Tony Vitello's former ace at Tennessee dazzles in SF Giants Cactus League debut

The SF Giants had their first spring training game on Saturday and while some players had a rough go of it, one pitcher stood out and that was Blade Tidwell.

The young pitcher went one inning and struck out all three batters while issuing one walk. His stuff looked really good as he flashed a fastball that nearly hit 98 miles per hour and made hitters look silly with his slider.

Blade Tidwell looks strong in SF Giants Cactus League debut

It was an impressive debut performance and he is definitely a guy to keep an eye on this spring considering his ties to new manager Tony Vitello. Some may be sick of Vitello's references to Tennessee but with the young right-hander it can be forgiven.

Tidwell spent a few seasons in college with the University of Tennessee and pitched well. He had a 3.74 ERA in 2021 and followed that up with a 3.00 ERA in 2022, establishing himself as an ace on the staff.

The Tennessee native was drafted by the New York Mets in the 2022 MLB Draft and worked his way through the minors the last few years. He made his big league debut with New York last year and gave up 15 earned runs in 15 innings pitched. 

The Mets ended up including the 24-year-old in the Tyler Rogers trade that sent Tidwell, his Tennessee teammate Drew Gilbert, and José Buttó to San Francisco in exchange for Rogers.

Tidwell was expected to make his debut with the Giants at some point last season but he got injured so that did not pan out. He was really solid in Triple-A Sacramento, though, as he pitched to a 1.50 ERA in 18 innings. 

No matter what, Tidwell entered 2026 with a strong chance to factor into the team’s plans. Those chances got even better when the team hired his old manager Tony Vitello who saw firsthand just how good he was in college.

There are no guarantees and there may even be part of Vitello that wants to avoid having the guys he coached in the past on the team for fear that it would be interpreted as favoritism. But if Tidwell has a strong spring then there is no reason why he shouldn’t be a member of the bullpen especially if he outperforms other young pitchers on the roster.

Both Tennessee guys in camp made a good first impression though as Gilbert drove in a run as he looks to earn a spot on the bench.

It was just one outing and there is over a month until the first game of the regular season, but Tidwell was impressive in the team's Cactus League opener.