Blade Tidwell’s Debut a Mixed Bag

Blade Tidwell, the Mets’ No. 15 prospect according to MLB Pipeline, got the ball in Game 1 of the doubleheader in St.Louis on Sunday for his debut. As exciting as debut day can be for a player, it was a mixed bag for Tidwell.

The Cardinals roughed up the Mets’ 2022 second-round pick, tagging him for nine hits, six runs (all earned) and one home run. Tidwell struck out two and walked three in his three 2/3 innings.

He threw 82 pitches (48 for strikes) and notably touched 98 mph on his fastball on Sunday. He generated seven whiffs, three coming on his sweeper and two on his four-seamer.

With his parents in the stands, Tidwell retired three of the first four batters he faced to pitch a scoreless first inning in the big leagues. Willson Contreras tagged him for his first earned run, a solo home run and got Pedro Pagés on a checked swing for his first punchout via the sweeper.

The 23-year-old ran into trouble in the fourth, allowing two walks, a hit by pitch and three singles to end his day early.

After his first major league start, Tidwell said execution is one of the things he will work on when he returns to Syracuse.

“I lost command there at the end,” said Tidwell. Just getting ahead of guys and putting them away once I’m there.”

Carlos Mendoza also spoke on Tidwell’s first big league performance, saying there were moments where the Mets saw his potential, specifically with his fastball, and also saw room for improvement as well.

“At this level, you’re going to need pitches to put hitters away, but also you’re going to need secondary pitches to get back in counts,” said Mendoza. He noted that Tidwell’s changeup wasn’t there, but the biggest thing was pitches staying over the middle of the plate.

Though Tidwell was roughed up, Mendoza reiterated that Tidwell gave “flashes” of his potential and that he’ll continue to develop and get better.

Tidwell still walked away smiling, knowing it was a day he’ll remember forever.

“It was awesome, indescribable, really,” he said of his MLB debut. “It was everything I hoped for and more.”

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