Scouting Report

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Scouting grades: Hit: 60 | Power: 55 | Run: 40 | Arm: 50 | Field: 50 | Overall: 55

After an all-state career at Pope High School in Georgia, Tibbs headed to Florida State for college ball. He’s done nothing but hit with the Seminoles, with a combined 1.066 OPS over his first two seasons, including hitting 17 homers and slugging .682 as a sophomore in 2023. He put himself even more on the Draft map by continuing to rake with a wood bat, hitting .303/.390/.472 with six homers in the Cape Cod League over the summer, then vaulted into the first-round landscape with a huge junior campaign.

It will be Tibbs’ bat that gets him drafted in the first few rounds. The left-handed hitter is confident and smart at the plate, with an approach he’s improved over his time at Florida State, cutting his strikeout rate and upping his walk rate considerably from his freshman to his sophomore seasons, and even more so this spring. He punishes fastballs and has been showing the ability to get to his average power and drive the ball to all fields, though he’s struggled more with breaking stuff in the past.

Tibbs is likely limited to left field at the next level because he is a below-average runner and some wonder if he might have a possible home at first base, a spot he saw considerable time at with the Seminoles a year ago. There might be more floor than ceiling here, but there’s enough bat to think he could be the first Florida State hitter to go in the top two rounds since the Reds took catcher Mat Nelson No. 35 overall in 2021.

Video scouting report »

Scouting grades: Hit: 60 | Power: 55 | Run: 40 | Arm: 50 | Field: 40 | Overall: 55

The third-best offensive prospect in the 2021 Georgia high school class behind first-rounders Brady House and Harry Ford, Tibbs had a bat-over-athlete profile that led him to Florida State rather than the Draft. He improved throughout his three years with the Seminoles, culminating in a .363/.488/.777 season with 28 homers in 2024 that earned him Atlantic Coast Conference player of the year and scholar-athlete of the year accolades. Selected 13th overall by the Giants, he signed for $4,747,500.

Few college players in the 2024 Draft could match Tibbs' combination of swing decisions and hard contact. He cut his strikeout rate from 32 percent as a freshman to 12 percent as a junior while improving his walk rate from 12 percent to 18 percent, and he also grew into solid power that plays to all fields. He has a smooth, quick left-handed stroke, packs plenty of strength in his 6-foot, 201-pound and has made adjustments to close the holes he once had against breaking pitches.

Tibbs played left field as a freshman, primarily first base as a sophomore and right field this spring. With his below-average speed and average arm strength, left field is the realistic best-case scenario. Even if he does wind up at first base, he has the bat to profile as a quality regular.

Transactions

Team	Date	Transaction
	08/20/2024	OF James Tibbs III assigned to Eugene Emeralds from San Jose Giants.
	08/08/2024	OF James Tibbs III assigned to San Jose Giants from ACL Giants.
	08/08/2024	San Jose Giants activated OF James Tibbs III.
	08/05/2024	OF James Tibbs III assigned to ACL Giants.
	07/23/2024	San Francisco Giants signed OF James Tibbs III.
	06/16/2024	College Workout activated OF James Tibbs.
	03/25/2024	OF James Tibbs III assigned to Florida State Seminoles.
	06/09/2023	Brewster Whitecaps activated OF James Tibbs.
	06/08/2023	OF James Tibbs assigned to College Workout.
	05/07/2022	OF James Tibbs assigned to Florida State Seminoles.