Blue Jays Nation’s Pre-Season Prospect Countdown – No. 1: Ricky Tiedemann

Photo credit:Brendon Baranov/MiLB.com

4 months ago

The first-ranked prospect is exactly who you thought it’d be.

This is Blue Jays Nation’s annual pre-season list, in which I’ll take a look at the top 50 prospects in the organization. We’ll look at the player’s stats, my observations, and other publications’ scouting reports if available.

Let’s take a look at Ricky Tiedemann.

Getting to know Ricky Tiedemann…

Position: Starting pitcher

Throws: Left

Born: August 18, 2002

Acquired: 3rd-round, 2021 draft (Blue Jays)

2023 Team: Triple-A Buffalo

Previous Ranking: 1

Selected in the third round in the 2021 draft, the left-handed pitcher didn’t make his professional debut until the 2022 season. That year, he posted a 2.17 ERA and a 2.51 FIP in 78.2 innings pitched, along with a 38.9 K% and a 9.6 BB%. Of any pitcher in the organization with 40 or more innings pitched, his K% and K-BB% were the highest, and he pitched in Double-A as a 19-year-old, a very uncommon feat.

Depending on what statistic you look at, Tiedemann only got better in 2023. Pitching between Single-A (rehab), Double-A, and Triple-A to end the season, Tiedemann had a 3.83 ERA, but a fantastic 1.98 FIP in 47 innings pitched. Moreover, his 43.7 K% was the highest with more than 40 innings pitched, but his BB% increased to 12.2%. Regardless of the high BB%, his K-BB% was the highest in the organization for the second straight season.

Unfortunately, Tiedemann missed a few months in the early part of the season due to a left bicep injury. To get him innings, the Blue Jays sent him to the Arizona Fall League where he posted a 2.50 ERA in 18 innings pitched. Moreover, he had a 31.5 K% and an 11 BB% while winning the AFL Pitcher of the Year.

As you can imagine, Tiedemann isn’t just ranked as the top Blue Jays prospect on my list, as Fangraphs, Baseball America, and TSN’s Scott Mitchell all have him first in the organization. Fangraphs also has him ranked as the 28th-best prospect in baseball, while Baseball America has him ranked 22nd-overall in baseball.

Fangraphs’ report has Tiedemann’s stuff as excellent, with a deceptive delivery with a fastball that sits in the md-90s but has reached a tick under 100 mph. On top of that, he pairs that with a plus changeup and plus slider that has sweeper movement. Fangraphs believes that Tiedemann’s delivery is “reliever-y”, but notes that he’d be a dominant reliever if he ends up in the bullpen.

The 21-year-old may get a chance to pitch in the big leagues in the 2024 season, potentially starting in the bullpen as a long reliever before getting a chance in the rotation in 2025. The Jays have a ton of starting pitching depth now, but if Tiedemann dominates in Triple-A to start the season, he could force the Jays’ hands to call him up.