Blue Jays top prospect Ricky Tiedemann has hype train rolling with blazing start

Expectations for Toronto Blue Jays top prospect Ricky Tiedemann were sky-high entering the season, but in just two outings the southpaw has sent the hype train into overdrive.

That's especially impressive considering Tiedemann's workload is being monitored closely and he's pitched just 6.2 innings in 2023. It may sound ludicrous to have a strong reaction to a pitcher recording 20 outs at the Double-A level, but what's more absurd is the way the lefty has dominated the competition.

In his two starts, Tiedemann, who is approximately four-and-a-half years younger than the average Double-A player, has struck out 55.5% of the hitters he's faced while allowing just 22.2% to reach base.

Tiedemann's season debut was a three-inning outing where he didn't need a single out from his fielders.

That game caught the eye of Blue Jays manager John Schneider, who told Rob Longley of the Toronto Sun that he "didn't know what else [Tiedemann] had to do at Double-A".

He followed that up with a slightly choppier outing on Wednesday night that included a first-inning run allowed but little else, with six of his 11 outs coming via the K.

Including last season, Tiedemann now has six Double-A starts under his belt. In those games he's struck out 29 hitters in 17.2 innings while conceding just eight hits. It's not a stretch to say that he's too good for the level and a promotion to Triple-A is likely to come soon.

What this means for his road to the major leagues is a bit more unclear. Tiedemann has stuff that would probably play out of an MLB bullpen today, but the Blue Jays are wisely trying to give him development time as a starter considering his considerable ceiling in that higher-value role.

The team is also dealing with a player who had just 78.2 pro innings under his belt prior to 2023 and trying to build up his innings in a responsible way.

No one would be surprised to see Tiedemann make his MLB debut at some point this season. Exactly what that looks like is still foggy. The most obvious route to take is using him in relief down the stretch to both manage his innings total and give the big-league club a boost, but making starts in the majors isn't totally out of the question.

For now, the left-hander continues to show the Blue Jays that he could have a very bright future with the team. What remains to be seen is when the club decides that the future is now.