Ricky Tiedemann Flashes So Much Promise
A combination of Shane McClanahan and Josh Hader? Yes please!
One of the best parts about spring training is getting our first looks at prospects appearing in big league camp for the first time.
We’re only a few days in and we’ve already seen Jasson Dominguez homer, Andrew Painter make a start, and Ricky Tiedemann throw gas.
Tiedemann, Toronto’s 3rd-round selection from the 2021 draft, exploded onto the scene this past summer. The 20-year-old dominated two Class-A levels before reaching Double-A to end his season.
Here are Tiedemann’s ranks among minor league arms who threw at least 70 IP:
38.9 K% (2nd)
29.2 K-BB% (4th)
2.17 ERA (10th)
2.51 FIP (6th)
0.86 WHIP (2nd)
0.148 BAA (2nd)
While he didn’t generate grounders at a league-leading clip, he still produced them on 47.9% of his batted balls, which is excellent.
Lowering the innings threshold to 70 isn’t exactly fair as some of Tiedemann’s fellow top prospects were able to log 100-110 frames. Still, his above rankings highlight how dominant he was with the workload he had.
Then came Tuesday’s Grapefruit League debut where he looked amazing.
In the above clip he hits 99.4 mph and he told reporters afterwards it was his first time touching 99. He averaged 98.3 mph on his heater, which is rare for a southpaw. Gregory Soto was the only lefty to average over 98 mph in 2022.
This could be the result of him airing it out in a short stint that was also his first action against big league hitters. The adrenaline was surely flowing. However, it also wouldn’t be a surprise for a young arm (who doesn’t turn 21 until August) to be adding velocity at this point in his development.
Tiedemann isn’t all gas, though. There’s also the above changeup that completely drops out of the strike zone at 86 mph. The setup is reminiscent of Shane McClanahan, another fast-moving prospect who pounds the zone with hellacious stuff only to pull the rug on hitters with changeups like the one Tiedemann showcased against Detroit.
Tiedemann has something McClanahan doesn’t, however — a unique release point. This is where he reminds me of Josh Hader with a low, deceptive left-handed arm slot and a fastball with heavy armside run. It’s uncomfortable for hitters to pick up.
Finally, Tiedemann also has a sweepy slider, which averaged 84.8 mph in Tuesday’s debut. That’s an important threshold to hit as sliders become particularly overpowered around 85 mph. The combination of his fastball, changeup, and slider is why Baseball America said he had one of the 5 best pitch mixes among their top 100 prospects.
I currently have Tiedemann as my No. 20 overall prospect and his first action this spring did nothing to dampen my enthusiasm. The Blue Jays were certainly careful with him last year as he never recorded more than 15 outs in a start. In total he logged just 78 2/3 IP, so a major aspect of his 2023 will be continuing to build up his workload.
That’s okay, though, as nowadays it takes several years for pitchers to become established in the big leagues. Starters often aren’t fully let loose until their age 24/25 campaigns. Despite his youth and inexperience, Tiedemann sure looks like he could help a contending Blue Jays team this year, even if the club has to manage his innings along the way.
Due to his age/experience I’d ultimately bet against Tiedemann contributing a meaningful amount in the majors this season, but it’s certainly possible. Regardless, he’s a no-doubter, top-5 pitching prospect. Just two seasons after Alek Manoah’s swift ascent through Toronto’s system, Tiedemann looks to be next in line as a special, difference-making arm.
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