Tiedemann gives, gets Surprise in Fall League debut

SURPRISE, Ariz. – Donning a Surprise Saguaros hat for the first time, little did Ricky Tiedemann know he had another surprise in store during his Arizona Fall League debut on Tuesday night.

While warming up, the Blue Jays’ No. 1 prospect looked up in the stands and saw his parents, who traveled from California to see him take the hill at Surprise Stadium. On the same day that the big league club kicked off the 2023 postseason campaign, a major part of its future took his latest step in a push toward Toronto.

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“It kind of made me a little bit excited to go out there,” Tiedemann said of seeing his parents. “Really, it was a fun game to play.”

After the game, Tiedemann embraced and took photos with the more than half-dozen family members in attendance. His mom, Mimi, sported a custom white Jays jersey with “Tiedemann” on the back.

“When I come out here, that’s who I’m doing it for,” Tiedemann told MLB.com in April. “It’s about my parents, my family and my friends, but especially my mom. What she’s done for me, you can’t take any of that for granted. I’m so happy she’s as supportive as she is. It’s such a good thing, and I love her for that.”

Tiedemann compiled seven strikeouts over five innings of one-run ball in an eventual 9-0 Saguaros defeat to the Javelinas. MLB's second-ranked lefty pitching prospect worked around three walks and scattered a trio of singles, continually bowing his neck to limit the damage

At its core, the Fall League offers prospects an opportunity to further hone their repertoire and iron out some of the kinks prior to their time in the big leagues, where the margins become razor thin. In that regard, Tiedemann’s start can be seen as an even bigger success. He continually worked around traffic and tinkered with his arsenal, gathering further intel as to what works and when.

“I mean, it's going to happen when you play at the highest level, the guys are gonna get on regardless of what you do,” Tiedemann said. “So I think it's what you do with that, and I think the times that I let guys on today, I showed a good amount of poise when I was out there. So I'm happy with it.”

MLB’s No. 31 overall prospect undoubtedly had some extra juice in the tank early, consistently sitting at 93-95 mph in the first few innings, ramping his heater up as high as 96. His first time through the order also featured a steady diet of low-80s sweepers, as it accounted for his first two punchouts and befuddled Peoria batters.

While Tiedemann noted that the sweeper began to slip as his pitch count rose, he began to lean heavily on his heater later in at-bats, utilizing it to finish each of his final four strikeouts. His best offering – a 70-grade changeup – was used sparingly as he continues to hone his arsenal. Just 11 days since his final regular-season start, the lefty was able to stay in rhythm, quickly ramping back up upon arriving in Arizona.

Tiedemann’s stint in the desert stems from a left biceps issue that first cropped up in May, throwing his season into flux. After impressing Blue Jays brass during Spring Training, the southpaw was on the fast track. The injury threw his timeline out of whack, even as he continued to dominate no matter where he got the ball. Across 15 starts at four levels, Tiedemann allowed three hits or fewer 14 times. Among all Minor League hurlers who threw at least 40 innings this year, he amassed the second-most K/9 IP (16.8), whiffing a staggering 44 percent of all batters faced.

As Tiedemann worked his way back, he faced a panoply of batters across the Rookie-level Florida Complex League and Single-A, eventually graduating to Triple-A Buffalo to wrap his year. While the traditional metrics don’t pop – zero wins, a 3.68 ERA – the 21-year-old has gained further experience facing a variety of batters at all levels.

Declaring himself ready to go upon arriving in Arizona, the 2021 third-rounder is the highest-ranked hurler on the fall circuit. While outs and wins are always welcome, prepping for the highest level remains paramount. As the Jays embark on a push toward their first pennant in 30 years, one of their most anticipated young hurlers in the same span continues his preparation for a one-way ticket north.