Blade Tidwell

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked New York Mets #7 prospect in 2024
  BA Grade: 50/High
  
  Track Record: Tidwell entered the 2022 season as one of the top college pitching prospects, but a sore shoulder cost him two months. He pitched just 39 innings for Tennessee and fell to the second round, where the Mets went 25% over slot to sign him for $1.85 million. Tidwell struggled to throw strikes during 2023 spring training, and that wildness initially carried over to High-A Brooklyn, where he walked 29 through his first 34.2 innings.
  
  Scouting Report: Tidwell looked like a different pitcher after his early control misadventures, both in terms of results and repertoire. In his final 16 starts, the last eight at Double-A Binghamton, he recorded a 2.99 ERA with 103 strikeouts and 34 walks in 81.1 innings. Tidwell pitches at 94 mph and tops near 98 with good ride up in the zone. He gets whiffs on the pitch at a plus rate but has more present fastball control than command. Tidwell’s low-80s slider has bat-missing sweeper action with plus horizontal break. He throws it both ahead and behind in the count. Tidwell took giant strides with his low-80s changeup in 2023 and ended up throwing it more than 10% of the time to help him combat lefthanded hitters. He learned to catch a seam with his ring finger when releasing the ball, which imparted extreme depth and sinking action. He disguises his arm path well to help his pitches play up. After Tidwell walked nearly 13% of batters in 2023, throwing more quality strikes and gaining greater mechanical consistency will be keys to helping him stay in the rotation.
  
  The Future: Gaining confidence in his changeup gave Tidwell a third quality pitch to go with his plus fastball and slider. With improved command, he has the upside of a no. 2 or 3 starter. The fallback option for Tidwell is high-leverage power reliever. He should see plenty of Double-A time in 2024.
  
  Scouting Grades Fastball: 60 | Slider: 60 | Changeup: 50 | Control: 45
• 
  Ranked New York Mets #9 prospect in 2023
  BA Grade/Risk: 50/High
  
  Track Record: Tidwell was teammates with Padres 2018 first-round lefthander Ryan Weathers at Loretto (Tenn.) High before heading to college. He shined as a Tennessee freshman in 2021, going 10-3 with a 3.74 ERA in 18 starts. His 90 strikeouts ranked top 20 in the Southeastern Conference and set him up as one of the top college pitching prospects for the 2022 draft. Tidwell fell out of the first-round conversation when he missed the first two months of the season with shoulder soreness, but his stuff looked firm when he returned in late March. The Mets drafted him at No. 52 overall in the second round and signed him for $1.85 million, or 25% over slot value.
  
  Scouting Report: Tidwell made just five regular-season appearances after signing, but he made enough of an impression to rank as the organization's top pitching prospect. He helped Low-A St. Lucie win the Florida State League championship by pitching 9.2 scoreless innings over two playoff starts with 13 strikeouts and two walks. Tidwell delivers mid-90s fastballs that peak at 99 mph from a high arm slot. The pitch showed more efficient spin axis in his pro debut as Tidwell focused on working up in the zone and inside to batters, as contrasted with his college game plan of working low and away. Tidwell throws the best slider in the Mets' system. It's a mid-80s breaker with high spin and plus potential. Tidwell's fastball command wavers, and he needs to throw his changeup more often after it got good results in college. Refining command and developing a third pitch will be developmental focal points in 2023.
  
  The Future: Tidwell has the 6-foot-4 build of a big league starter and the type of competitive edge, electric stuff and confidence that top starters have. He should see Double-A at some point in 2023, and how he fares there will help determine his MLB timeline.
  
  Scouting Grades: Fastball: 60. Curveball: 40. Slider: 60. Changeup: 45. Control: 50

Draft Prospects

• Ranked #30 prospect in 2022 draft
  School: Tennessee Committed/Drafted: Never Drafted
  Age At Draft: 21.1
  BA Grade: 55/Extreme
  Scouting Grades: Fastball: 55 | Curveball: 45 | Slider: 60 | Changeup: 50 | Cutter: | Control: 50
  Tidwell came out of the same Loretto high school in Tennessee that produced 2018 first-rounder Ryan Weathers. At the time, Tidwell was a projection righthander who ranked as the No. 408 prospect on the 2020 BA 500, but now he’s a potential first-round pick who possesses some of the most electric stuff in the 2022 draft class. One of the few elite college arms in the 2022 class who entered the year with an extended resume as a starter, Tidwell posted a 3.74 ERA over 18 starts and 98.2 innings in 2021. While he was a bit homer prone (12 homers), he struck out 90 batters and walked 34. Tidwell couldn’t build on his resume as much as he would have liked in 2022 after missing the first two months of the season with shoulder soreness, but showed the same electric stuff when he returned to the mound in late March. Tidwell has a fastball that gets up to 99 mph and has averaged 96 this spring. While the velocity is easily plus, Tidwell throws from a higher arm slot and release height that creates a downhill plane and less deception than teams would like, though the pitch has efficient spin and induced vertical break around 18 inches. His go-to secondary is a mid-80s slider with high spin rates in the 2,500-2,800 rpm range that has generated whiffs more than 40% of the time this spring. Tidwell used the slider more than 30% of the time, and went to a firm, mid-80s changeup less than 10% of the time this spring, though his results on the pitch—in terms of results and whiffs—were solid. Tidwell has also thrown a mid-70s curveball but uses it infrequently. While Tidwell has powerful stuff from a big and physical, 6-foot-4, 200-pound frame, scouts believe he needs to refine his command. His walk rates have been solid throughout his college career, and he throws enough strikes to profile as a starter, but he will get scattered within the zone and some teams might think he fits better as a two-pitch, high-octane reliever. Tidwell’s shoulder injury adds to the risk of his profile, but there’s plenty of upside here as well.
• Ranked #408 prospect in 2020 draft
  A projection righthander listed at 6-foot-4, 200 pounds, Tidwell hails from the same Loretto high school in Tennessee as 2018 Padres first-rounder Ryan Weathers. Tidwell is committed to Tennessee and has a chance to get there given the shortened 2020 season and five-round draft, with scouts not getting to see him much this spring. Over the summer, Tidwell showed a fastball that sat in the upper 80s and topped out in the 91-92 mph range, with a curveball that ranged from 71-78 with three-quarter shape. The breaking ball showed potential, but Tidwell struggled to consistently get on top of the offering, which he’ll need to improve moving forward. Tidwell has already started to fill out his frame and has room for more strength in the future.

• February, 2023 Scouting Report
  BA Grade/Risk: 50/High
  
  Track Record: Tidwell was teammates with Padres 2018 first-round lefthander Ryan Weathers at Loretto (Tenn.) High before heading to college. He shined as a Tennessee freshman in 2021, going 10-3 with a 3.74 ERA in 18 starts. His 90 strikeouts ranked top 20 in the Southeastern Conference and set him up as one of the top college pitching prospects for the 2022 draft. Tidwell fell out of the first-round conversation when he missed the first two months of the season with shoulder soreness, but his stuff looked firm when he returned in late March. The Mets drafted him at No. 52 overall in the second round and signed him for $1.85 million, or 25% over slot value.
  
  Scouting Report: Tidwell made just five regular-season appearances after signing, but he made enough of an impression to rank as the organization's top pitching prospect. He helped Low-A St. Lucie win the Florida State League championship by pitching 9.2 scoreless innings over two playoff starts with 13 strikeouts and two walks. Tidwell delivers mid-90s fastballs that peak at 99 mph from a high arm slot. The pitch showed more efficient spin axis in his pro debut as Tidwell focused on working up in the zone and inside to batters, as contrasted with his college game plan of working low and away. Tidwell throws the best slider in the Mets' system. It's a mid-80s breaker with high spin and plus potential. Tidwell's fastball command wavers, and he needs to throw his changeup more often after it got good results in college. Refining command and developing a third pitch will be developmental focal points in 2023.
  
  The Future: Tidwell has the 6-foot-4 build of a big league starter and the type of competitive edge, electric stuff and confidence that top starters have. He should see Double-A at some point in 2023, and how he fares there will help determine his MLB timeline.
  
  Scouting Grades: Fastball: 60. Curveball: 40. Slider: 60. Changeup: 45. Control: 50
• December, 2022 Scouting Report
  BA Grade/Risk: 50/High
  
  Track Record: Tidwell was teammates with Padres 2018 first-round lefthander Ryan Weathers at Loretto (Tenn.) High before heading to college. He shined as a Tennessee freshman in 2021, going 10-3 with a 3.74 ERA in 18 starts. His 90 strikeouts ranked top 20 in the Southeastern Conference and set him up as one of the top college pitching prospects for the 2022 draft. Tidwell fell out of the first-round conversation when he missed the first two months of the season with shoulder soreness, but his stuff looked firm when he returned in late March. The Mets drafted him at No. 52 overall in the second round and signed him for $1.85 million, or 25% over slot value.
  
  Scouting Report: Tidwell made just five regular-season appearances after signing, but he made enough of an impression to rank as the organization's top pitching prospect. He helped Low-A St. Lucie win the Florida State League championship by pitching 9.2 scoreless innings over two playoff starts with 13 strikeouts and two walks. Tidwell delivers mid-90s fastballs that peak at 99 mph from a high arm slot. The pitch showed more efficient spin axis in his pro debut as Tidwell focused on working up in the zone and inside to batters, as contrasted with his college game plan of working low and away. Tidwell throws the best slider in the Mets' system. It's a mid-80s breaker with high spin and plus potential. Tidwell's fastball command wavers, and he needs to throw his changeup more often after it got good results in college. Refining command and developing a third pitch will be developmental focal points in 2023.
  
  The Future: Tidwell has the 6-foot-4 build of a big league starter and the type of competitive edge, electric stuff and confidence that top starters have. He should see Double-A at some point in 2023, and how he fares there will help determine his MLB timeline.
  
  Scouting Grades: Fastball: 60. Curveball: 40. Slider: 60. Changeup: 45. Control: 50
• April, 2022 Scouting Report
  BA Grade: 55/Extreme
  
  August Update: Tidwell came out of the same Loretto (Tenn.) High program that produced 2018 first-rounder Ryan Weathers. At the time, Tidwell was a projection righthander who ranked as the No. 408 prospect on the 2020 BA 500. This year he possessed some of the most electric stuff in the 2022 draft class. The Mets took notice and drafted him in the second round. One of the few elite college arms in the 2022 class who entered the year with an extended résumé as a starter, Tidwell posted a 3.74 ERA over 18 starts and 98.2 innings in 2021. While he was a bit homer prone (12 homers), he struck out 90 batters and walked 34. Tidwell couldn&#39t build on his résumé as much as he would have liked in 2022 after missing the first two months of the season with shoulder soreness, but showed the same electric stuff when he returned to the mound in late March. Tidwell has a fastball that gets up to 99 mph and averaged 96 this spring. While the velocity is easily plus, Tidwell throws from a higher arm slot and release height that creates a downhill plane and less deception than teams would like, though his fastball has efficient spin and induced vertical break around 18 inches. His go-to secondary is a mid-80s slider with high spin rates in the 2,500-2,800 rpm range that generated whiffs more than 40% of the time this spring. Tidwell used the slider more than 30% of the time, and went to a firm, mid-80s changeup less than 10% of the time this spring, though his results on the pitch—in terms of results and whiffs—were solid. Tidwell has also thrown a mid-70s curveball but uses it infrequently. While Tidwell has powerful stuff from a big and physical, 6-foot-4, 200-pound frame, scouts believe he needs to refine his command. His walk rates have been solid throughout his college career, and he throws enough strikes to profile as a starter, but he will get scattered within the zone and some teams might think he fits better as a two-pitch, high-octane reliever. Tidwell&#39s shoulder injury adds to the risk of his profile, but there&#39s plenty of upside here as well.
  
  Scouting Grades: Fastball: 55. Curveball: 45. Slider: 60. Changeup: 50. Control: 50.