Most of the 2024 fantasy rookie outlook posts will be hitters. That’s not by accident. Hitters are easier to predict, especially rookies. Also, I like guys who have tasted the majors. If a player has seen time in the majors, then they’re more likely to be guaranteed a spot on the major league team next year. Unfortch, this doesn’t work for pitchers for one obvious reason. If hitters are looking good in Triple-A, then they can be called up for that delicious cup of coffee in the majors, if it’s not too latte. Pitchers? If they’re looking good in Triple-A, then more than likely they’ve thrown enough innings and should be shut down vs. being called up. So, you’ll see guys like Gavin Williams, Grayson Rodriguez, Tanner Bibee and so on get into the rotation in the majors in a, uh, major way without having any time spent in the majors the year before. That’s in general for rookie pitchers, not necessarily about Ricky Tiedemann, but he could easily break camp with the Jays in April without seeing any time in the majors last year. He could’ve made the majors last year if it wasn’t for biceps inflammation, and why he went to the AFL (to get reps). So, what can we expect from Ricky Tiedemann for 2024 fantasy baseball?
PSYCHE! Before we get into the post, just wanted to say I announced on Patreon that I set up an NFBC league, so there’s likely only a few spots left. If you haven’t played before with us, it’s $150 to join, winner gets $1000, 2nd place gets $350 and 3rd place gets their money back. Draft starts at 1 PM ET on Monday, and it’s a 4-hour clock. So you don’t need to be near your computer, it’s a slow draft. That also means it’ll take a good two to three weeks. If you want to join, the link is: NFBC League. Anyway II, the Ricky Tiedemann 2024 fantasy:
Well the opening was a lot about when we might see Ricky Tiedemann with the Jays. The part left off: He looks like one of the most promising arms in the minors for when he gets the call. His fastball touches 99. Here’s some smoke:
#BlueJays No. 1 prospect @TiedemannRicky3 has punched out four @FiveGuys batters through two innings here in Hartford! pic.twitter.com/efnjYCFpgd
— New Hampshire Fisher Cats (@FisherCats) August 17, 2023
Lefties hitting 99 MPH is far from as normal as it is for righties. So, righty hitters seeing it and going, “Eff this,” won’t be that weird. Here’s a few more pitches, including a slider that I could see hitting a batter while he’s swinging.
5 perfect frames. 9 K’s.#BlueJays No. 6 prospect Ricky Tiedemann cruised for the @DunedinBlueJays. pic.twitter.com/nlZMdtFNSp
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) April 30, 2022
Honestly, I’m not sure how righties are hitting that 81 to 82 MPH slider after seeing the 99 MPH filth. Forget lefties. If he can get the ball over the plate, he’s going to be a nightmare for years to come. Therein lies his two biggest issues. First off, the command. I’m not sure hitters need to swing. They might be enticed into swinging, but his command in Double-A for 32 IP was a 5.6 BB/9. That’s goofy bad. Oh, don’t get me wrong, we’re here because if hitters swing, they can’t make contact (16.3 K/9), but why swing? If he can get the ball over, then forget about it. He will be an ace. That might not be until 2025, though. Or 2026. Or never. Pitchers with nasty stuff but bad command become Randy Johnson, or they become relievers.
In 2022, Ricky Tiedemann threw 78 IP; in 2023, he threw 44 IP. As mentioned earlier, he threw in ACL to see if he can build up some stamina. Pitchers only have so many bullets and the Jays might want him to fire them in the majors. I could see him breaking camp with the Jays if they take a page from the Braves, and let him throw 100 IP in the majors. I could also see them letting him go to Triple-A, and not seeing more than 30 IP in the majors. He only has so many IP he can possibly pitch in 2024, assuming he’s healthy. So, there’s a lot to like here. He could be an ace, but I highly doubt he’s anything worth drafting in most redraft leagues, unless he breaks camp, and, even then, I wouldn’t put him in vs. a patient team. For 2024, I’ll give Ricky Tiedemann projections of 3-4/4.36/1.34/64 in 49 IP.
