SF Giants reward young pitcher with start against Team USA

The SF Giants will host an exhibition game on Tuesday to help Team USA prepare for the World Baseball Classic (WBC). They have tabbed young starter Blade Tidwell to start that game, per Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic.

SF Giants reward young pitcher with start against Team USA

It is a reward for a strong spring in the early going. Carson Whisenhunt is also scheduled to pitch in Tuesday’s game.

While it is an exhibition game for Team USA, it is chance for Tidwell to show what he can do in a high-profile game that will have plenty of visibility on it. 

The right-handed pitcher has made two appearances this spring, allowing two earned runs with five strikeouts and two walks across three Cactus League innings. He relies on a mid-80’s breaking ball, along with a trio of fastballs and a changeup.

Tidwell has a good feel for his sweeper and slider, but the control with his fastball is not quite as sharp. The changeup is lesser-used option in his arsenal.

When Tidwell was traded to the Giants, they had him switch to more of a slider-heavy pitch mix, and the returns were immediate. He pitched to a 1.50 ERA with 24 strikeouts and only five walks in 18 innings with the Sacramento River Cats. Importantly, this included a 2.5 BB/9 compared to a 4.5 BB/9 across four minor league seasons. 

There is a good chance that Tidwell would have pitched for the Giants if he did not sustain an injury with Sacramento. He landed on the injured list in August and only made one more appearance after that.

Tidwell is in a good position to pitch for the Giants at some point this season, and he could strengthen that position with a solid finish to the spring. The Giants’ current iteration of the rotation includes Logan Webb, Robbie Ray, Landen Roupp, Adrian Houser, and Tyler Mahle.

There is no opening currently, but injuries do happen. At that point, they will need to rely on their starting pitching depth. Tidwell, along with Trevor McDonald, will likely be called upon at some point this season.

With the WBC getting underway, this should open up playing time for the Giants, especially in the outfield. It will give some younger players, such as Victor Bericoto and Luis Matos, an extended look.