Official MiLB/Prospects Thread

[Daniel Labude]

Nunez doesn't really look like a 1B only guy to me but I'm basing that entirely on that video and the fact that he's played some 3B before.

 

Can he really not play LF or RF?

 

He probably could. I dont see them doing much outside of 1B/3B until he gets to AAA

[John_Havok]

He probably could. I dont see them doing much outside of 1B/3B until he gets to AAA

 

It's hard to say. I think it says something about a guy when the only position they've been pigeonholed at so early in their career is 1b/DH. his 3B experiment ended in 2018 in his first year of pro ball, thogh weirdly enough when he was signed as an IFA, he was listed as a shortstop.

 

It also says a little bit when every scouting report i can find on the guy only talks about his bat, and doesnt even spend 1 sentence talking about defense. The only thing that even touches on that is that he is already slow and doesnt get to his top speed very fast either.

[John_Havok]

https://blogs.fangraphs.com/fast-rising-blue-jays-prospect-ricky-tiedemann-talks-pitching/

 

Ricky Tiedemann is one of the fastest-rising pitching prospects in the game. Drafted 91st overall by the Toronto Blue Jays in 2021 out of a Huntington Beach junior college, the 20-year-old southpaw not only finished last season in Double-A, he dominated at all three levels where he saw action. Over 78-and-two-thirds innings, Tiedemann logged a 2.15 ERA while fanning 117 batters and allowing just 39 hits. No. 24 on our recently released Top 100, he possesses, in the words of Tess Taruskin, “three potential plus pitches and front-end upside.”

 

Tiedemann discussed his M.O. on the mound and his power arsenal prior to Thursday’s spring training game in Dunedin.

 

 

 

David Laurila: How would you describe yourself as a pitcher? Give me a self-scouting report.

 

Ricky Tiedemann: “I like to use the fastball a lot — I work off of that — especially now that I’m throwing a little bit harder. Throwing a lot of strikes is my big thing, just keeping it in the zone, along with my slider and changeup. I also try not to keep a rhythm that guys can catch on to; I try to mix it up and work backwards sometimes, starting with a slider and then going fastball in. But I do work with my fastball more than my other pitches.”

 

Laurila: A question I like to ask pitchers is whether they view their craft as more of an art or more of a science. How do you see it?

 

Tiedemann: “Probably more of an art. Different guys are looking for certain things, so you’ve got to attack certain batters in different ways. I look at that as an art form, and something you’ve got to be good at.”

 

Laurila: With all of the technology and data available in today’s game, there is obviously a scientific component to pitching. Do you delve into that very much?

 

Tiedemann: “I don’t look into the numbers too much. I let the Blue Jays staff and coaches look at all that for me. They’ll let me know certain things they think I could do better with certain pitches, and I kind of go from there. I mostly just try to go out and attack the hitters.”

 

Laurila: What are some of the things they feel you could do better, pitch-wise? Is it sequencing, which zones your pitches play best in…

 

Tiedemann: “Yeah, just off certain batters, and how my pitches are moving. Sometimes they want my slider to be doing something it’s not doing at that moment. That’s something I constantly work on, whether it’s them wanting me to change something or to keep it the same. There is the tunneling of my pitches — getting better at doing that — as well. There are all sorts of things that they want to improve on, and that’s what you want. You always want to improve, not just stay the same.”

 

Laurila: Can you elaborate on “want my slider to be doing something it’s not doing?”

 

Tiedemann: “Sometimes I’ll get into the habit of releasing it too early and it will back up; it will kind of pop out early, rather than coming through the zone and finishing in the lower right half of the strike zone.”

 

Laurila: I’ve read that you occasionally have trouble commanding your slider because it moves too much. Is that accurate?

 

Tiedemann: “That’s something I’ve been working on as well. We’re going to see how it goes during the season, and I think just throwing it more and more is going to allow me to locate it better. But yeah, sometimes I can lose it, just like you sometimes can with any pitch. You’ve just got to find it.”

 

Laurila: I assume a lot of it would be where you start the pitch…

 

Tiedemann: “Exactly. Where I’m looking to start my pitch… sometimes I do better throwing sliders against lefties, because I have a cue to go off of, like throwing it at their hip and having to come through the zone. Against righties, I don’t have that target. I’m trying to throw it in the lefty batter’s box and have it go in the zone.”

 

Laurila: What is the movement profile of your slider?

 

Tiedemann: “It kind of changes. Sometimes it doesn’t break as much — it’s a little inconsistent — but that probably helps sometimes because the batter doesn’t know what it’s going to do. But for the most part, it’s more horizontal. It’s more of a sweeper than a slider with depth.”

 

Laurila: Has that always been the case, or is it something you’ve developed?

 

Tiedemann: “I’ve always had a little bit of a sweep because of my arm angle. And my arm slot is a little bit lower, so everything kind of sweeps to the right with my breaking ball, and moves left with my changeup and fastball. Most of my life I’ve had a three-quarters slot.”

 

Laurila: You mentioned throwing harder. Is that from growing into your proverbial man strength, a weighted ball program, something else?

 

Tiedemann: “There’s a lot that goes into it, especially with the Blue Jays. As soon as I got here, I started taking everything more seriously when it comes to lifting in the gym, eating, stretching… everything. I could see the changes right away, and I’m looking to keep improving there as well.”

 

Laurila: You said that your fastball moves arm-side…

 

Tiedemann: “Yes. I have a little bit of tail on it, just naturally, from my arm angle. When I go outside of the zone on a righty, it will tail a lot more, and if I go inside on a righty, it will ride a little more. I have a four-seam that is usually going to move a bit.”

 

Laurila: How do you grip your changeup?

 

Tiedemann: “It’s just a circle change. I hold it with a two-seam grip. I put my fingers on the outside of the seams and kind of flick it from there. I’ve thrown it since I was seven or eight years old. I learned it from one of my travel ball coaches and have stuck with it ever since. I’ve kind of gotten comfortable with it and the way it moves.”

 

Laurila: One last thing: When you think back to the day you signed, are you essentially the same pitcher you expected to be? I don’t mean your results or how quickly you’re progressing, but rather how you go about attacking hitters and getting outs.

 

Tiedemann: “I’m definitely different than what I thought I’d be. At the time, I was a little bit more of a finesse guy. I didn’t throw as hard as I do now and kind of was looking to be a little more of a pitchability guy. But now that I throw harder, I can rely on the fastball a little bit more and get away with more. I can power through a little more.”

 

Laurila: Do you identify as a power pitcher now?

 

Tiedemann: “I think so. I can definitely power through some guys, but I can still pitch really well, too. I can locate my pitches and be a pitcher.”

[BlueRocky]

[ATTACH=CONFIG]2449[/ATTACH]

 

Rank Name

1 Ricky Tiedemann

2 Orelvis Martinez

3 Brandon Barriera

4 Addison Barger

5 Gabriel Martinez

6 Rainer Nunez

7 Damiano Palmegiani

8 Yosver Zulueta

9 Nate Pearson

10 Enmanuel Bonilla

11 Dahian Santos

12 Manuel Beltre

13 Tucker Toman

14 Adam Macko

15 Cade Doughty

16 Josh Kasevich

17 Spencer Horwitz

18 Dasan Brown

19 Alex De Jesus

20 Leo Jimenez

21 Estiven Machado

22 Sem Robberse

23 Eric Pardinho

24 Miguel Hiraldo

25 Adrian Pinto

26 Hagen Danner

27 Adrian Hernandez

28 T.J. Brock

29 Cristian Feliz

30 CJ Van Eyk

31 Yhoangel Aponte

32 Yeuni Munoz

33 Hayden Juenger

34 Irv Carter

35 Luis Meza

36 Rafael Ohashi

37 Robert Robertis

38 Nolan Perry

39 Chad Dallas

40 Kendry Rojas

 

Top 15 writeups

 

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1KRBWRfm2fYC_SsyeNrwtmf2Cn18ga7hxoTecnzwhe4A/edit?usp=drivesdk

 

The aggressive ranking on Gabriel Martinez is interesting, I’m keeping an eye on him.

[Ehjays]

https://www.mlb.com/news/players-could-play-way-onto-top-100-prospects-list

 

The prospects ranked atop of the Top 30s draw most of the attention, but there are plenty of future stars on those lists who are just beginning to emerge. To prove that point, I've assembled a team of the best prospects who didn't rank in the top 10 in their organization and didn't make our top 10 prospects by position. I also limited the squad to players who have made their pro debuts.

 

Several of these guys could play their way onto the Top 100 Prospects list and into the Majors in the next few years:

 

Nick Frasso, RHP, Dodgers (No. 11)

Part of the Mitch White trade with the Blue Jays last August, Frasso has a devastating 95-100 mph fastball with arm-side run and impressive extension, and he also can miss bats with his changeup and slider.

[Terminator]

https://www.mlb.com/news/players-could-play-way-onto-top-100-prospects-list

 

The prospects ranked atop of the Top 30s draw most of the attention, but there are plenty of future stars on those lists who are just beginning to emerge. To prove that point, I've assembled a team of the best prospects who didn't rank in the top 10 in their organization and didn't make our top 10 prospects by position. I also limited the squad to players who have made their pro debuts.

 

Several of these guys could play their way onto the Top 100 Prospects list and into the Majors in the next few years:

 

Nick Frasso, RHP, Dodgers (No. 11)

Part of the Mitch White trade with the Blue Jays last August, Frasso has a devastating 95-100 mph fastball with arm-side run and impressive extension, and he also can miss bats with his changeup and slider.

 

Future superstar

[BlueBaller]

Tiedemann has shoulder soreness. No bueno.

[Terminator]

Fangraphs' Top 41 Blue Jays prospects:

 

https://blogs.fangraphs.com/toronto-blue-jays-top-41-prospects-2023/

[Krylian]

Fangraphs' Top 41 Blue Jays prospects:

 

https://blogs.fangraphs.com/toronto-blue-jays-top-41-prospects-2023/

 

There are some weird ETA's there.

 

CJ Van Eyk they have arriving this year...aggressive considering he's generally underperformed in the minors PLUS he missed all of last season with TJ. Then they have Kasevich ranked 5th, as a 22 year old...arriving in 2027. How do you rank a guy 5th in the system...as a College player...and still think he needs 4+ years of minor league ball before he's ready?

 

Head scratchers for me...

[Terminator]

Compared to other lists they seem to like Leo Jimenez a lot and don't like Gabriel Martinez?

 

Is that fair to say?

[Krylian]

Compared to other lists they seem to like Leo Jimenez a lot and don't like Gabriel Martinez?

 

Is that fair to say?

 

Almost feels like this is their Jimenez and Martinez rankings from last year and they should be flipped.

[Captain_Obvious]

There are some weird ETA's there.

 

CJ Van Eyk they have arriving this year...aggressive considering he's generally underperformed in the minors PLUS he missed all of last season with TJ. Then they have Kasevich ranked 5th, as a 22 year old...arriving in 2027. How do you rank a guy 5th in the system...as a College player...and still think he needs 4+ years of minor league ball before he's ready?

 

Head scratchers for me...

 

Fangraph's ETAs are when players need to be added to 40 man roster.

[keggy]

Barger's swing is something else.

[John_Havok]

Fangraph's ETAs are when players need to be added to 40 man roster.

 

Pretty much, though they do alter it if they think they should, like in the case where it's very obvious a guy is ready a year or two ahead of that mandatory addition date.

[Daniel Labude]

Fangraphs' Top 41 Blue Jays prospects:

 

https://blogs.fangraphs.com/toronto-blue-jays-top-41-prospects-2023/

 

This list lmao

 

Meanwhile

 

[Dagagad]

I’m pretty encouraged by that list. Lots of 40/45 value guys who could pop and/or get traded. This is what a contending team who can draft/scout/develop should look like in the farm imo. It looks like a farm system that could look better at the end of the year too.

 

I also found it interesting that they think otto lopez is destined for CF.

[Krylian]

Fangraph's ETAs are when players need to be added to 40 man roster.

 

Ahh... That makes more sense. But ETA really isn't the best name for that. Oh well.

[John_Havok]

This list lmao

 

Meanwhile

 

 

There's nothing really wrong with the list IMO. Beyond the obvious top 2... everyone else is either at a high enough level that you know what youre getting, or low enough that there's still such a wide variety of outcomes that you wouldn't really expect impact players. They do mention Nunez at the bottom of the article in their "Power-Over-Hit Fliers"

 

Rainer Nunez, 1B - Nunez is a huge-framed 3B/1B who is almost certain to be first base-only at maturity. He’s kept his K rates under control so far, but his righty-hitting first base profile means he has a high bar to clear.

Zach Britton, OF - Britton has above-average bat speed but a 40 hit tool.

Sebastian Espino, 3B - Espino has a 70 frame and a great-looking swing, but he has no feel for the barrel.

 

Reallistically, Nunez has a profile that every team has like 5 of in the minors so its kinda hard to be excited about him.

[John_Havok]

I actually love that Orelvis is polarizing the evaluators.

 

Seems everyone believes in his D profile being 3b and that he will be fine there defensively, everyone believes in the power - but the class is split on whether he can make the adjustment on his swing decisions. If he even makes 50% improvement on that, he's probably a future 50. If he improves more than that in that area, probably a 60+

[keggy]

I actually love that Orelvis is polarizing the evaluators.

 

Seems everyone believes in his D profile being 3b and that he will be fine there defensively, everyone believes in the power - but the class is split on whether he can make the adjustment on his swing decisions. If he even makes 50% improvement on that, he's probably a future 50. If he improves more than that in that area, probably a 60+

 

Based on a limited eye test I agree with reports that he's a bit stiff for SS.

 

I think he can handle 3B but I would also love to see what he can do at 2B. He has a strong throw with some slingshot action like Cano had.

[Daniel Labude]

[G-Snarls]

MLB Pipeline updated farm system rankings

 

Jim Callis, Jonathan Mayo and Sam Dykstra

 

https://www.mlb.com/news/farm-system-rankings-2023-preseason?t=mlb-pipeline-coverage&partnerId=zh-20230323-859750-mlb-1-A&qid=1026&utm_id=zh-20230323-859750-mlb-1-A&bt_ee=HVe3j4YxwegRyu6yq6AxODaWVveVQCv%2BpeJdiQwyYmKpwxLHTo2SizEkfOC9XapM&bt_ts=1679579519605

 

https://www.mlb.com/news/toronto-blue-jays-top-30-prospects-list-2023-preseason?t=mlb-pipeline-coverage

 

(Jays rank #20)

[Daniel Labude]

https://www.sportsnet.ca/mlb/article/they-call-rainer-nunez-mosquito-and-hes-creating-some-buzz-with-blue-jays/

[John_Havok]

Edited March 27, 2023 by John_Havok

[John_Havok]

Hadn't seen this yet but I know alot of us have noticed Bowden Francis has seen an uptick in velo this spring - this helps explain why!

 

https://www.sportsnet.ca/mlb/article/blue-jays-francis-went-searching-for-his-fastball-and-found-it-in-puerto-rico/

 

DUNEDIN, Fla. — Pitching in Puerto Rico this winter, Bowden Francis experienced some pretty wild stuff. There was a brawl in the stands one night. There were the hostile crowds trying to throw off his delivery with air horns. There was the mid-game delay when the mascot for Francis’s Criollos de Caguas got into it with the opposition’s dugout.

 

“There was always something crazy going on,” Francis says. “It was just another thing to work on — the mental game. Getting in your zone, getting in your Zen. Just finding success through those loud noises, those external things that are trying to knock you off your game. It’s just about staying inside and not letting those external factors affect the task at hand.

 

“You just try to breathe and be present. Because if you’re worried about all the stuff around you, you’re out of the game already.”

 

Francis has been thinking deeply about his game like this for some time. His pre-game routine includes mindfulness exercises and focused breathing. He’s been known to burn sage at his locker and walk barefoot into centre field on start days to meditate in the sun. On the mound, he utilizes breathwork techniques to control his heart rate when things aren’t going his way.

 

It’s all meant to help him remain stoic and poised in competition, performing with consistent mettle regardless of whether he’s striking out the side or giving up back-to-back bombs. But coming off a rough 2022 in which he ran a 6.59 ERA over 98.1 triple-A innings and was outrighted off Toronto’s 40-man roster, Francis wanted to delve deeper into the chaos. And the Puerto Rican Winter League provided a fitting environment.

 

Of course, Francis wanted to keep working on some mechanical things, too. Amidst his 2022 struggles, he’d gotten into the lab with Blue Jays developers to search for the tick or two of fastball velocity he’d lost from the time he entered pro ball in 2017. Using motion capture technology, the Blue Jays analyzed Francis biomechanically and found the issue. It was in his hips.

 

“We worked on it a lot during the year. I needed to stop being so linear. I wasn’t staying closed, I wasn’t coiling my hips towards second base,” Francis says. “I wasn’t using the slope of the mound. Now, I’m riding it down, getting into my hips at the right time. It’s all timing.”

 

To help instill the movement patterns he was trying to learn, the Blue Jays had Francis work with a Core Velocity Belt. The training tool uses a harness wrapped around the hips, attached to a long, kinetic bungee cord anchored to the ground, to force athletes to resist being pulled in one direction or another.

 

The more a pitcher practises their throwing motion while countering that tug, the more their muscle memory adapts to move that way without the external drag in games. It’s the same tool Lucas Giolito, Dylan Cease, and Carlos Rodon have credited for helping fine-tune their mechanics and juice velocity.

 

“I’d seen it before on social media. I know it’s really popular with the White Sox guys. So, I gave it a shot. And it definitely helped a lot. It let me find different ranges of motion,” Francis says. “It’s kind of like what a hitter would do as they coil and load up to swing. I used to be just up-and-down, straight to home. Now, my lower body is going towards second base a lot more. I’m just more collected over my back leg.

 

“It took a bunch of reps. Like, a bunch of reps. But I finally got to a place where I found that groove without thinking about it. You can’t think about it. You’ve got to just feel it.”

 

And once you feel it, velocity follows. Francis was operating in the 90-94 m.p.h. range last spring, topping out at 93 while making his MLB debut from Toronto’s bullpen in April. But towards the end of the season with Buffalo, he was consistently working between 91 and 95. And in Puerto Rico, that velocity range ticked up to 92-96.

 

In a short relief appearance last Tuesday against the Yankees, Francis sat 95 and reached 96.5. Four days later, facing New York again as a starter, Francis sat 94 but still hit 95 repeatedly over his three innings. Of the 48 pitches he threw, 36 were fastballs — 9 of which generated a swinging strike.

 

“His velo’s been really good the entire spring,” Blue Jays manager John Schneider said after Francis’s start against the Yankees. “The way he was coming after hitters, getting through the lineup a second time — I just loved it. Loved the conviction he was throwing with.”

 

That fastball-heavy approach is one Francis honed over the winter in Puerto Rico, where he was determined to challenge hitters with his best pitch until they proved they could hit it. More often than not, they couldn’t. Francis pitched to a 1.51 ERA over 35.2 winter ball innings, striking out 47 while walking only 9.

 

“Confidence is a big thing,” Francis says. “Going out there, having fun, being myself out there was a great time. It just helped me gain confidence in my pitches, confidence in myself. Having feel. Not taking that time off in the off-season, I feel like I have an advantage coming into camp with feel for my pitches. Especially with the heater.”

 

Francis’s fastball gets decent ride and a good amount of vertical movement, which lets him run it up-and-in to right-handed hitters. And he releases it from a three-quarter arm slot — unusually low for a pitcher of his height — which creates deception and perceived velocity for hitters unaccustomed to seeing pitches flying at them from the lanes he uses. It’s similar to how Chris Bassitt has leveraged his own unorthodox release to generate consistently weak contact with his deep arsenal.

 

Organizationally, the Blue Jays are perpetually on the hunt for pitchers with unique fastballs. Downhill sinkers thrown from unusually high angles. Gravity-fighting four-seamers riding off back-spin. Ones that approach the plate on a weird plane, confusing the eyes of hitters in the two-tenths of a second they have to make a swing decision. That can be enough to move pitches off barrels and soften the high exit velocities that create damage.

 

But velocity helps, too. And now that Francis is putting some legitimate heat behind his unique fastball, the Blue Jays are hopeful he can put last season’s struggles behind him.

 

The organization has been experimenting this spring with using one-time starters like Francis — think Thomas Hatch, Trent Thornton, Nate Pearson — in hybrid bulk roles that see them pitching multiple innings at various points in ballgames. Opening for a couple frames; taking the third trip through a lineup behind a starter; maybe the occasional shorter stint in the sixth or seventh if matchups make it particularly appealing.

 

It's a valuable role in today’s matchup-driven game featuring shorter starts and more dynamic bullpens. And it’s one Francis could potentially fill at the major-league level if his fastball continues playing as well as it has. He plans to use it anywhere from 65-70 per cent of the time this season, working his big, mid-70’s curveball off of it. He has a high-70’s slider, too. But his fastball’s been so overpowering this spring, he hasn’t had much need for it.

 

It's the best weapon a pitcher can have — an effective fastball. Somewhere along the line, Francis lost what made his play best. But through biomechanical labs, countless reps attached to a bungee cord, and winter ball’s hostile environment, he feels like he’s discovering it again. No one would ever accuse Francis of not thinking deeply enough. But this season, he figures simplicity is the way forward.

 

“I feel it on the mound. I feel gathered. I feel slow. I feel relaxed. Until that last second, when I just exhale, and slap it down,” Francis says. “I’m just trying to challenge hitters, attack them. If I can throw with full intent, I know the outcome will be in my favour.”

[L54]

Huuuuge Bowden Francis now knowing he grounds in the outfield, hits the sun and uses breath work to optimize

[Spanky__99]

 

I was just reading this, was coming to post it. Interesting. He pitched in a MILB game yesterday as well.

[gruber92]

I was just reading this, was coming to post it. Interesting. He pitched in a MILB game yesterday as well.

 

Planning out for September bullets. Another thing that will be interesting to see is the pitch count they'll have him on.

[Daniel Labude]

Pearson looked really good tonight. Rather have him up here than 3 or 4 relievers right now

[Laika]

Pearson looked really good tonight. Rather have him up here than 3 or 4 relievers right now

 

If he can stay healthy for a few weeks he's coming up