Top Toronto Blue Jays prospect Ricky Tiedemann will make his highly anticipated first start in the Grapefruit League when he takes to the mound on Saturday, manager John Schneider told reporters in Florida on Thursday.
Tiedemann, 21, was the Blue Jays’ third-round pick in 2021 and has since become the most highly touted prospect in Toronto’s ranks. He spent the majority of the 2023 season in double-A New Hampshire, where he posted a 5.06 ERA and 58 strikeouts in 32 innings pitched.
Tiedemann ranks 29th overall in the MLB’s top prospect rankings, and first overall for the Blue Jays.
The Long Beach, California, native has drawn rave reviews at spring training, impressing Schneider and pitching coach Pete Walker.
“He has really good momentum coming into this camp, he’s obviously in tremendous shape,” said Schneider. “We just want to see him pitch. We want to build him up properly and just see him.
“His stuff is pretty damn good. We’re interested to see how it’s going to play against hitters this spring.”
Schneider also added that Mitch White and Bowden Francis will pitch on Sunday.
You can watch Tiedemann and the Blue Jays play their first spring training game on Saturday on Sportsnet and Sportsnet+, starting at 1:07 p.m. ET / 10:07 a.m. PT, or listen live on Sportsnet 590 The Fan.
— With files from Canadian Press
