it's absolutely wreaking havoc. His secondary pitch is a filthy slider that generates a ton of swings and misses, and should continue to do just that in the majors.

Many scouts believe that TCU's Nick Lodolo is the best college pitcher in this year's draft, but when it's all said and done, Manoah could very well wind up being the best (and most electric) college arm to come out. He'll have to work through his command issues, however, as he has seven wild pitches on the year.

Ultimately, Manoah might not be an ace, but he looks to be a high strikeout guy who could be a second or third pitcher in a good rotation. With his frame and pitch repertoire, he most certainly has a bright future ahead of him.

No one knows how the draft will shake out after Witt Jr., Rutschman, Vaughn and JJ Bleday get drafted, but there's a good chance that Manoah could slip to the Philadelphia Phillies at 14th overall, or even the St. Louis Cardinals at 19th overall if teams focus on prep players. However, regardless of where Manoah goes, he should be able to be an impact pitcher.