Rocky 2025 big league intro not wavering prospect Tidwell in pursuit of roster spot

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- As a freshman starter at the University of Tennessee, Blade Tidwell didn’t enjoy the smoothest of introductions to the Southeastern Conference.

Tidwell was spotted a three-run lead when he took the mound to face Alabama in his third career SEC start in 2021, but he quickly gave it up, allowing the Crimson Tide to rally for three runs and tie the game in the bottom of the first inning.

Tidwell didn’t fold, though.

The young right-hander managed to overcome the rocky start and limit the damage the rest of the way, getting through 5 1/3 innings to earn the win after Tennessee came back to edge Alabama, 9-8.

“He got hit around a little bit, but he didn’t really waver,” said Giants manager Tony Vitello, who was the head coach at Tennessee at the time. “He didn’t lose that bulldog presence, and he kept attacking the zone.

“Just talking with him after the game, it's easy to kind of be like, ‘Man, welcome to the SEC, you get hit around a little bit.’ The way he talked, it was more mature than a normal freshman.”

Five years later, Vitello will have a chance to watch Tidwell (San Francisco's No. 13 prospect from 2025, per MLB Pipeline) continue to grow with the Giants, who acquired the 24-year-old from the Mets as part of the Tyler Rogers trade last year.

Tidwell struggled to a 9.00 ERA in his first four big league appearances (two starts) with the Mets in 2025, but he made an immediate impression after joining the Giants organization in late July.

The 2022 second-round Draft pick logged a 1.50 ERA with 24 strikeouts over 18 innings in four outings (three starts) for Triple-A Sacramento, though he ended up suffering a right shoulder injury that cost him a chance to debut in San Francisco last year.

“I saw him throw at least twice when I was making rehab appearances in Sac last year,” left-hander Erik Miller said. “Both times were utterly dominant. I think 100% he would have been up last year if he didn't have a little injury. … The last half of last year, he started pounding the zone. He’s good. He’s got legit stuff.”

Now healthy, Tidwell is expected to get an opportunity to compete for a spot on the Giants’ pitching staff this spring. He made his first Cactus League start in San Francisco’s 11-3 loss to the Rockies at Scottsdale Stadium on Thursday, giving up two runs on two hits and one walk while striking out two over two innings.

“I felt good,” Tidwell said. “The stuff was good. The results weren’t what I wanted them to be, but overall, the underlying stuff was good.”

Tidwell worked a 1-2-3 first, though he issued a leadoff walk to Jordan Beck -- his former Tennessee teammate -- in the second, which set the table for RBI hits from Kyle Karros and Charlie Condon. Still, Tidwell averaged 95.8 mph on his four-seam fastball and recorded nine swinging strikes in the 36-pitch outing, six of which came on his wipeout sweeper.

“He’s nasty,” right-hander Hayden Birdsong said. “He rips his sweeper and nobody can hit it. When he’s in the zone, he’s not fun to hit against.”

Tidwell doesn’t have a clear path to the Giants’ rotation right now, but he could be a candidate to open the season in the bullpen if he continues to flash intriguing stuff this spring.

“His stuff, right now, is improved,” Vitello said. “You’d like to think that role would make sense, but also there’s potential for other roles.”

While Tidwell’s initial foray in the Majors didn’t go well last season, Vitello said he believes those early bumps will ultimately help make his former Tennessee ace better in the long run.

“He's always searching,” Vitello said. “In a way, that's a positive. He's kind of a problem solver. The best players that I've coached are kind of like that. I think he's in the process of figuring out what this level is all about. He's obviously got multiple occasions where he's gotten a taste of it. I think it helps him now that he has a vision of who he is currently and what it's like at the highest level and what he needs to do to have success.”

Birdsong struggles
Birdsong started the Giants’ Cactus League opener against the Mariners on Saturday, but he ended up coming in behind Tidwell in his second appearance on Thursday. The results still weren’t there, as Birdsong yielded three runs on four hits and one walk after pitching one inning in relief. The 24-year-old has now surrendered eight earned runs over 1 1/3 innings (54.00 ERA) this spring.

“I just don’t think he came away throwing the ball as well as he can,” Vitello said. “He’s certainly got good stuff. That’s kind of been beat up ad nauseum. But I think as far as watching body language, presence, how he threw the ball, I think he’s capable of better.”