Janzen Blade Tidwell (born June 8, 2001) is an American professional baseball pitcher in the New York Mets organization.
| Blade Tidwell | |
|---|---|
| New York Mets | |
| Pitcher | |
| Born: June 8, 2001 Columbia, Tennessee | |
Bats: Right Throws: Right |
Amateur career edit
Tidwell attended Loretto High School in Loretto, Tennessee, where he played baseball and was teammates with Ryan Weathers.[1][2] In 2019, his junior year, he was named Tennessee Mr. Baseball after going 8-0 with 107 strikeouts alongside batting .557.[3] He played only one game during his senior season in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[4]
In 2021, as a freshman for the Tennessee Volunteers baseball team, Tidwell was inserted into their starting rotation.[5] He finished his freshman season starting 18 games and going 10-3 with a 3.74 ERA and ninety strikeouts over 98+2⁄3 innings.[6] He was named to the USA Baseball National Collegiate Team after the season alongside teammate Drew Gilbert.[7] Tidwell entered the 2022 season as a preseason All-American and a top prospect for the upcoming draft.[8] He missed the beginning of the season dealing with shoulder soreness.[9][10] After missing Tennessee's first 24 games, he made his season debut in late March, pitching one inning in relief.[11] He made his first start of the season on April 5 in a 5-1 win versus Lipscomb.[12] He finished the season having appeared in 13 games (making nine starts), going 3-2 with a 3.00 ERA and 51 strikeouts over 39 innings.[13]
Professional career edit
Tidwell was selected by the New York Mets in the second round with the 52nd overall selection of the 2022 Major League Baseball draft.[14] He signed with the team for $1.8 million.[15][16]
Tidwell made his professional debut with the rookie-level Florida Complex League Mets and was promoted to the Single-A St. Lucie Mets after one game.[17] Over 9+1⁄3 innings pitched for the season, he went 0-1 with a 1.93 ERA, 11 strikeouts, and seven walks.[18]
Tidwell was assigned to the High-A Brooklyn Cyclones to begin the 2023 season.[19] In late June, he was promoted to the Double-A Binghamton Rumble Ponies.[20] Over 25 starts, Tidwell went 11-6 with a 3.57 ERA and 153 strikeouts over 116 innings.[21]
References edit
- ^ Kreager, Tom (May 10, 2019). "Tennessee Mr. Baseball finalists: 9 SEC recruits, LSU football signee Maurice Hampton included". The Tennessean.
- ^ "Spring Fling 2019: State championships story lines". The Tennessean. May 20, 2019.
- ^ Patton, Maurice (May 21, 2019). "Mustangs' dominance continues". Daily Herald.
- ^ Thomas, Craig (June 10, 2020). "Loretto grad and Tennessee signee Blade Tidwell keeps eye on MLB draft". TimesDaily.
- ^ Thomas, Craig (June 17, 2021). "Loretto's Blade Tidwell eager for College World Series experience with Tennessee baseball". TimesDaily.
- ^ Wilson, Mike (October 4, 2021). "What to know about Tennessee baseball at the start of fall ball". Knoxville News Sentinel.
- ^ Krull, Jesse (July 13, 2021). "Tennessee's Drew Gilbert, Blade Tidwell showcasing skills with College National Team". WJHL-TV.
- ^ Venkataraman, Karthik (January 31, 2022). "Two Tennessee players named preseason All-Americans by Baseball America". WBIR-TV.
- ^ Wilson, Mike (January 28, 2022). "Tennessee baseball ace Blade Tidwell sidelined with shoulder soreness". Knoxville News Sentinel.
- ^ Anderson, RJ (January 30, 2022). "2022 MLB Draft prospect Blade Tidwell to miss start of season as pitching class suffers another injury". CBS Sports.
- ^ Wilson, Mike (March 31, 2022). "What is Blade Tidwell's role for Tennessee baseball after debut against Western Carolina?". Knoxville News Sentinel.
- ^ "All-American Blade Tidwell makes his starting debut in Vols 20th-straight win". WJHL-TV. April 6, 2022.
- ^ "2022 Tennessee baseball: Blade Tidwell by the numbers". Sports.yahoo.com. 19 June 2022.
- ^ "Mets' Blade Tidwell: Scooped by Mets". Cbssports.com. 18 July 2022.
- ^ "Tennessee players who signed contracts following 2022 MLB draft". Sports.yahoo.com. 27 July 2022. Retrieved 28 July 2022.
- ^ "Mets agree with Tidwell, Morabito, Reimer". MLB.com. Retrieved 28 July 2022.
- ^ "Blade Tidwell assigned to St. Lucie". 21 August 2022.
- ^ "Blade Tidwell Stats, Fantasy & News".
- ^ "Mets' Blade Tidwell: Promoted to High-A for 2023". cbssports.com. Retrieved 2023-03-29.
- ^ "Mets' Blade Tidwell: Moving to Double-A". 30 July 2023.
- ^ "Deep Dive on Blade Tidwell, who has stuff and swagger of front-line starter".
External links edit
- Tennessee Volunteers bio
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball Reference (Minors)