Scouting Report

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

Scouts considered Tibbs the third-best offensive prospect in Georgia's 2021 class behind first-rounders Brady House and Harry Ford, but his bat-over-athlete profile sent him to Florida State rather than pro ball. He improved throughout his college career and slashed .363/.488/.777 in 2024 while leading the Seminoles to the College World Series and earning Atlantic Coast Conference player and scholar-athlete of the year honors. The Giants signed him for $4,747,500 as the 13th overall pick last July before including him in the stunning Rafael Devers trade with the Red Sox 11 months later, and then Boston shipped him and fellow outfield prospect Zach Ehrhard to the Dodgers to acquire Dustin May at the Trade Deadline.

Tibbs offered one of the best combinations of swing decisions and hard contact in the Draft. He has a smooth left-handed swing with plenty of bat speed and strength, giving him solid power to all fields. While at Florida State, he closed the holes he once had against breaking pitches, shrunk his strikeout rate from 32 percent as a freshman to 12 percent as a junior and boosted his walk rate from 12 percent to 18 percent. He has stood out more with his pop than his hitting ability at High-A, though he has drawn a healthy amount of walks.

Tibbs has bounced from left field as a freshman to primarily playing first base as a sophomore to right field as a junior and his first taste of pro ball. He has the solid arm strength to handle right field, though he'll need to maintain every bit of his presently below-average speed to have viable range. Even so, it still could be a stretch for him to cover Oracle Park's spacious right field, so he could wind up on the other outfield corner.

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.

Video scouting report »

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.

Transactions

Team	Date	Transaction
	08/02/2025	Tulsa Drillers activated RF James Tibbs III.
	07/31/2025	Los Angeles Dodgers traded RHP Dustin May to Boston Red Sox for RF James Tibbs III and OF Zach Ehrhard.
	07/31/2025	RF James Tibbs III assigned to Tulsa Drillers.
	06/17/2025	RF James Tibbs III assigned to Portland Sea Dogs from Greenville Drive.
	06/17/2025	Portland Sea Dogs activated RF James Tibbs III.
	06/15/2025	Boston Red Sox traded DH Rafael Devers to San Francisco Giants for LHP Kyle Harrison, RHP Jordan Hicks, RHP Jose Bello and RF James Tibbs III.
	06/15/2025	RF James Tibbs III assigned to Greenville Drive.
	03/06/2025	activated RF James Tibbs III.
	02/24/2025	RF James Tibbs III assigned to San Francisco Giants.
	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.