Ricky Tiedemann threw a bullpen session on Sunday after being shut down with shoulder soreness

Well, Blue Jays fans got some good news on Sunday!

According to MLB.com, Ricky Tiedemann threw a bullpen on Sunday and apparently felt good. Last week, it was reported that Tiedemann had soreness in his pitching shoulder, which had shut him down for a few days.

Left shoulder soreness for Ricky Tiedemann. Shut down for a couple of days but expects him to throw a side Wednesday per Schneider #BlueJays
— Hazel Mae (@thehazelmae) March 13, 2023

It’s also worth noting that Tiedemann was cut in the first wave of cuts, meaning that the young pitcher will start his season in the minor leagues, likely with the Double-A New Hampshire Fisher Cats.
The 20-year-old left-handed pitcher is the Blue Jays’ consensus top prospect, with multiple publications such as MLB Pipeline, Baseball America, Fangraphs, Prospects Live, and several other sites awarding him the number one spot.

Here’s every single pitch from Ricky Tiedemann (@TiedemannRicky3)’s afternoon.
I’m going to say it right now. This man is going to win multiple Cy Young awards.#BlueJays pic.twitter.com/lr4WKpab7j
— Brennan Delaney (@Brennan_L_D) February 28, 2023

And for good reason, pitching mainly as a 19-year-old in 2022, he had a 2.17 ERA in 78.2 innings pitched at Low-A, High-A, and Double-A. Here’s to another good season that could potentially propel him to a top-10 position on lists, and potentially make it to the big leagues.
Other notes from the article:
Mitch White hasn’t pitched yet this spring, but that looks likely to change this upcoming week. While it may not be in a spring training game, it will be a game scenario, unlike the bullpen sessions he has recently had.
It’s also worth noting that the Jays made their second wave of cuts on March 18. Pitchers Adrián Hernández and Casey Lawrence, as well as first baseman Rainer Núñez, were all sent to minor league game on Saturday afternoon.
As always, you can follow me on Twitter and Instagram @Brennan_L_D.

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Author: Brennan Delaney / Blue Jays Nation

The Blue Jays apparently made a “contract suggestion” to Alek Manoah this winter and the two sides were “not close”

We’ve got some Blue Jays news (?) shoved in the middle of a News and Notes article from Jon Heyman at the New York Post…

The Jays in nearby Dunedin can really hit. And their outfield, which formerly had one part-time center fielder, now has three who can do it. Their baserunning is also much improved, a consideration with those pizza-box bases.
The Jays made a contract suggestion for Alek Manoah this winter. Word is they were “not close.”
The way this information is presented is funny because it goes from Heyman complimenting an improvement the team made over the off-season and then quickly chiming in with a quick jab that they’re “not close” on a “contract suggestion,” which makes it appear as though there’s some rift between the team and their young ace.
Heyman calling it a “contract suggestion” indicates that no actual offer was made from the Blue Jays to Manoah but it also doesn’t give any indication of how serious the talk was. It’s more than likely just the standard early stages of a negotiation, in which both sides present what they feel would be a worthwhile long-term agreement for them to make.
From Toronto’s perspective, they’d be looking for a hometown discount from Manoah in exchange for security, while Manoah would likely only want to lock himself down in exchange for a gigantic bag of cash given how well the first two seasons of his Major League career …

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Author: Cam Lewis / Blue Jays Nation

The Blue Jays have reassigned Ricky Tiedemann and 11 other players, Addison Barger remains at big league camp

The Blue Jays have made some roster moves.

On Monday evening, the Blue Jays reassigned 12 players to the minor leagues, which you can see in the embedded tweet below.

The #BlueJays announce they’ve assigned these 12 players to Minor League camp.
They can still be brought back over for MLB spring games, so you’ll still see a few of them. pic.twitter.com/g4EPd8Mn1Z
— Keegan Matheson (@KeeganMatheson) March 13, 2023

The name that immediately jumps out is Ricky Tiedemann. The consensus Blue Jays; top prospect probably wasn’t in competition for a spot, but the exposure to big-league hitters could help his development. It’s also worth noting that the 20-year-old will be shut down for a few days, as he has shoulder soreness in his pitching arm.
The other six non-roster invitees reassigned to the minors are: OF Cam Eden, C Jamie Ritchie, LHP Jimmy Robbins, RHP Sem Robberse, RHP Hayden Juenger, and LHP Jimmy Burnette. The latter pitched in 3.1 innings, striking out five batters and allowing a single earned run.

Here’s Jimmy Burnette (@Burnette_Jimmy) strikeout and whiff thread.
A bunch of nice sliders here for his four whiffs.#BlueJays pic.twitter.com/SY3QO0jJmX
— Brennan Delaney (@Brennan_L_D) March 11, 2023

The Blue Jays also optioned five 40-man roster players: INF Orelvis Martinez (two homers), INF Leonardo Jimenez (3 hit-by-pitch), INF/OF Spencer Horwitz (playing for Team Israel), RHP Hagen Danner (shut down for a few days with forearm pain), and RHP Yosver Zulueta. The former struck out the side in his appearance on Monday afternoon.

82.9 mph slider for his second strikeout of the game! pic.twitter.com/8Cg016ht9C
— Brennan Delaney (@Brennan_L_D) March 13, 2023

While these players aren’t officially at the big league camp anymore, there will still be plenty of opportunities to play in spring training games. For example, the Jays will have a split-squad day on Friday, with both games against the Phillies.
It’s also worth noting that Blue Jays Nation’s second-ranked prospect, Addison Barger, survived the first wave of cuts. Could he be in cont …

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Author: Brennan Delaney / Blue Jays Nation

Raptors rumors: Fred VanVleet named team’s biggest “flight risk”

Raptors rumors: Fred VanVleet named team’s biggest “flight risk”

The Toronto Raptors have some big ecisions to make in free agency this offseason, as three porhected starters in Fred VanVleet, new trade addition Jakob Poeltl, and Gary Trent Jr. could all bolt when the offseason kicks off. VanVleet is being courted by teams like the Orlando Magic, who believe that they are a veteran […]
Raptors rumors: Fred VanVleet named team’s biggest “flight risk” – Raptors Rapture – Raptors Rapture – A Toronto Raptors Fan Site – News, Blogs, Opinion and More

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Author: Mike Luciano / Raptors HQ

Historical figures give us insight into the Leafs

The All-Star break gives us a lot of time to take on some of our interests outside of hockey. As a history major (that has never once thought of using that education) I decided why not take the break from hockey to reach out to some of history’s greatest minds through the Historical Figures Chat app. Imagine what some of the greatest minds in history (and Richard Nixon) would have to say about the Maple Leafs. Here are some of the transcripts of those chats.
I decided to ease into it by reaching out to some hockey folks…

Now that sounds like a hockey player answer. We’re off to a good start. Some nice platitudes from Gordie have us off and running. Now let’s see what one of the greatest player/coaches in cinematic history has to say about the Leafs…

I would have expected something a little saltier from Reggie Dunlop and certainly would have demanded the Leafs to be a little tougher, but that does sound like a hockey answer still. Maybe we need to step away from hockey people and get some sage-like advice elsewhere. We’ll start with one of the greatest Dad’s in TV history…

I just want to give Uncle Phil a great big hug. I don’t know if this will fix the Leafs but it will certainly fix me.
Heading in a completely different direction when it comes to advice for the Leafs, I thought who could give the Leafs advice on how to cheat to get ahead. One name came to mind and while he was reluctant to help at first, he eventually caved…

I hate to say that I agree with Richard Nixon, but I kinda agree with Richard Nixon. If there aren’t some of MLSE’s brightest minds locked in dark rooms studying the hell out of the Bruins and Lightning by now, the Leafs might as well pack it in.
Now tactics are fun, but I want to know what the future holds in store for the Leafs and for that I reached out to history’s greatest predictor who wasn’t particularly forthcoming…

Less learned. If you want predictions you have to call a 900 number, you won’t get them for free through an app.
Maybe an outright prediction was too much ask for. Maybe reaching out to one of history’s greatest philosophers (that didn’t require additional credits to unlock) could inform us of what we can expect from the Leafs at the trade deadline…

This is truly inspiring and once again I am forced to agree with what I’m sure is a very accurate representation of Ioscrates feelings on ie hockey. It is important that the Leafs improve but not takeaway from who they are and what has been working for them. Introducing radical new elements into their lineup and creating potential weaknesses where they didn’t exist before is something that the Leafs need to consider at the trade deadline. Copy and paste this image into K …

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Author: Jon Steitzer / The Leafs Nation

Ilya Samsonov held off the Jets long enough for Maple Leafs’ scorers to show up

Some would call Thursday night’s matchup a measuring stick game for the Maple Leafs, others would say the same for the Winnipeg Jets.
It seemed as if there was more discussion about the goaltending heading into this game more than anything else. Ilya Samsonov started for Toronto, after coming in for relief on Tuesday, while the Jets went with none other than Connor Hellebuyck.
The first period was all Winnipeg with shots at the end of the opening frame being 16-6, not in favour of Toronto.

The Maple Leafs were the team to strike first, although they weren’t the ones driving play for most of the game. Auston Matthews, who we’ll discuss more of later, scored two quick goals in the second. His earliest being eight seconds into the period.
That seemed to give Toronto some life which allowed Mitch Marner to contribute on the score sheet, too. It was his franchise-leading 19th-straight game with a point at home.
After that, Winnipeg continued to drive play in all situations. All of that offensive pressure eventually led to a power play and Kyle Connor scored during the man advantage just after David Kampf had trouble clearing the puck out of the zone.
But that was the only goal the Jets could score because Ilya Samsonov was incredible on Thursday.

Toronto generated the only two goals at five-on-five while Winnipeg dominated in the shots department. By the end of the game, shots were 38-27 for the Jets — a far margin. Though at five-on-five, shots w …

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Author: Nick Barden / The Leafs Nation

Recapping the five most memorable Toronto Maple Leafs moments of 2022

Recapping the five most memorable Toronto Maple Leafs moments of 2022

The Maple Leafs had some amazing moments in 2022. It might just be their most memorable calendar year in a long, long time.

It began with a memorable moment from Auston Matthews and it ended with Mitch Marner making history, But we also can’t forget about what happened in the middle, right?
So, with 2022 coming to an end, I thought it’d be best to look back on the year and all of the incredible moments surrounding the Maple Leafs.
Enjoy!
5 – Game 1 of first round vs. Tampa Bay Lightning

The Maple Leafs couldn’t have had a better start to the 2022 playoffs, quite literally.
Toronto filled Tampa’s net with five goals, courtesy of Jake Muzzin, David Kampf, Marner, and Matthews, who scored a pair. From start to finish, the Maple Leafs outplayed the Lightning, not even allowing a goal against.
This was the start of an incredible seven games, and although we now know the outcome, I’m sure we can all agree that it was Toronto’s best playoff series in a while.
Right?
4 – Game 3 of first round vs. Tampa Bay Lightning

Both the Maple Leafs and Lightning were headed back to Toronto with the series all tied up at two. Although the winner of Game 5 would have the chance to be one win away from getting to the second round.
This was an amazing game. You had Tampa scoring two goals in the first period, and at that point it seemed like the game might’ve been out of reach. But Toronto came back, with John Tavares scoring in the second period, and Morgan Rielly tying it early in the third.
1:13 later and William Nylander scored, which put Scotiabank Arena and Maple Leafs Square into a craze. That was, until Ryan McDonagh tied it back up at three.
The madness wasn’t over though because Matthews and Marner had a two-on-one, and Marner shot it off of Andrei Vasilevskiy’s pad and Matthews put it in.
Toronto won that game 4 …

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Author: Nick Barden / The Leafs Nation

This Raptors trade target may be a better fit than Jakob Poeltl

This Raptors trade target may be a better fit than Jakob Poeltl

The Toronto Raptors will likely make some move of note in the next few months, as the club’s 2-7 record in the last nine games is a painful illustration of how the roster has stagnated. Home wins against the Kings and Nets were choked away in brutal fashion. The Raptors’ two biggest issues are a […]
This Raptors trade target may be a better fit than Jakob Poeltl – Raptors Rapture – Raptors Rapture – A Toronto Raptors Fan Site – News, Blogs, Opinion and More

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Author: Mike Luciano / Raptors HQ

Nick Robertson’s opportunity with the Leafs is here, and he needs to run with it

Nick Robertson’s opportunity with the Leafs is here, and he needs to run with it

Nick Robertson’s chance at some runway in the Maple Leafs’ lineup has finally arrived.
Calle Jarnkrok went to the dressing room during the second period of Wednesday night’s game against San Jose. Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe said the 31-year-old would “miss some time” after the game but didn’t elaborate further.
Though after Toronto’s practice on Friday before leaving for Tampa, Keefe addressed Jarnkrok’s status saying he’d miss a minimum of two weeks with a groin injury. An unfortunate outcome for the 31-year-old who was having a decent run in his first 25 games.
This injury, though, opens the door for Robertson, who hasn’t had the most consistent schedule of games in the NHL this season.
“I want to get these games, get going, get the production back.” The 21-year-old said to the media on Friday. “It’s kind of hard when you’re out for a little bit and you come back, it’s hard to get back into it. But now, it’s the challenge of with every game I get to do everything I can to be consistent and stay in the lineup.”
Robertson’s season has been fascinating to say the least. He wasn’t in the lineup for Toronto’s first four games of the season, but then found himself playing in the following six (Oct. 20-30).
After that stretch …

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Author: Nick Barden / The Leafs Nation

Raptors’ OG Anunoby becoming an All-Star lock due to hot start

Raptors’ OG Anunoby becoming an All-Star lock due to hot start

The Toronto Raptors have been on the receiving end of some pretty tough injuries this season, as Pascal Siakam and Precious Achiuwa have both missed time. With Gary Trent Jr. having struggled offensively and Scottie Barnes in and out of the lineup, OG Anunoby has saved this team’s backside. Anunoby was one of the main […]
Raptors’ OG Anunoby becoming an All-Star lock due to hot start – Raptors Rapture – Raptors Rapture – A Toronto Raptors Fan Site – News, Blogs, Opinion and More

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Author: Mike Luciano / Raptors HQ