Blade Tidwell called up by New York Mets, another Tennessee baseball pitcher in MLB

Blade Tidwell was called up by the New York Mets according to multiple reports Friday, setting up the Tennessee baseball product to make his MLB debut.

Tidwell is the eighth player from the Tony Vitello era to reach the major leagues. He is the second to do so this season, joining Colorado Rockies pitcher Chase Dollander. Tidwell was picked in the second round and No. 52 overall by the Mets in the 2022 MLB Draft.

The Mets are heading into a series at St. Louis, where Tidwell could make his debut.

The Loretto, Tennessee, product has a 15-22 record with a 4.23 ERA and 322 strikeouts in 274⅔ innings in four minor league seasons. He started the season with Triple-A Syracuse, where he went 1-2 with a 5.00 ERA in six starts.

Blade Tidwell called up to MLB by New York Mets

Tidwell was 13-5 with a 3.53 ERA in two seasons at Tennessee. He struck out 141 in 137⅔ innings.

He was 3-2 with a 3.00 ERA in 2022. He missed the first six weeks of the season after dealing with preseason shoulder soreness and stepped into the starting rotation against Florida.

He made a dazzling start in Tennessee’s 10-0 win against Alabama State in the opening game of the Knoxville Regional. Tidwell struck out a season-high seven in 7⅔ innings, allowing three hits and walking none.

Tidwell was a preseason All-American in 2022 after being a freshman All-American in 2021. He went 10-3 with a 3.74 ERA. He struck out 90 in 98⅔ innings pitched as UT’s Sunday starter.

Blade Tidwell is the eighth Tony Vitello player to reach MLB

Tidwell is the sixth former Vitello player at UT currently in the major leagues out of the eight who have reached the big leagues.

Pitcher Garrett Crochet debuted with the Chicago White Sox in 2020 when he skipped the minor leagues and debuted in the same year he was drafted No. 11 overall. He earned an all-star bid in 2024 as a star for the White Sox, who traded him to the Boston Red Sox before the 2025 season.

Pitcher Ben Joyce debuted for the Los Angeles Angels on May 29, 2023, less than a year after the hard-throwing reliever was selected in the third round of the 2022 MLB Draft.

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Jordan Beck, who was the No. 38 pick in the 2022 draft, made his debut with the Colorado Rockies on April 30, 2024. Seth Halvorsen was called up on Aug. 30, 2024, and made his debut a day later with the Colorado Rockies.

Dollander debuted on April 6, the day after he was called up by the Rockies to join Beck and Halvorsen.

Andre Lipcius made his debut on Sept. 1, 2023 with the Detroit Tigers, who drafted Lipcius in the third round of the 2019 MLB Draft with the No. 83 pick. Trey Lipscomb debuted with the Washington Nationals on March 30, 2024. He was picked in the third round of the 2022 MLB Draft. Lipcius and Lipscomb are currently at AAA with the White Sox and Nationals, respectively.

Mike Wilson covers University of Tennessee athletics. Email him at michael.wilson@knoxnews.com and follow him on Twitter @ByMikeWilson. If you enjoy Mike’s coverage, consider a digital subscription that will allow you access to all of it

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Blade Tidwell: Tennessee baseball pitcher in MLB with New York Mets

Blade Tidwell called up by New York Mets, another Tennessee baseball pitcher in MLB | Report

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