Giants Top Hitting Prospect’s Slow Start Masks Critical Baseball Traits

Among the San Francisco Giants’ Top 30 prospects at MLB Pipeline outfielder James Tibbs III nearly stands alone.

He’s the fourth highest-ranked prospect in the organization, behind first baseman Bryce Eldridge, pitcher Carson Whisenhunt and shortstop Josuar De Jesus.

Last year’s first-round pick is playing his first full year of pro baseball at High-A Eugene. After his first 28 games the numbers don’t look great — .214/.376/.347 with three home runs and 10 RBI.

But, sometimes, numbers aren’t the only thing teams look at. Sometimes advanced analytics give team a different glimpse. That’s why it’s worth looking at Tibbs’ advanced numbers.

They provide a different picture, one of a hitter that traits that will eventually balance out the slow start.

What is James Tibbs III Excelling at Early in his Career?

Tibbs arrived in San Francisco last year with a power hitter’s profile. In his last season with Florida State he had a career year, as he slashed .375/.497/.813 with 28 home runs and 94 RBI.

Power hitters tend to come with flaws. They tend to chase. They tend to turn down walks. But, recently Baseball America showed that Tibbs is defying those notions.

The publication recently highlighted 10 players with standout contact, chase and exit velocity data. Tibbs made the list, and those numbers paint a much different picture.

Set aside the slow start. Baseball America pointed out that through his first 27 games this season that he had a great strikeout-to-walk ratio for a player at his stage of development, as he took 22 walks and struck out 17 times.

He also had a 13.3% in-zone whiff rate, meaning he doesn’t miss many in-zone pitches that he swings at. His chase rate of 18.9% means he’s disciplined when it comes to pitches out of the zone.

All of this, the publication wrote, “…limits Tibbs exposure to strikeouts and hints at his plus on-base skills.”

The publication also highlighted his 90th percentile exit velocity of 106.1 mph, which is considered a plus on the scale, along with a hard-hit launch angle of 15.8 degrees. He can slug and elevate, positive signs for a player the Giants hope can be a power hitter in the Majors.

Clearly, his slash will have to improve before he can buck for a promotion to Double-A Richmond, where Eldridge is currently playing. But the underlying metrics suggest the Giants hit on a player with good plate discipline and whose numbers will, eventually, catch up.