The industry is beginning to sour on two top Blue Jays prospects

Entering the 2024 baseball season, the Toronto Blue Jays had two of the best top prospects in the league in Jays Journal No. 1 Ricky Tiedemann and Jays Journal No. 2 Orelvis Martinez on the cusp of joining their big league roster. With Tiedemann being the top pitching prospect and Martinez arguably the top positional prospect in the organization, the Jays and their faithful had high hopes and put some lofty expectations on them.

However, this year has turned into a nightmare for both young phenoms. In the case for Tiedemann, his 2024 season was cut short as he had to undergo Tommy John surgery to repair his left elbow that will likely put him out of action through 2025. As for Martinez, he was hit with an 80-game PED suspension that has more or less derailed his growth and development this season. More significantly,, it has taken away his chance to star with the big league club right now amidst their lost season.

As a result of such happenings, it appears as though the industry is beginning to sour on both elite prospects. The latest top 100 MLB prospect rankings by Baseball America (subscription required) had Tiedemann dropping significantly from his previous #33 ranking all the way down to #85, with Martinez free falling from #51 to #83 as well. Even more drastic was Just Baseball’s latest updated top 100, where both players have fallen completely off the list. That is quite disheartening, given the potential impact the two could have provided to the Jays presently if things had actually turned out better.

Looking back on the year, Tiedemann was only able to register a grand total of 17.1 innings in his 2024 minor league season. In doing so, he struggled to a 5.19 ERA and 1.67 WHIP, but he did continue to put his strikeout ability on full display with 27 punch outs in total in those 17-plus innings. With Tiedemann heading towards a prolonged absence, it will likely be a long road ahead for him to build back up his ranking and relevance in the near future.

As for Martinez, he was amidst a breakout season where he was putting up big numbers with the Jays’ Triple-A affiliate Buffalo Bisons. In 63 games, he batted a solid .260 with an .867 OPS, along with 46 runs scored, 14 doubles, 16 home runs and 46 RBI. In doing so, he finally earned his long-awaited promotion to the majors in late June. He got off to a good start, registering his first MLB hit in his debut with the Jays on June 21. However, that was when the suspension hit and the bulk of the remaining part of his season was history. It will likely also take some time for Martinez to build back up his reputation and ranking, as he will need to show that he is capable of producing the same type of power and dominance when he returns to action.

For a Blue Jays squad that has been desperately anticipating for a big impactful boost from within their organization, it looks now like things will need to take a little longer before it could happen with our two best pieces currently in turmoil. Should it be a cause for concern from the Jays’ long-term perspective? Well, if the duo of Tiedemann and Martinez can somehow bounce back and prove once again to everyone that they are the real deal, then they may just be worth all the wait, no matter how long that may be.