It’s hard to envision Ricky Tiedemann’s 2023 campaign getting off to a better start than his showing tonight at double-A New Hampshire.
Taking to the bump for the first time this season, Toronto’s No. 1 prospect put on a pitching masterclass, carving up the Boston Red Sox affiliate Portland Sea Dogs to the tune of three innings, nine strikeouts, and just two hits allowed.
The 20-year-old had his best stuff going, generating 11 whiffs on the afternoon on just 49 pitches and hit 99 mph multiple times including an untouchable high fastball to retire the side in the second inning.
Tiedemann has rocketed through the Blue Jays system since being selected in the third round of the 2021 MLB Draft. The Long Beach, Calif. native dominated across three levels last season, tossing a combined 78.2 innings with a sparkling 2.17 ERA between single-A, high-A, and double-A.
That success earned the young southpaw plenty of stock across the scouting world over the offseason, with most outlets grading him as a top-30 prospect in baseball.
Tiedemann also earned a Spring Training invite earlier this year, though his time with the Major League club was cut short by shoulder soreness in mid-March that forced him to shut down for a brief period.
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