Baseball can be such an intriguing sport for anyone – fan or not. Something that is often forgotten in baseball is the multiple stages of minor league baseball that serve as the stepping stones towards the big leagues.
The Toronto Blue Jays number one prospect as of today is a left-handed pitcher by the name of Ricky Tiedemann, and his seemingly rapid climb towards the MLB (which could come as early as next season) started here in Vancouver with the Vancouver Canadians.
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If you’ve ever been to a Vancouver Canadians game before, you’ll know that most of the people in attendance are primarily there for the baseball ballpark atmosphere. The baseball can still be entertaining, but usually all the fans care about is if the Canadians win and most importantly: having a good time.
However, if you got a chance to see Ricky Tiedemann pitch for the Vancouver Canadians last season, you were in luck. Tiedemann was always seen as a “promising prospect” but nobody could have predicted how quickly he would be headed towards the MLB.
(Pexels / Shawn Reza)
Ricky is still only 20 years old, and he has shown his pitching dominance over three levels of minor league baseball: from low-A in Dunedin, to high-A with the Vancouver Canadians to double-A with New Hampshire all within one calendar year.
Tiedemann was even invited to last year’s “futures” game at the MLB all-star weekend which just goes to show that big things are coming for this special talent. Going back to his time with the Vancouver Canadians, there seemed to be a different atmosphere in the air when he got a chance to pitch at Nat Bailey stadium.
Even if the casual fan didn’t know who Ricky Tiedemann was, the city of Vancouver began talking about this young pitching phenom. Although Tiedemann is not from Vancouver, the city likes to think that Vancouver is where “his career all started” and people are now tracking his progress towards the MLB as a result.
Remember the name 👀
Ricky Tiedemann is heading to the @MLB All-Star Futures Game! pic.twitter.com/QWBtibSDHR
— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) July 7, 2022
For now, you will just have to wait and see if Tiedemann can “live up to the hype.” Players and coaches on the Toronto Blue Jays all seem to point out that Tiedemann is a really focused individual, and he is concentrated on his daily routines and progression as a pitcher.
So remember, the next time you’re in town watching a minor league team play, regardless of the sport, just think to yourself “I wonder if any of these players will make it to the pros”, because you never know where a players’ career can go from there!