Blue Jays Nation’s Mid-Season Prospect Countdown – No. 3: Ricky Tiedemann

For the first time in a long time, today’s prospect doesn’t rank as our top prospect in the Jays system.

This is Blue Jays Nation’s annual Mid-Season top prospect list, where we’ll look at the 35 best prospects in the Blue Jays system. We’ll look at the player’s stats, my observations, and other publication’s scouting reports if available.

Let’s take a look at our third-best prospect, Ricky Tiedemann!

Getting to know Ricky Tiedemann…

Position: Starting pitcher

Throws: Left

Born: August 18, 2002

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

Previous ranking: 1

The Toronto Blue Jays selected Tiedemann in the third round of the 2021 draft out of Golden West College, a community college. Like many pitchers drafted in the first few rounds, Tiedemann didn’t make his professional start until the following season.

And what a professional debut he had. In Single-A, he posted a 1.80 ERA and a 2.09 FIP in 30 innings pitched for a 44.5 K% and an 11.8 BB%. The lefty was promoted to High-A Vancouver, where he had a 2.39 ERA and a 2.92 FIP in 37.2 innings pitched, along with a 36 K% and an 8 BB%. Making it all the way to Double-A as a 19-year-old, Tiedemann posted a 2.45 ERA and a 2.23 FIP in 11 innings pitched, along with a 34.1 K% and a 9.8 BB%.

Ricky T! AGAIN 🔥

Tiedemann is our highest-ranked prospect on the Top 100 Prospects List. pic.twitter.com/qHS59yKK2K

— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) January 27, 2024

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Overall, Tiedemann had 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%.

Sadly, he spent a portion of the 2023 season on the injured list, as he had a left bicep injury. Still, he posted a 5.06 ERA and a 2.12 FIP in 32 innings pitched, along with a 39.7 K% and a 13.7 BB%. As a 21-year-old, he started a game for the Bisons at the end of the season, pitching four scoreless innings.

The command and health issues continued for Tiedemann in 2024. Starting the year in Buffalo, he only pitched nine innings in four starts, posting a 6 ERA and a 10.46 FIP. He missed two large portions of the season, with his last game coming on July 10. Tiedemann was removed from that game and underwent Tommy John surgery shortly after. The lefty will be out for some time.

News: #BlueJays No. 1 prospect Ricky Tiedemann needs full Tommy John surgery.

— Keegan Matheson (@KeeganMatheson) July 27, 2024

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Despite the past two seasons being rough for Tiedemann, the potential is limitless if he can stay healthy, as he ranked as MLB Pipeline’s fourth-best Jays’ prospect. The lefty features a fastball that sits 93-96 mph but has reached as high as 99 mph. The fastball is a plus pitch, as is his sweepy slider and nasty changeup with fade. Tiedemann’s command and control have been a bit worrisome the past two seasons, but that happened as he dealt with injuries and reached the upper minors.

Hopefully, once he returns from Tommy John surgery, he can get back to throwing strikes and dominating batters like he did in 2022.