Blue Jays: Kirk, Manoah follow Guerrero’s lead in dropping some pounds
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. wasn’t the only Blue Jay working on getting trim this off-season.
Conditioning was the focus for catcher Alejandro Kirk and pitching prospect Alek Manoah as well, as they look to lay solid foundations for long big-league careers.
Kirk, who quickly became a fan favourite last September in nine games with the big club, learned everything is faster in the majors, he told reporters on Sunday’s Zoom call from spring training in Dunedin, Fla. While he got used to the pace, he said “basically the entire off-season” was spent getting in better shape.
“I’m not exactly sure how much weight I lost — I know I lost a lot — but the bottom line is that I feel great right now, a lot better than last year,” said the 22-year-old catcher, who was listed at five-foot-eight and 265 pounds last year. “I’m moving well and I’m happy.”
Kirk spent most of the offseason in his native Tijuana, Mexico, and arrived in Florida about a month ago. He coordinated a nutrition plan with the Jays and says the resulting weight loss has made it easier to get to inside pitches when he’s at the plate, and made him quicker in almost every area behind it.
“It’s a lot of difference from last year,” Kirk said.
Manoah, the 23-year-old right-hander ranked No. 5 in the Jays system, and older brother Erik opened a gym called Manoah Driven in Miami last year. Between workouts there and with the Jays, Manoah — sixfoot-six, 260 pounds — says he’s a lot stronger this spring.
“The staff here, along with my brother and my gym back home, we’ve done a good job of creating a plan to just be able to go as long as I can, as strong as I can ... Some of the fat has shed off a little bit, and just tightening up a little bit,” Manoah said. á Start him up: Trent Thornton’s 2020 season was cut short by surgery to remove loose bodies from his elbow late last summer, but the 27-year-old righthander is still in the mix for the starting rotation. Pitching coach Pete Walker expects a normal spring for Thornton, starting with throwing live batting practice Monday. “I think the main thing with him right now is obviously health and building up his workload, but his stuff is certainly major-league calibre,” Walker said. á About Elvis: The Jays would be foolish not to groom 21-yearold right-hander Elvis Luciano as a starter for the future, according to Walker, even though his stuff could also work out of the bullpen. The life on his mid-’90s fastball, improved slider and changeup are some of the reasons why he’s being stretched out. “His upside is tremendous,” Walker said of the one-time Rule 5 pick. “He’s got to be patient in some ways, but he looks good right now.” á Leading question: Walker said ace Hyun Jin Ryu reported to camp in better shape than last year and is taking on more of a leadership role. “He seems to be in a really good place,” Walker said of the 33-year-old Ryu, who finished third in AL Cy Young voting in his first season as a Jay.