Toronto Blue Jays top prospect Ricky Tiedemann was named the Pitcher of the Year at the 2023 Arizona Fall League on Saturday.
Tiedemann, 21, had a 2.50 ERA with 23 strikeouts in 18 innings pitched over four starts in the AFL this season. Opposing batters hit just .190 against the six-foot-four left-hander.
"Going into the AFL season, I felt really good. I was really confident in my ability to go out there and compete with the best players in the league," Tiedemann said in a video shared on the AFL's social media. "I was really happy with how my performances went."
Tiedemann is the No. 1 Blue Jays prospect according to MLB Pipeline, and could earn starts at the MLB level in 2024. His 2023 season was disrupted by shoulder soreness and a biceps injury but he still struck out 44 per cent of the batters he faced across all levels. In 2023, he reached triple-A for the first time, making one start at the end of the season.
“The main purpose (in sending Tiedemann to the AFL) was to get him out there and get some innings,” Joe Sclafani, the Blue Jays’ director of player development, told Sportsnet's Shi Davidi.
“It was unfortunate with a couple of injuries throughout the year and him missing that amount of time, but we felt like he was starting to get into a rhythm and it was a good opportunity for him to continue down that path. We wanted him to go out there, focus on execution, crispness of the pitches, be able to throw that slider and the changeup with the fastball command. … He'll transition to getting the body prepared and hopefully being ready to really make a big impact next year. We trust him to and always do the work that he needs to do.”
