Ranking the top 10 most important young players to the Blue Jays’ future

No. 5 - LHP Ricky Tiedemann

Drafted by the Jays in the third round of the 2021 MLB Draft, Tiedemann appears to be quite the gem, as looking back, he could have easily gone in the first round if the draft was redone over. Since beginning his pro career in the Jays’ organization in 2022, his performance has been nothing short of exceptional, as he moved through three levels from Single-A to Double-A in just a one year span. He pitched to a cumulative 5-4 record, with a 2.17 ERA, 0.864 WHIP, with 29 walks and 117 strikeouts in just 78.2 innings, and appeared to be unstoppable.

In 2023, he has met some more adversity though. After starting the year with New Hampshire on a high note, he has struggled a bit in his last two starts before going onto the IL with left biceps inflammation. The Jays will definitely give him all the time he needs to fully recover from his current injury, and to regroup and refocus on getting back to his dominant form. As he continues to grow and develop, Tiedemann could be the Jays’ first homegrown, left-handed, front-end of the rotation/ace potential starter since Ricky Romero back in the 2010s era. He will be a key piece to the Jays’ starting rotation in the near future as the contracts of both lefties Hyun Jin Ryu and Yusei Kikuchi are set to expire following this season and next, respectively.