For their first spring training game, the Toronto Blue Jays have selected top prospect Ricky Tiedemann as the starting pitcher. Additionally, they claim that Cavan Biggio’s shoulder is healing. He might get the start at second base.
Top prospect Ricky Tiedemann will start for the Toronto Blue Jays against the Philadelphia Phillies on Saturday afternoon to kick off their spring training schedule.
According to the Toronto Star:
Ricky Tiedemann, a left-hander who is 21 years old and the team’s top prospect, is scheduled to open the season against the Philadelphia Phillies, marking the beginning of what will probably be his major-league debut.
Due to shoulder and biceps issues, Tiedemann only pitched 44 innings throughout 15 starts in the previous season. Nevertheless, as a member of the Surprise Saguaros, he completed 2023 with an Arizona Fall League championship and the pitcher of the year award in the elite prospect league.
At the start of the season, Tiedemann is ranked No. 1 in the organization and No. 29 in all of baseball. In just 44 innings last year, he struck out 82 batters, demonstrating his obvious swing-and-miss ability, which is something that teams desire.
He has little to no chance of breaking camp with the Blue Jays, who already seem to have five starters locked up because of his age and injury history, but the report suggests that he should make his debut this season.
In other Blue Jays news, Cavan Biggio, a potential first-base starter, received positive news from the team.
As per Keegan Matheson of MLB.com:
Today’s batting practice on the field is being missed by Cavan Biggio due to shoulder tendonitis. Although it never seemed like a major problem, it was encouraging since he had been restricted earlier in the camp. #BlueJays
Biggio, a 28-year-old former top prospect, has had difficulty establishing himself in the major leagues. He is a.229 hitter with 46 home runs in his career. Last season, in 289 at-bats, he hit nine home runs.
