SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Fall League pitching matchups don’t get any bigger than what went down Friday night at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick with the two highest-ranked hurlers on MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 Prospects list in attendance at the Arizona Fall League squaring off.

In a league traditionally steeped in offensive prowess, all eyes were firmly on the mound as Surprise tabbed Ricky Tiedemann (TOR No. 1, MLB No. 31) opposite Salt River’s Jackson Jobe (DET No. 3, MLB No. 54). The contest marked the culmination of their respective Fall League journeys after four starts apiece. Both end their seasons healthy, having made emphatic statements about the electric nature of their repertoire during their time in the desert.

Let’s take a look at what made this momentous matchup -- an eventual 7-1 Saguaros win -- a memorable one.

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Key pitch of Jobe’s 1st inning:

When leadoff batter Jacob Hurtubise (Reds) took a cut at the second offering of the game, his bat clipped Salt River catcher Tyler Tolve’s mitt, granting him first base. He would steal second and come around to score, putting an unearned run on Jobe’s ledger out of the gate.

“I've spent time in the Complex League, [Single-A], High-A, got a little taste of Double-A -- so I've thrown a good bit,” Jobe said. “I've seen a lot of stuff this year and last year. Last year, that probably rattles me a little bit. But I felt just fine out there today.”

Key pitch of Tiedemann’s 1st inning:

With fellow Top 100 prospect Jace Jung (Tigers) digging in with a runner in scoring position, a left-on-left battle ensued. The count went full before Tiedemann ripped off a 96.2 mph fastball -- his second-fastest pitch of the night -- for his first strikeout, ending the threat.

Key pitch of Jobe’s 2nd inning:

Jobe got 14 swings on his four-seam fastball Friday and nine resulted in whiffs, including a 2-0 offering to Dasan Brown (TOR No. 29). After reading that Brown’s bat was lagging behind his heater, he proceeded to fire two more such offerings across for a punchout.

“After getting some swings and misses early, one hundred percent it definitely gives me more confidence to go to [my heater],” Jobe said.

Key pitch of Tiedemann’s 2nd inning:

With a runner in scoring position and behind in the count 3-0, Tiedemann went back to his bread and butter: his heater. But while he averaged 94.1 mph on his four-seamer over the course of the start, he took something off to help load the count. Then he reared back for 95.8 -- a 3.1 mph increase from the previous fastball -- to zoom it past Keshawn Ogans (Braves).

“Sometimes I'm trying to finish guys so I gotta put a little bit more into it,” Tiedemann said. “But I think my biggest thing right now is just being in the zone and throwing strikes. And as long as I get ahead of guys, that's where I find the most success.”

Key pitch of Jobe’s 3rd inning:

Armed with a new offering -- his cutter -- Jobe found even more success down the stretch in 2023. He deftly deployed the pitch during the AFL, including freezing Cameron Cauley (TEX No. 13) with it for his fifth strikeout of the night. Conversely, it also accounted for the lone ball put in play off Jobe to exceed a 92 mph exit velocity, a two-run homer from Damiano Palmegiani (TOR No. 18).

“It's been getting better, honestly, over each outing,” Jobe said. “I feel like I’m kind of trying to figure out where and when to use it best.”

Key pitch of Tiedemann’s 3rd inning:

Salt River batters took cuts at 15 of Tiedemann’s sweepers Friday, swinging and missing nine times. One such occasion came to conclude this frame when he got Sterlin Thompson (COL No. 6) to chase down and away out of the zone, polishing off his lone three up, three down frame of the night.

Key pitch of Jobe’s 4th inning:

MLB’s ninth-ranked right-handed pitching prospect capped his 2023 campaign by firing a 95.3 mph heater up and out of the zone that had Abimelec Ortiz (TEX No. 14) waving at the offering.

Key pitch of Tiedemann’s 4th inning:

After retiring the leadoff batter, an error, single and walk loaded the bases with one out. He got ahead of Ogans with a first-pitch heater before breaking out his newest -- and fastest developing -- tool, a low-80s changeup. He got an infield tapper that developed into a tailor-made, inning-ending double play.

“I think I've grown a little bit more comfortable with it rather than during the season,” Tiedemann said. “Having that changeup in your back pocket to get the double play in a situation like that, bases loaded, is huge for the game and huge for momentum for your team.”

Key pitch of Tiedemann’s 5th inning:

Having yielded his lone run of the outing earlier in the frame, MLB’s second-ranked left-handed pitching prospect faced two runners on with Jung digging in. Tiedemann snapped off a 1-0 sweeper that landed at the bottom of the zone for a called strike ... but not before Jung enacted a challenge via the ABS system. The call stood and Tiedemann remained in control, eventually retiring Jung on a popout.

“I think it's definitely a learning experience,” Tiedemann said. “You gotta learn how to pitch with it and kind of use it to your advantage. ... Basically taking away their challenges by the [fifth] inning really helps your team as well. So if you can kind of finesse it in that way, it'll help your [relievers] as well.”

Jobe:
Pitch usage: FB (31), CUT (18), SWP (13), CH (11)
Swings-and-misses: 12
Strikeouts: 7
Max velo: 98.3 mph

Tiedemann:
Pitch usage: FB (39), SWP (33), CH (7)
Swings-and-misses: 14
Strikeouts: 5
Max velo: 96.3 mph

Jobe in AFL:

3-1, 2.87 ERA, .233 BAA, 1.21 WHIP, 19 K’s, 15 2/3 IP

“This is definitely the highest level of competition I’ve faced,” Jobe said. “So to be able to come out here and have some success, that definitely gives me some confidence [going] into next year.

“This is what I want: to play against the best guys.”

Tiedemann in AFL:

2-1, 2.50 ERA, .190 BAA, 1.11 WHIP, 23 K’s, 18 IP