Ricky Tiedemann

Tariq Leni Tiedemann

• Bats Left, Throws Left
• Height 6' 3", Weight 220 lb.
• School Golden West College
• High School Lakewood (CA) High School

• Born August 18, 2002 in Long Beach, CA USA

BR Minors page

Biographical Information

Pitcher Ricky Tiedemann was selected by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 3rd round of the 2021 amateur draft out of Golden West College in Huntington Beach, CA. He only made his professional debut the following season, in 2022, but he had quite the first year in the pros. Starting off in the Florida State League, a Low-A circuit that year, he went 3-1, 1.80 in 6 starts for the Dunedin Blue Jays, allowing just 11 hits while striking out 49 batters in 30 innings. He was quickly promoted to High-A, with the Vancouver Canadians of the Northwest League, where he continued to dominate opponents, going 2-2, 2.39 in 8 starts, with 23 hits in 37 2/3 innings and 54 strikeouts. He was named to the American League team for the 2022 Futures Game, which was played on July 16th at Dodger Stadium and pitched a perfect 5th inning for the winning side. He finished the year in AA, with the New Hampshire Fisher Cats of the Eastern League, posting a 2.45 ERA in 4 starts. Overall between the three teams, he was 5-4, 2.17 in 18 games as a starter, logging 78 2/3 innings during which he allowed a mere 39 hits, walked 29 batters, and struck out a whopping 117. That performance hurtled him from virtual unknown at the start of the season to the top pitching prospect in the Blue Jays system.

Tiedemann had been on the Blue Jays' radar for a time before they drafted him. He was a two-way player in high school and the Jays liked him as a hitter as well and were ready to take him in the 2020 amateur draft - except that the coronavirus shortened the draft to five rounds and cut the amount of money teams could give out as a signing bonus, making it impossible to select him. By the time he had played a year of junior college, they were convinced his future was as a pitcher and were willing to expend a top pick to ensure it would take place within their organization. His immediate success proved them right. The signing scout was Joey Aversa.

Further Reading

• Shi Davidi: "How Ricky Tiedemann became the Blue Jays' top pitching prospect", Sportsnet.ca, July 17, 2022. [1]
• Keegan Matheson: "First spring look at Tiedemann fuels top prospect's hype", mlb.com, February 28, 2023. [2]