New SF Giants pitching prospect has electric debut with the organization

The SF Giants added a trio of players, including pitching prospect Blade Tidwell, in the trade that sent Tyler Rogers to the New York Mets. Tidwell made his organizational debut with the Sacramento River Cats on Tuesday night, and it was electric.

New SF Giants pitching prospect has electric debut with the organization

The Mets selected the right-handed pitcher in the second round of the 2022 draft out of the University of Tennessee. He was a college teammate with Drew Gilbert, who was also included in the Rogers trade. 2025 first-round pick Gavin Kilen came from the same school, but did not play at the same time as Tidwell and Gilbert.

When Tidwell was drafted, he had a big arm and below-average control. A lot of that profile remains. He flashes a mid-90's four-seam fastball that gets plenty of carry and ride action through the zone. Tidwell also throws a sinker, giving his fastball a couple of different looks.

The 24-year-old pitcher throws a low-80's sweeper that is his go-to secondary. He mixes in a harder slider and a cutter, so he throws a few pitches that have a similar gloveside movement profile. Tidwell also has a low-80's changeup that has a 39.3 percent whiff rate in Triple-A this season. He does not throw it often, but it could be a nice offering given the 12-MPH velocity difference between his fastball and changeup.

On paper, Tidwell has a starter's pitch mix. He carries some relief risk as well due to below-average control. To Tidwell's credit, his control has shown improvement this year, as he has a 3.6 BB/9 rate compared to a career mark of 4.6 BB/9 in the minors. He has a big arm, and the Giants will continue to use him out of the rotation until he proves he cannot handle that role.

Tidwell quelled any concerns about the bullpen on Tuesday night. He completed five innings while allowing two earned runs with nine strikeouts against two walks. The Pacific Coast League (PCL) is a tough environment for pitchers, so the results that carry a lot of weight are strikeouts and walks. Can he record a lot of strikeouts while limiting walks? Tidwell did that on Tuesday night.

The pitching prospect showed off his fastball that reached as high as 98.5 MPH. He relied on his slider and sweeper to get hitters to swing and miss. Opposing hitters swung at the slider nine times and whiffed on it four times. They swung at the sweeper 12 times and whiffed on it seven times. Both pitches showed the ability to miss bats.

The River Cats defeated the Sugar Land Space Cowboy by a score of 10-9. Drew Gilbert and Bryce Eldridge led the way on offense. Gilbert collected two hits, including a double and triple, in five at-bats, whereas Eldridge had three hits, including a home run, with four RBI in four at-bats.