Two Blue Jays prospects rank in Baseball America’s Top 100 pre-season list
6 months ago
We are on the horizon of a new season, which means that prospect rankings are starting to appear!
Recently, Baseball America released their pre-season list for 2024, featuring two Blue Jays in the Top 100. Ricky Tiedemann ranks as their 22nd-best prospect in baseball, while Orelvis Martinez ranks as their 90th-best prospect in baseball. Let’s take a look at those two players’ numbers in 2023.
Ricky Tiedemann:
Tiedemann broke onto the scene in 2022, as he had a 2.17 ERA and a 2.51 FIP in 78.2 innings pitched in Single-A, High-A, and Double-A. On top of that, the left-handed pitcher’s 38.9 K% was the highest among pitchers with 40+ innings pitched, while also posting a respectable 9.6 BB%.
The 2023 season didn’t go as smooth as the season prior, as he had a 3.68 ERA and a 1.68 FIP in 44 innings pitched between Single-A, Double-A, and Triple-A. It’s worth noting that his 44.1 K% was once again the highest among pitchers with 40 innings pitched in the organization, but his BB% rocketed to 12.4%.
Tiedemann pitched the majority of the season in Double-A where his stats were hit or miss. His 5.06 ERA wasn’t great, but that was juxtaposed with a 2.12 FIP, a great number. His 39.7 K% was fantastic, but Tiedemann had a 13.7 BB% at this level, and he gave up his first home run since the summer of 2022 at this level.
On top of the decline in stats (which were still great), Tiedemann was injured with a left bicep inflammation that sidelined him for a few months.
To get the 21-year-old some more innings, they sent Tiedemann to the Arizona Fall League. With the Surprise Saguaros, he had a 2.50 ERA in 18 innings pitched, along with a 31.5 K% and an 11 BB%, winning the Arizona Fall League Pitcher of the Year.
It’s likely that Tiedemann will start his season with the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons. If he pitches well, he could find himself knocking on the door to pitch in the major leagues. It’s unlikely that Toronto’s starting pitching health is once again perfect throughout the year, so it’s certainly not out of the question.
Orelvis Martinez:
Orelvis Martinez is a textbook example of why you never give up on a young prospect with an excellent tool.
After breaking onto the scene in 2021 with a .261/.345/.549 slash line with 28 home runs between Single-A and High-A, the Blue Jays aggressively promoted their best home run hitting prospect to Double-A.
The 2022 season was a tough one for Martinez, but there were certainly some positives. Starting with the downsides, Martinez slashed just .203/.286/.446 in 492 plate appearances with an 8.1 BB% and a 28.5 K% for a 96 wRC+. The positives were that the power didn’t disappear, as the shortstop/third baseman hit 30 home runs, the second most at the Double-A level. What’s more impressive is that he did this as a 20-year-old, while everyone around him in the home run race was older.
Martinez started off the 2023 season poorly, but turned it around and finished the season slashing .243/.340/.496 with 28 home runs in 538 plate appearances between Double-A and Triple-A. What’s more fascinating is that his K% dropped to 23.4%, while he started to walk more with a 12.5 BB%.
The 22-year-old mashes, and he’ll start his season in Triple-A. With the Blue Jays not having a true third baseman with pop, if he performs well, Martinez may earn an opportunity some time in 2024.
As always, you can follow me on Twitter, Instagram, and Threads @Brennan_L_D.
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