Blue Jays 2023 Top Prospects: 10 - 1

Thursday, January 11 2024 @ 07:00 AM EST

On to the top 10.

10. Enmanuel Bonilla | CF

Photo from Instagram @manuelbonilla799

Enmanuel Bonilla was the Blue Jays top international signing in 2022. Bonilla is from the Dominican Republic and signed for $4.1M. In 2023 he played in the DSL.

Bonilla is a 6'1" right-handed hitting centre fielder. He has very good bat speed and good power. He is listed at 180 pounds but he has been described as burly. Many scouts believe he will stay in center but others think he might end up in a corner.

Bonilla hit .307 in 50 games in the DSL. He did get off to a very slow start with no hits in his first three games. It took him two weeks to get his average to .300. But then he finished June with an 11-game hit streak. Bonilla hit .288 in June, .273 in July and .391 in August. Two of his three home runs came in August too, giving him a 1.087 OPS in that month.

The one concern with Bonilla is his strikeout rate which was just under 30% in each of his three months. He did walk a little, 27 walks vs 55 K's, but are the strikeouts just from a free-swinging kid, or a sign of bat-to-ball skills that are lower than one would like?

Bonilla will be in the US next year, in extended spring and the FCL. He will turn 18 in January.

9. Spencer Horwitz | 1B

Photo from USA TODAY

At this stage of his career Spencer Horwitz is reasonably well known. He made his major league debut in 2023 and was a semi-regular in September appearing in 12 games.

Horwitz spent the last two months of 2022 in Buffalo and it was expected that he would return there in 2023. That he did, playing in 107 games. He had a bit of a slow start, hitting .220 in the middle of April but that was a temporary blip. Seven hits in his last two games in April brought his average for the month to .301. Spencer was a .300 hitter through June when he was called up for the first time. He played in three games for the Blue Jays before returning to Buffalo. That set the stage for a torrid second half. He hit .378 in July, with an OPS over 1.150, and .407 in August with another OPS over 1.100.

That earned Horwitz a second chance in the big leagues and while he did well, he didn't repeat his AAA numbers. In September he hit .258 with one home run. While he walked more than he struck out in Buffalo, he struck out nine times in the major leagues with only two walks. It is tough to get used to major league pitchers, and it is doubly tough when you know you are considered on the bubble to be a major leaguer and you are anxious to show how good you are. In any event, his September OPS of .726 was league average.

One of Horwitz's "issues" is that he is a first baseman and that position is occupied in Toronto. The other issue is that first basemen are usually home run hitters and Horwitz is not that. He hit 10 in Buffalo last season and would do well to hit that many in the major leagues.

FanGraphs Zips has Horwitz replicating his September numbers over a full season in Toronto with a 1.6 WAR. That is not terrible but is that it? Can he improve on his September performance now that he has learned what it is like to face major league pitching? Or could he be platooned with say Davis Schneider in a right-left combination at DH? As it stands, he could head back to Buffalo in 2024 unless there is a gap at the major league level. A lower-ranked team could pick him up in a trade. Or he could have to bide his time to see if the Jays are going to keep Vladdy around if he doesn't sign a new contract. Horwitz just turned 26 so his time is now.

8. Alan Roden | OF

Photo from csplusbaseball.ca

One can make a convincing case that Alan Roden was the biggest breakthrough-hitting prospect in the Toronto Blue Jays system in 2023.

Born in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, Roden grew up in Wisconsin where he attended Middleton High School. He was a catcher for the first three years before leaving life as a backstop aside to take over at shortstop. Leaving the tools of ignorance behind agreed with Roden as he slashed .465/.556/.721 and struck out only two times to help the MHS Cardinals capture their first regional title in eight years.

After being a redbird in high school, Roden joined a bird of a different feather in college by joining the Creighton Bluejays where he would be teammates with fellow Jays minor league outfielder Will Robertson. After redshirting his 2019 freshman season, he only got to the plate five times before COVID truncated the 2020 campaign. However, he made the most of his limited time in the batter's box as he got two hits, including his first collegiate home run against Minnesota.

That was a sneak preview of what Roden would provide in 2021 when he won the Big East Freshman of the Year award. The First Team All-Big East selection put together a batting line of .378 /.476/.685 with 26 extra-base hits, including nine home runs and 47 runs batted in. He later played in summer college ball with the Upper Valley Nighthawks of the New England Collegiate League where he hit .357 with 15 extra-base hits while being extremely efficient on the basepaths by going 28-for-29 in the stolen base department.

As Baseball America's Preseason Big East Player of the Year coming into the 2022 season, Roden was the co-winner of the Big East Player of the Year Award after batting .387/.492/.598 with 25 doubles among his 31 extra-base knocks. He was the second-toughest player to strike out in Division I baseball as he whiffed only eight times in 242 plate appearances. Roden would get in more game action by joining the Wareham Gateman of the Cape Cod League before securing an invite to the MLB Draft Combine.

After drawing 49 walks and striking out 27 times during his time at Creighton, Roden was drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in the third round of the 2022 MLB Draft with scout Wes Penick backing that selection. After agreeing to a $497,500 signing bonus, Roden reported to Dunedin and drew a walk in his first professional at-bat en route to a .374 on-base percentage to help the D-Jays reach the playoffs. He then batted .294 with a .888 OPS in the postseason.

The 2023 campaign saw Roden begin his first full season in Vancouver. He was marked down in the leadoff spot of the Canadians batting order 53 times by manager Brent Lavallee after launching his Northwest League career with a 25-game on-base streak. He ended his YVR tenure with a 16-game on-base streak that included a hit in the first 15 games in that stretch. It was off to Double-A New Hampshire where he continued to hit for more power. After slugging .657 in his last nine games with Vancouver, he batted .321 and slugged .554 to give him an OPS of .965 in August. The power surge tailed off in September but his batting average and OBP remained north of .300 and .400 respectively.

The walk rate for Roden remained steady in the 12-13 percent range while his strikeout rate was less than 10 percent in Vancouver before jumping to over 15 percent in New Hampshire. His BABIP rates checked in at .350, around 100 points higher than his Dunedin total in 2022. He was not pulling the ball as much with New Hampshire as his pull rate was down almost seven percent to over 43 percent with the Fisher Cats. He went to the opposite field over five percent more from his time with the C's at over 35 percent. His home run/fly ball rate doubled from Vancouver to New Hampshire with 12.5 percent of his fly balls leaving the yard.

Roden uses an upright stance in the righthand side of the batter's box—which Baseball America compares to Los Angeles Angels first baseman Nolan Schanuel. He broke down his approach at the plate with C's Plus Baseball.

"You can't attack every pitcher the same way. You have your certain hot zones and pitches you want to hit but you know you can't approach a flame-throwing righty the same as you would kind of more like a junker lefty, right? That throws from the side at 45 degrees. So it kind of changes and also depends on who's on base, what the situation is in the game. Do I gotta move a runner? Do I have to sac fly? Do I have to just kind of roll over the baseball, get a ground ball with second base and move 'em over. Things like that change how you approach an at-bat. But a lot of time, it's just hammer the fastball and hope that you trust yourself enough to be able to adjust anything that's slow."

Baseball America's Geoff Pontes thinks Roden could be an everyday regular in the majors.

"I believe he is, the scouts that were lower on Roden questioned the bat speed...The setup is odd and he sells some power for contact and approach but there's little debate about whether or not he can hit. Just need to see a little more impact."

With the glove, Roden manned the outfield corners save for one appearance at first base. He was in left field in 35 of his 54 contests in the outfield with Vancouver. In New Hampshire, it was the opposite as Roden saw more time in right in New Hampshire with 26 of his 42 starts coming in the nine-spot.

Roden's tools are in the average to above-average range with his ability to hit for power considered to below-average or fringe-average.

Turning 24 on December 22, Roden will probably return to Double-A New Hampshire to begin 2024 but he could be pushed to Triple-A Buffalo with a chance to reach the majors later in the season.

7. Brandon Barriera | LHP

Photo from Instagram @therealbrandonbarriera

Brandon Barriera was the Jays first-round pick in the 2022 draft. He did not pitch in 2022 after being signed which was a bit of a surprise as Barriera cut short his high school season to be ready for the draft. Barriera is listed at 6'2" and 180 lbs and throws left-handed. Barriera was 18 when drafted and turned 19 during spring training.

Based on his not having pitched much in 2022 there was a lot of interest to see how he would start 2023. And this is the point where this report gets murky. The reports out of spring training suggested that Barriera showed up "heavy" and out of shape. The Jays of course wouldn't say that exactly, instead saying that Brandon needs to get in "baseball shape". Baseball America said Barriera had a shoulder issue which might or might not be related to showing up out of shape. We don't know exactly what stalled Barriera in the spring, just that he was held back and that poor start rippled through the season. As BA stated "he added mass at the expense of athleticism. The added strength didn't translate to conditioning."

Barriera was assigned to extended spring training to start the season and was called up to Dunedin at the start of May. He made four starts there but then ended on the IL with a sore elbow. He returned in July and made three more starts before once again going on the IL with bicep soreness. In total, it was an 18-inning season for Barriera. Between the slow start, the trips to the IL, and just 18 innings pitched, it was a disappointing season for him.

On the positive side, when he did pitch he did well. His opponent's WHIP was under one, at 0.93. He struck out over 11 per nine innings and his swinging strike rate was above average at 14%. A fastball/slider combination is what got Barriera noticed. It is hard to look at Barriera's pitching details from 2023 without knowing if he was pitching while hurt, or sore, or if the Jays were telling him to be careful. But his fastball averaged around 92-93 mph and hit 96 at times with good movement. His mid 80's slider ranks high on the spin charts at 2500 to 2600 rpm which gets him a plus or double plus grade from BA. Baseball America has graded the fastball as a 55 and the slider as a 65. Those two pitches drive his value but Barriera has also shown a decent change up and a curve. But the fastball and slider accounted for the majority of his pitches thrown in 2023.

Barriera had a tough 2023 and that sets up a wide range of outcomes for 2024. If he can get in shape and avoid injuries he should start in Dunedin and move to Vancouver pretty quickly. He could even start in Vancouver with a good spring. However, conditioning and injuries could stall that timetable. Persistent issues could consign him to a bullpen role, but that is a risk for all young starting pitchers.

6. Adam Macko | LHP

Photo from csplusbaseball.ca

The 2023 season was a success for Adam Macko from a health standpoint and his prospects as a major leaguer. He made all 20 of his regular season starts with Vancouver and got the ball in Game 1 of the Northwest League final. The only 2023 transaction on his MiLB.com page was a November 16 entry which stated "Toronto Blue Jays selected the contract of LHP Adam Macko from Vancouver Canadians."

The Slovakian-born southpaw was added to the Blue Jays 40-man roster exactly one year to the day after being acquired from the Seattle Mariners in a trade in which reliever Erik Swanson also came to Baseball North in exchange for outfielder Teoscar Hernández.

The Mariners selected Macko in the seventh round of the 2019 MLB Draft out of Vauxhall Academy in Alberta and was teammates with current Blue Jays infield prospect Damiano Palmegiani. Seattle gave the Stony Plain, Alberta native a $250,000 signing bonus to turn down an opportunity to go to Purdue.

Macko began pitching as a Grade 1 student in Slovakia and continued to pitch as an 11-year-old when his family moved to Ireland. Ironically, he played for a team in Bray, south of Dublin, called the Greystone Mariners. After winning a Little League title in the Emerald Isle, Macko's family moved to Alberta where he pitched for Spruce Grove and Team Alberta. He also took part in a pair of Tournament 12 events at the Dome in Toronto, a place he hopes to call his major league home.

After being drafted by Seattle, Macko debuted with a pair of relief appearances in the Arizona League before getting called up to short-season Everett in 2019. His lone appearance with the AquaSox came at Nat Bailey Stadium where he threw two shutout innings against Vancouver on July 25. He returned to the AZL Mariners and recorded a 3.09 earned run average over 23-1/3 innings in which he struck out 32 batters and walked 12.

After the 2020 pandemic, Macko resumed his career with Low-A Modesto in 2021 and went 2-2 with a 4.59 ERA over 33-1/3 innings and a 56-21 strikeout/walk total. Unfortunately for Macko, his season was cut short due to recurring shoulder tenderness according to Baseball America.

In 2022, Macko returned to Everett but this time at the High-A level. He struck out 11 batters in his first start of the year with five innings of three-run ball against eventual Northwest League champion Eugene on April 9. Macko then returned to Nat Bailey Stadium and he put on a show in front of friends and family. He blanked the C's over five innings in which he struck out seven batters on May 3 and collected another seven whiffs over four frames of two-run ball on Mother's Day May 8. Unfortunately, Macko made only two more starts due to elbow soreness and he also underwent surgery to fix the meniscus in his right knee according to MLB Pipeline. That cut short a season in which he posted a 3.99 ERA and a 60-20 K/BB total in 38-1/3 innings.

Macko did make it back to the mound in 2022 as he saw action in the Arizona Fall League. In one outing, Baseball America reported he struck out Yankees prospect Jasson Dominguez swinging on a 95 mph fastball, Cubs prospect Matt Mervis looking on a slider at 86 and Marlins prospect Cameron Barstad looking at a bender of 72.

The C's tabbed Macko as their Opening Night Starter but their first three games against Spokane were rained out. He had to wait until April 20 to make his mound debut and it came against his former team in Everett where he struck out seven batters over four frames of two-run ball. He was roughed up for eight runs over 3-2/3 innings in his next outing against Eugene on April 30.

In May, Macko won his first game as a member of the Toronto organization with five shutout innings against Everett on May 11 at The Nat. That was part of a month in which he logged a 3.75 ERA and struck out 24 batters over 24 innings.

It was a turn for the worse in June when Macko had a 6.60 ERA but he stepped things up towards the end of July with five shutout innings and seven punchouts against—you guessed it—Everett in front of the Vancouver faithful.

August began the way July ended with five more goose eggs and four whiffs to win an August 2 start in Hillsboro. He punched out 11 more batters and checked visiting Spokane to just two hits on August 11. He ended August with just one run allowed and seven Ks over five frames against Hillsboro on August 30.

The momentum of a 3.63 ERA in August rolled into September to the tune of a no-hit effort in which Macko walked two batters and struck out eight over five shutout frames to win his final regular season start at Tri-City on September 5. That effort landed Macko Northwest League Pitcher of the Week honours.

Macko's season finished on a high note as he blanked—you'll never guess—Everett over five innings in enemy territory to get the victory in Game 1 of the Northwest League final on September 12. He then got to celebrate four nights later as the C's captured the Northwest League Championship in four games.

Looking back on the season, Macko told C's Plus Baseball he attributed his success to a renewed focus on the mound.

"I threw every pitch with purpose and confidence and that was one of the biggest reasons I was able to throw the way I did. Learning to be patient and being where my feet are were the biggest keys for me. I've learned to embrace the moment, detach myself from results and just focus on the day-to-day with a plan."

The pitching repertoire for Macko leans on a fastball in the 92-96 mile per hour range with a slider in the mid-80s. He also likes to throw a looping curve that has been known to drop in the high 60s and a changeup. Those pitches are considered to be average to above-average on the 20-80 scouting scale depending on who you listen to. The consensus appears to be Macko needs to work on his control and command to become a starter at the big league level.

The walk rate for Macko went down one percent but his strikeout rate dipped below 30 percent at 28.5. Once again, he was not lucky in terms of BABIP with a .327 mark, 40 points lower than his 2022 total. Macko did a better job keeping the ball in the park, nearly halving his over 18 percent home run/fly ball rate from 2022.

Exposure to Double-A ball is awaiting Macko in 2024. The 6-foot-0, 170-pound hurler will be 24 years old on December 30.

5. Leonardo Jiménez | SS

Photo from MiLB.com

At age 22 Leonardo Jiménez is your average Joe. Is he a great hitter? No, but he controls the zone and can hit for average. Does he have big power? No, but he can hit some bombs and is improving in that regard. Is he an outstanding shortstop? He is good but there is one question over his ability to stick there. Is he an outstanding runner? No, but he has decent speed. With these traits some tab Jiménez for a utility role or a job with a second-tier team. But he played 2023 at age 22, getting to AAA, so he does have time to develop further.

Jiménez signed in 2017 for $825,000 out of Panama. He hit well in Bluefield before the pandemic, and in Dunedin after. Those seasons put him high on the Jays prospect list. The one concern was that he was injury-prone, his highest number of at-bats in a season through 2021 was 221.

Vancouver then was a bit of a bump in his career progression. He was injured again and he hit just .230. Several injuries might have interfered with his ability to be consistent at the plate.

Nevertheless, the Jays promoted Jiméenez to New Hampshire to start 2023. He did make two short trips to the IL again but he was able to put in an improved offensive performance. He hit .287 with a .808 OPS. Jimenez has a short swing that is excellent at making contact. He strikes out less than 20% of the time and has a low swinging strike percentage. He walks a decent amount, 32 in NH versus 53 K's. His on-base percentage in NH was .400 in a couple of months and close to that in another. Jiménez swings from the right and hits lefties a little better than right-handed pitchers although strangely he hardly walked against left-handed pitchers, just three walks out of his 32 came against lefties.

On August 29th, the Jays promoted Jiménez to Buffalo. In 18 games he hit just .190, although his walks took his OBP up to .338. He didn't strike out a lot, it was his BABIP that dragged him down, just .250. It was a learning opportunity for the 22-year-old.

In the field, Jiménez is a smooth shortstop. Some scouts wonder if his arm is strong enough for the position but his range and movements appear to be well suited to short. Jiménez did play some second base in NH but only shortstop in Buffalo.

Jiménez should return to Buffalo in 2024 where he should be the everyday shortstop. He was added to the 40-man roster two years ago so he can only be optioned without waivers in 2024. By 2025 he could be claimed by another team if he was sent to the minors. That sets up 2024 as a big year for Jiménez, he needs to prove he belongs on a major league roster.

4. Addison Barger | 3B/OF

Photo from Instagram @mlbpipeline

Addison Barger had an up-and-down season in 2023 but remains one of the Jays top prospects.

Barger rocketed through the system in 2022. Drafted out of high school in 2018, Barger had been decent over his first few seasons but hadn't done anything to particularly stand out. But 2022 was a revelation. He hit .300 in Vancouver, then did even better in New Hampshire, hitting .313. Buffalo was even better, hitting .355 in eight games.

Expectations were high for Barger heading into 2023 but he had a poor April as he dealt with an elbow injury. That led to him going on the IL at the end of April until June 8th. He returned to the FCL and then Dunedin before returning to Buffalo on June 21st. He wasn't in form on his return to Buffalo, hitting in the .230s at the start of August. But August was his best month, he hit .309, walked more than he struck out, 17 vs 12, and eleven of his 25 hits were extra-base hits. His OPS for the month was .928. But then September was poor, hitting just .222. In one 10-game stretch, he had just three hits. As was noted at the start of this report, it was an up-and-down season.

So what do we understand from his 2023 season? First, we do not know the extent of the elbow injury and how that impacted his season. The Jays farm director Joe Sclafani said that it seemed Addison never got into a full rhythm. He also felt that Barger was pull-happy in 2023. Indeed he pulled the ball 50% of the time. Baseball America is more optimistic, noting that Barger's exit velocity improved by 3 mph in 2023. They also note improved contact and swing decisions. Barger's strikeout rate was 21.7%, lower than what he posted in Vancouver and New Hampshire in 2022.

In the field, Barger primarily played shortstop, third base and right field. Most scouts don't think Barger will be a major league shortstop. Opinions are split between third base and right field as his landing spot. He does have a very strong arm which works in both positions. He is an average runner who is unlikely to steal a lot of bases in the major leagues.

Barger will likely return to Buffalo for 2024 and look to improve his performance in his age-24 season.

3. Arjun Nimmala | SS

Photo from Instagram @arjunnimmala99

Arjun Nimmala was the Jays first round pick, 20th overall, in the 2023 draft. Nimmala is the highest-drafted Indian player, his parents emigrated from India to Florida in the early 2000s just before Arjun was born. Nimmala had played cricket when he was younger but later switched to baseball. He thrived at baseball, living in the Tampa area gave him lots of opportunities to play, and he won several awards at the state and county level.

Nimmala was one of the youngest players in the draft, he turned 18 in October. Therefore he will play all of 2024 as an 18-year-old. Nimmala is 6'1" and is listed at 170 lbs, a good size for a shortstop.

Nimmala's bat is his major strength. He is described as having quick and big, hands. This bat speed helps him generate power. He is also described as having a strong arm and enough range to handle shortstop.

Nimmala played nine games in the FCL hitting just .200. However he walked 14 times in 39 plate appearances which gave him a .500 OBP. It seemed as though Nimmala was looking at a lot of pitches, either to figure out the pitchers or perhaps being too passive as he acclimated to the pro game.

Nimmala is a toolsy, young, raw player who will likely start 2024 in the FCL and would hope to see Dunedin before the end of the season.

2. Orelvis Martinez | SS

Photo from MiLB.com

This was last year's abbreviated Orelvis Martinez's scouting report. "If he learns which pitches to swing at he could be a star. If he doesn't he will have a very short career." Well, it looks like Orelvis did learn which pitches to swing at in 2023.

Orelvis had a 150 wRC+ in rookie ball at age 17. After missing 2020 due to Covid he went to Dunedin in 2021 and had a 149 wRC+. That earned him a late-season call-up to Vancouver where he hit nine home runs in 27 games, although the home runs took the attention away from a .214 batting average and 22% K rate. Many observers thought Orelvis would be back in Vancouver to start 2022 but the Jays surprisingly sent him to New Hampshire where he had a very disappointing season, too few hits and too many strikeouts. Some fingers were pointed at the Jays management suggesting they had pushed him up too fast. That set the stage for 2023, was Orelvis harmed permanently or could he recover his previous form?

Once the season started it looked like the former. Orelvis hit .089 in April and .236 in May. On May 19th he had walked eight times and struck out 32 times. He was hitting .149. It didn't look good. But then something happened, Orelvis changed on a dime. Through the next 10 games in May, he walked 13 times and struck out six. In June he walked 14 times and struck out 14. In short order. he went from a free swinger to one that walked more than he struck out. That trend continued in July until his promotion to Buffalo in mid-July. It seems that Orelvis decided to stop swinging at balls off the plate. That led to more walks and eventually better pitches to hit. Orelvis hit .280 in June with a .871 OPS.

As mentioned Orelvis was promoted to Buffalo on July 17. His Buffalo stats over the last two months of the season were consistent. He hit .276 in August and .268 in September. His OPS was .867 in August and .877 in September. Around 50% of his hits went for extra bases in both months. The one area to watch is that Orelvis's plate discipline went backwards in Buffalo. He walked 26 times and struck out 66.

Batted ball data showed a 50% fly ball rate for Orelvis in 2022. That declined in 2023 to 44% in Buffalo. His 25% line drive rate in Buffalo was excellent. His pull rate was 53% in AAA, one of the highest in the system. When you watch Orelvis hit, his power is impressive and seems effortless. The key to his success is getting the right pitches to hit.

He played this season as a 21-year-old, very young for someone in AAA. He will play all of 2024 as a 22-year-old, his birthday is in November.

Defence reports on Orelvis are not great. Scouts always thought he would move off shortstop and he played most often at second base in AAA. The Jays are non-committal but it is beginning to look like 2B will be his position.

If Orelvis gets a pitch to hit he can do major damage. How does he get that pitch? By being more selective. Orelvis is likely to be back in Buffalo next April. His numbers in AAA were good last season but he still could improve on his plate discipline. He also needs to get more reps at second base, assuming the Jays have made that decision. He is likely to make noise again in spring training when he will see a lot of fastballs in the first couple of weeks.

1. Ricky Tiedemann | LHP

Photo from MiLB.com

Ah, the life of a pitching prospect. Ricky Tiedemann wows whenever he takes the mound. The problem is he doesn't take the mound all that often. So, do you bet on the arm, or the durability, or neither?

Although Tiedemann is recognized universally as the Blue Jays number one prospect, he was only a third-round selection in 2021, selected at number 91 overall. All 30 teams passed on him at least twice. And then he signed for an under-slot deal! Something happened between the draft and Tiedemann pitching professionally where he added several MPH to his fastball. If that had happened a month earlier he would have been picked much higher in the draft.

Tiedemann pitched in 18 games in 2022, throwing 78.2 innings with an ERA of 2.17. He was so outstanding that he was promoted from Dunedin to Vancouver and then on to New Hampshire. The Jays worked to limit the innings thrown by Tiedemann that year. He never went more than five innings and had a couple of stints on the development list to rest his arm. Hopes were high then for 2023 with a return to New Hampshire on the cards.

Tiedemann started 2023 on the IL with shoulder soreness. He was activated in the middle of April and made four starts before heading back to the IL with a sore bicep. He returned on July 21 and made eleven starts through the end of the season. The Jays were very careful with him, he generally started every sixth or seventh day and never went more than 4.2 innings.

Because of the injuries Tiedemann only logged 44 innings in the regular season so the Jays sent him to the Fall League to add some more innings. 18 innings there brought his season total to 62, less than the 78 he had in 2022.

Tiedemann's ERA over eleven starts in New Hampshire was 5.06, not exactly Cy Young form. But the wow numbers were a 16.8% K/9 rate, a 44% K rate and a 15.6% swinging strike percentage. On the negative side, he walked too many, 20 in 32 innings. His BABIP against was .390, one of the highest in the system and likely a sign of bad luck. It was .250 in 2022. In the fall league, Ricky had a 2.50 ERA with 23 strikeouts in 18 innings.

Tiedemann throws from the left and has a lower arm slot. His fastball sits in the mid to high nineties, 94-97 mph. He complements the fastball with a slider that moves a lot horizontally and a changeup. There have been some concerns that the release point of the changeup differs from the other pitches, something that could be picked up by major league hitters. Tiedemann has been working to remedy that.

As was noted at the start of this report Tiedemann has wow stuff. However, he does not have a lot of professional experience with 140 pro innings under his belt over two seasons. There is a theory that you promote pitchers quickly as they have only so many innings in their arms. Having said that Tiedemann would only project as a reliever at this point. He hasn't shown the durability to be a major league starter yet. The Jays will likely look to put Tiedemann in Buffalo and hope he makes every scheduled start through the first half of the season. If he does that and makes 15 starts of 5 innings each, he would have 75 innings under his belt. The Jays could then promote him to Toronto in a relief role where he could add another 35 or 45 innings to give him 120 on the season. 120 innings would be a good target for Tiedemann for 2024.

Look for Tiedemann to get a lot of press in spring training and to start the season in Buffalo's rotation.

And that's it, we hope you enjoyed it. Big thanks to #2JBrumfield for being the other half of the top 30 dynamic duo. Come back tomorrow for some extra prospect content.

One final note. This is the 20th year of the Blue Jays top 30 on Batter's Box. That is a lot of words and a lot of prospects. The first top 30 was authored by Jordan Furlong. You can find it here. I noted that while Aaron Hill was number one, Adam Lind was the number 28 prospect. With stories like Lind, and Davis Schneider last season's number 30, there is hope for every prospect on this list.

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