Article: Blue Jays 2025 Top 20 Prospect Rankings: No. 3, Ricky Tiedemann

[Brian Labude]

Welcome back to the Blue Jays Top 20 prospect breakdown. We are nearing the top of our list and are getting into the top tier prospects. Today, we will take an in depth look at the third-ranked prospect in the Toronto Blue Jays farm system as voted on by the Jays Centre community. Ricky Tiedemann is the man of the hour, let's find out what he does well, what he needs to work on, and what's next for him. 

#3: Ricky Tiedemann, SP, 22, Triple-A, Buffalo Bisons
Tiedemann has traveled a rocky, winding road to get to where he is today. The Blue Jays selected him in the third round of the 2021 draft out of Golden West College in California. Entering the draft, scouts thought he could have a potentially plus changeup to go along with a low-to-mid 90s fastball and a work-in-progress slider (which Statcast considers a sweeper). They loved his frame (6-foot-4) and projectability at the time of the draft. The Blue Jays would wait until the following season to get Tiedemann pitching in games, a common practice for pitchers. In 2022, he sprinted through the farm system, pitching at Low A, High A, and Double A. He showed a pure knack for striking hitters out at each of those levels, running strikeout rates of 44.5%, 36%, and 34.1%, respectively. Despite a walk rate of 9.6%, he ran a combined FIP of 2.51. The season put him squarely on the prospect map and made him a name to know.

Unfortunately, injuries derailed Tiedemann’s push toward prospect royalty in 2023. He only tallied 44 innings between four levels: the Complex League, Low A, Double A, and Triple A. His ability to strikeout hitters was still on full display, as he ended the season with a 44.1% strikeout rate, but his walk rate rose all the way to 12.4%. His FIP of 1.68 on the season reflected the pure dominance he had against hitters and the type of star power he possesses. Injuries struck again in 2024, as elbow nerve inflammation led Tommy John surgery in late July. Tiedemann threw just 17 1/3 innings.

What To Like
Tiedemann will miss most of the 2025 season, but he is still just 22, and he may be ready to contribute in Toronto when he returns. The strikeout potential that he has in his left arm is unique to the extreme top tier of starting pitching prospects and major league pitchers. Tiedemann utilizes a unique lower arm slot to create deception, which makes his extremely flat fastball unhittable at the top of the zone. It is really reminiscent of how Chris Sale has w orked with his arm angles and pitch arsenal.

At FanGraphs, Eric Longenhagen has put 60 grades (on the 20-80 scouting scale) on Tiedemann’s fastball and slider. This combination is extremely difficult for hitters coming out of the lower arm slot. He has already shown how devastating the pitch combo can be. Here he is absolutely handling top prospect James Wood just a few weeks before Wood got called up to Washington and ran a 120 wRC+ as a rookie:

What To Work On
Tiedemann has a lot to work on even though the stuff is more or less major-league ready. Over three seasons as a pro, he’s thrown just 140 innings, and he will need to have his innings managed. At this point, the Blue Jays may want to take a similar approach to the one the White Sox used with Garrett Crochet: just unleash Tiedemann at the major-league level.

Tiedemann will also need to expand his pitch arsenal. Right now, depends mostly entirely on the fastball-slider combo. He throws a changeup about 15-20% of the time, and Longenhagen put a 45 grade on the pitch. If he can develop the changeup into a more serviceable offering, it will expand his strikeout ability by improving his whiff rates down and away to right-handed batters. He will also need to improve his pitchability to the inner half of the zone to right-handed hitters.

Tiedemann’s biggest issue is control, as the walk rates he’s run so far will be untenable in the majors. According to Statcast, he’s ran a combined 44% zone rate in 2023 and 2024, which put him in just the 33rd percentile (among pitchers with at least 500 tracked pitches). Gaining better control and command of his pitches inside to right-handers, Tiedemann can let the ball go wild to his arm side at times due to inconsistent mechanics. These are usually refined and improved through repetition, something he has failed to gain due to lack of innings from injuries.

 

What's Next
Tiedemann can't do much right now but continue to get stronger and healthier during his rehab from Tommy John surgery. Assuming he doesn’t suffer any setbacks, he will be targeting a return to the mound in games late in the season. If everything comes up aces, Tiedemann should be competing for a rotation spot this time next year.

 

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[BatFlip]

So to summarize... Ricky T is the next Chris Sale.

[Orgfiller]

29 minutes ago, BatFlip said:

So to summarize... Ricky T is the next Chris Sale.

If only he didn't also have the health of 30+ year old Chris Sale.

[Brownie19]

What a story it will be when Ricky T comes back healthy, pitches for the Jays down the stretch and into the playoffs.