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MMN Top Prospects: No. 7 Blade Tidwell

By MMN News Desk

March 2, 2023 No comments

Blade Tidwell, Photo by Ed Delany of Mets Minors

No. 7 Blade Tidwell, RHP

B/T: R/R     Age: June 8, 2001 (21)
Ht: 6’4″       Wt: 207 lb.
ETA: 2025  Previous Rank: 9
Acquired: Drafted in the 2nd round of the 2022 June Amateur Draft from Tennessee
2022 Stats (College): 3-2, 3.00 ERA, 39.0 IP, 51 K, 11 BB
2022 Stats (St. Lucie): .0-1, 2,16 ERA, 8.1 IP, 9 K, 6 BB

With a first name like Blade, it’s hard not to be excited about the Mets 2022 draftee.

Out of the University of Tennessee, Tidwell would’ve likely been a first-round pick in the 2022 June Amateur Draft if not for missing time last college season with an injury. Tidwell missed the first six weeks of the college baseball season with shoulder soreness and didn’t make his debut as a starter until a month later.

Tidwell came blazing onto the college baseball scene. The 6-foot-4-inch righthander won 10 games his freshman year at Tennessee, the second most for a freshman in school history behind R.A. Dickey. Tidwell was part of a rotation that sent Tennessee to the College Baseball World Series for the first time in 16 years.

In his sophomore year Tidwell was limited to just nine starts and 13 game appearances. His innings decreased from 98 2and /3 to 39. Yet he shined in those limited innings, striking out 51 batters with a 3.00 ERA. His best start was his last in the 2022 NCAA Knoxville Regional when he pitched a season-high 7 and 2/3 scoreless innings against Alabama State with a season-high seven strikeouts.

It was a nice way to cap off a season that had so much potential for the young righty. Prior to his sophomore season he was named a preseason All-American 1st Team member by the NCBWA, Baseball America, and Collegiate Baseball Newspaper. He was a preseason All-American 2nd team member for Perfect Game.

Despite the injuries, the Mets see the potential in Tidwell. Enough to take him above slot value at $1.85 million with the 52nd pick of the 2022 draft. Tidwell was the only pitcher selected by the Mets in the first three rounds out of the four picks they made.

Tidwell immediately vaulted to the top of the Mets pitching prospects lists and ranks as their top pitching prospect by MLB Pipeline which has him as their No. 8 prospect in New York’s system.

Tidwell’s grades are:
Fastball: 60
Curveball: 50
Slider: 60
Changeup: 55
Control: 50
Overall: 50

Baseball America grades Tidwell as having the best fastball and slider in the Mets system.

Tidwell’s fastball sits between 93-96 but can top out at 99. He has a clean, quick, simple delivery to the plate that is easily replicated. Tidwell’s fastball gets decent enough armside run but can be vulnerable when he’s unable to locate it up in the zone. His slider is his best secondary. Typically it sits in the low-80’s but can boost up to 88 when needed. His changeup sits in a similar speed range but generated the best swing-and-miss rate of all his pitches during his standout freshman season.

Altogether it turned into a successful start to his professional career. He made a late-season debut with the FCL Mets and then immediately went to St. Lucie. He pitched in five games total and threw 9 and 1/3 innings. At the A level, Tidwell struggled with his control. He walked six batters in 8 and 1/3 innings but showed his strikeout potential with nine punchouts.

Tidwell seemed to settle in his final regular start for St. Lucie. He pitched 3 innings, allowed one hit, walked none, and struck out five. Then the playoffs hit and he went up another level.

 

Tidwell right now is the future of the Mets pitching staff. It would have been a post-Tommy John Matt Allan but in all likelihood, he’s a bullpen guy and not a starter at this point in his development.

Tidwell had “top-10-in-the-draft stuff” prior to his shoulder injury says The Athletic’s Keith Law in his Mets prospect rankings. Like most scouts they recognize Tidwell needs to improve on his command but has enough upside to be an above-average starter. His ETA isn’t until 2025 or 2026 depending on the ranking system so he will have time to improve as he goes up the ranks.

The Mets likely envision Tidwell on a similar track as David Peterson. Peterson, the Mets first-round pick in 2017, made his debut in 2020 after three seasons in the minors. Peterson did spend three years in college as opposed to the two Tidwell spent but he made a successful jump from Double-A to the majors in 2020 at age 24. The Mets will certainly need him on a similar pipeline with only Kodai Senga, Peterson, and Tylor Megill as starters under contract in 2025.

Within the Mets system they have a recent philosophy of drafting stuff first and figuring out control later. Mike Vasil had a 12% walk rate last season, Calvin Ziegler‘s was 15%, Dominic Hamel had an 11%, and so on. All three were drafted in 2021.

The Mets don’t have any “studs” in their pitching prospects like they do position players. The first few months of the 2023 season will be incredibly important for the Mets scouting staff as they continue to see what their recent draftees have at different levels. New York has taken the best player available in their recent drafts but they might need to adjust if the improvements aren’t seen.

Other prospect rankings:

30-26
25-21
20-16
15-12
11. Matt Allan
10. Calvin Ziegler 
9. Mike Vasil

8. Mark Vientos