21-YEAR-OLD TIEDEMANN COULD BREAK CAMP WITH BLUE JAYS
Pitching prospect has impressed so far, and injuries have opened up roster spots
There are enough indicators for Ricky Tiedemann to know when his progressively elite stuff is playing at peak.
There is velocity, of course, with a fastball that has ticked up to 98 miles per hour this spring.
There is wicked action on his breaking ball, which leaves seasoned veteran hitters shaking their heads.
And there is filling up the zone with all of his pitches, action that puts smiles on the faces of his coaches.
Those smiles were a little brighter Thursday night as Tiedemann made his final start of spring training and was so strong he may have played his way onto the roster to start the season.
Manager John Schneider acknowledged Friday that Tiedemann is a possibility to break camp with the team thanks to a glut of injured arms. There are many moving parts and challenges to tackle before that could happen, including the fact Tiedemann isn't presently on the 40-man roster.
But the big left-hander's final spring outing showed a new dimension to the already well-regarded top pitching prospect.
“I think (Thursday) was a great performance by him and he turned the corner a little bit,” Schneider said. “So yeah, he's in the mix.
“His stuff is usually there, but there was a little more attitude about him. There was a little more, `I'm going to go out there and execute.' He went out there with intent and it definitely showed.”
High on the list of significant gauges for Tiedemann is the reaction his stuff garners from opposing hitters.
“Filthy” and “nasty” — as well as words we can't repeat — are part of the lexicon following a humbling Tiedemann strikeout.
“It is fun to see that look,” the 21-year-old stud starter-in-waiting said. “You could see it sometimes in the way the batters are trying to guess the pitch that's coming and it's not going their way.
“I think if I can keep doing that to the best hitters, I'll be in good hands. Hopefully, if I can stay in the zone, it will work out.”
Schneider certainly noticed the look on the faces of some veteran Pirates hitters that Tiedemann mowed down.
“That's the reaction you're hoping for when you're sitting in our dugout with him on the mound,” Schneider said.
Tiedemann struck out five in his first three hitless innings against the Pirates before allowing a home run and a walk in the fourth to end his evening. As much as he feels ready, Tiedemann doesn't want to get too far ahead of himself.
Essentially, he expects to start the season at triple-a Buffalo and to pitch under an innings count throughout the year.
If he were to start on the Jays' roster — and it remains a long shot — odds are it would be temporary, pending the potential returns of injured starters Kevin Gausman and Alek Manoah.
“I try not to think too much about it,” Tiedemann said when asked how he approaches the anticipation of making his big-league debut. “It's staying healthy and going out every outing and throwing strikes. I think that's what (management and coaches) want to see.
“I think if I'm in the zone my stuff plays well enough that they're going to need it at some point. Hopefully, if I can keep doing that, I can get the shot.”
If Tiedemann sounds confident, it's because he is — plus, it's well earned. It has been clear for some time he is a fit in the Jays' big-league plans despite his youth and inexperience.
Injuries slowed the Tiedemann train somewhat last season as the California native was limited to 62 innings of game action.
But it's clear his stuff plays and opposing hitters are learning he's a pitcher to watch, especially as he refines his game.
“I think for me it's about being in the zone from the get-go,” Tiedemann said. “I think if I can do that and have these elite hitters on their toes from the very beginning of the at-bat and not let them pick me apart (it helps) ... getting ahead early is huge for me.”
Overall, Tiedemann is pleased with his body of work thus far. In that final spring outing against the Pirates, he threw 50 pitches with his vaunted fastball-slider mix proving to be a vexing task for those he faced.
In his three spring starts, Tiedemann pitched 62/3 innings with eight strikeouts and a 5.40 earned-run average.
“It was just a ramping up type of thing for me and just being ready for the season,” Tiedemann said. “It's a long year and just being ready for when they call is something I need to focus on.”
And depending how things shake out during the next few days, it may come sooner than anticipated.