Former Tennessee pitcher Blade Tidwell has spent the first half of the 2025 season going back-and-forth from AAA to the New York Mets’ big league team.
Back with the Mets Wednesday, Tidwell turned in the best performance of his young career. The right-handed pitcher allowed three runs on five hits and two walks while striking out three batters in 4.1 innings, earning his first career win as New York knocked off Milwaukee 7-3.
The Mets used Tidwell as a started in the first three outings of his career before using a one inning opener before the former Vol starter on Wednesday night. Whether it was the use of an opener, gaining more comfortability at the big league level or something else, Tidwell’s outing was the best of his career to date.
After his solid outing Wednesday night, Tidwell has now allowed 15 earned runs in 15 innings pitched (9.00 ERA) while walking and striking out 10 batters each. Tidwell’s first MLB outing was a rough one, allowing six earned runs in 3.2 innings against the St. Louis Cardinals back in May.
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Tidwell has been better in the subsequent outings with Wednesday’s being his best to date. The Columbia, Tennessee native has served as a sixth starter for a Mets team that is currently 49-38 and and two games back of the Philadelphia Philips in the NL East.
The 6-foot-4 right-handed pitcher spent two years at Tennessee where he posted a 13-5 record and 3.53 ERA while striking out 141 batters in 137.2 innings pitched. As a true freshman, Tidwell was Tennessee’s Sunday starter, totaling 98.2 innings while helping propel the Vols to a College World Series appearance.
Injuries limited Tidwell in his sophomore year and led to him serving in different roles as he finished the year with 39 innings pitched.
The Mets selected Tidwell in the second round of the 2022 MLB Draft, signing him with a $1.8 million bonus for him to forego his remaining college eligibility and begin his professional career. Tidwell has been one of the top pitching prospects in the New York farm system over the last couple years before making his debut in The Show earlier this season.
