Major League Baseball kicked off their season on Thursday, as two former Mountaineer starting pitchers, Alek Manoah of the Toronto Blue Jays and Michael Grove of the Los Angeles Dodgers, both made the Opening Day roster for their respective teams.
Manoah spent three seasons with the Mountaineers and following a stellar junior season in 2019 that saw him unanimously win Big 12 Pitcher of the Year, the Blue Jays selected him 11th overall in that season’s draft. In May of 2021, Manoah was called up to the Blue Jays 40-man roster to start against the New York Yankees and never looked back, earning an all-star selection in the 2022 season and finishing third in the American League Cy Young Award voting.
On March 24, the Blue Jays announced the Manoah would be the Opening Day starter against the St. Louis Cardinals.
Michael Grove, a West Virginia native, spent 3 seasons at West Virginia University and was selected in the second round of the 2018 MLB Draft by the Los Angeles Dodgers. Grove made his major league debut in May of 2022 in a start against the Philadelphia Phillies.
It was announced on Thursday that Grove had made the Dodgers Opening Day roster. Grove is scheduled to make his season debut on April 3, as the starter for the Dodgers against the Colorado Rockies.
Another name to keep an eye on is John Means of the Baltimore Orioles. Means is recovering from Tommy John surgery, and is not expected to return until the summer as he continues to rehab.
