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.

For all the hype surrounding Tiedemann heading into 2023, the next months would be dominated by injury news. He ended up making just 15 starts that season, including 3 on rehabilitation assignments, and he appeared for four different teams, spanning the whole of the Jays system from the AAA Buffalo Bisons to the Florida Complex League. He went 0-5, 3.68 and logged just 44 innings, the lopsided record a reflection of the fact he hardly ever reached five innings in any start, thus could never qualify for the win. His numbers were good though, with just 31 hits allowed, 82 strikeouts and 23 walks, but his fragile health was a big concern. In 2024, he had to deal with another injury after just 3 starts at Buffalo, although it was not considered overly serious. But it was in fact a serious issue: he only returned to make some rehabilitation outings in mid-June, and made just one more start with Buffalo, on July 10th, before heading back to the IL. On July 27th, it was announced that he would need to undergo Tommy John surgery, ending his season and costing him most or all of 2025 as well.

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]
• Keegan Matheson: "Blue Jays’ tide could change with this pitcher’s return", mlb.com, May 9, 2024. [3]