James Tibbs III is best described as hitting a mouse. The San Francisco Giants became famous from Florida State University last year before shipped to the Boston Red Sox in last month’s blockbuster Rafael Devers Deal, the 22-year-old outfielder lived and breathed baseball, especially standing in a part of the batting box. From a very young age, Tibbs struggled tenaciously to hone his left hand with a stroke.
Tibbs, an Atlanta native who attended high school in nearby Marietta, cut 0.338/.462/.685 in three seasons at ACC school and performed 28 teenagers, further strengthening his profile. And he continued to hit the professional ball. After signing the contract last summer, he played only 26 games, with mixed results. He posted 153 WRC+ in A-Ball, won promotions in A-Ball, and then had a chill in High-A. Now, in his first full professional season, he’s back to doing what he does best: beating baseball. Tibbs made twelve home runs in High-A before trading and had 132 WRC+ home runs before joining his new organization, and he made 107 WRC+ on 86 crickets while acclimating to Double-A.
When our Red Sox’s top prospect list was published in late June, Eric Longenhagen called it No. 14 in “Basketball’s Best Farm System,” the promising young outfielder was assigned 45 FV, while Primitive Power divided Primitive Power into his best hitting tool. Tibbs sat down and hit before the recent home game of the Portland Sears.
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David Laurila: You were selected a year ago. Are you the same batsman now, or have you changed anything meaningfully?
James Tibbs III: “I’m almost the same. That’s what keeps me so far away, and I’m trying to copy it as much as I can. I’ve never tried any changes unless absolutely necessary because I’m going to stand out. I’ll adjust to that feeling, but I’m going to go back to my foundation. My foundation is going back to my foundation for three years, is it three years of consistency? Two years?
“I felt like I covered the plate well. I felt like I could see the ball from the standing position and the way I loaded it. I felt like I used the body well so that I could get to the spots I didn’t have to cover. So, yes, it was very consistent for the most part.”
Laurila: How do you describe the method of the plate?
tibbs: “It depends on the pitcher. The pitcher is going to decide what I want to do. It’s a game like chess. Right? For me it depends on what the pitcher throws, he is in line with his stuff. He is north and south. Is he north and south? If I want my team to get more responsibility, or my bat, if I want to be more labor. He is substitute?
“From there, I started playing chess and beat him, and beat him, and it was my job. All of this is based on what we see through his reports, through his statistics, through his charts. These things can help me figure out how I want to best get close to what he is doing.”
Laurila: What about your swing? Is it basically always the same?
tibbs: “It might be based on Hawkeye, but to me it’s more like a change. If he throws a fastball on the 22 Vert, I’ll try to be more direct. It might be more direct in my opinion, but in my mind the swing might look the same.
“I’m not trying to hit anything on the ground. My approach is, I’m working hard in the air everywhere. From line to line, I want to hit the ball in the air. For my best, he’s better off picking up what he throws, I have to know where the ball goes, and his running or riding makes me feel on a bike. It may not look much different, but I feel like I’m better off going on the path, plane, to create a flight and hit the ball in the air.”
Laurila: Are you going to catch the ball in front?
tibbs: “Absolutely. The game gets so fast, right? With all the speed and riding (those things), it’s a way to get you closer to the game. Maybe in high school, or even college, I’ll make it a little more, but here I have to have more speed. In order to be my best self, I have to be able to play on the board.
“You have the square, and then you have the triangle of the home plate. Right? I never wanted to hit it behind the square of the plate. I tried to hit it at least in the first half of the plate. There was a six-inch window that I tried to live in, and that was in the front.”
Laurila: You can drive the ball out of the front, but still against the relative field gap…
tibbs: “Yes. It’s a misunderstanding…I mean, I can be late on the fastball inside and still pull it, but the angle I hit it will be more downhill, so I’m going to hit it on the ground. The side that makes me successful on the speedball, I probably have to be there. It’s a heavy guy, I’m catching more here, not more here, so I hit it on the ground.
Laurila: You’re talking like a batting coach…
tibbs: “I mean, this is my life.
Laurila: How does the Red Sox organization compare to San Francisco? Do batting coaches and coordinators emphasize anything specifically?
tibbs: “It’s more air warheads. That’s what we’re talking about, hitting the ball to pull, which is actually my game. When I was at my best I hit the ball on the scoreboard in the left center, [right field] Foul pole. But I also have the ability to leave the venue. If my pace is good and my timing is good…I mean, it’s all about timing. The guy on the mound tries to change your timing, whether it’s the pitch of speed, the rhythm, the sliding footsteps, the leg kicks…those things create another difficulty in blowing up baseballs.
“The name of the game is the barrel. The name of the game is the hard hit rate. The name of the game is the contact rate. The name of the game controls the area. I can do it well, but you can mix the time and match the timing, mix the pitch speeds, so that you can have the upper hand on me.”
Laurila: In the Red Sox system, bat speed training is very high.
tibbs: “Yes.”
Laurila: Do they do this in your old organization?
tibbs: “No. I do it here, but I haven’t. I mean, I’ve been waving a heavy bat. I probably have done it since I was six to eight years old. I literally waved a metal rod to hit the golf ball. But it’s been a few years since I’ve been here.”
Laurila: Have your bat speed or exit speed improved since you came here?
tibbs: “I’ve only been here for about four weeks, but no. My electric car has actually dropped. Part of it was the timing. I felt like my swing was undecided, so I had to adjust. But I think we were running in the right direction. I’m harder than ever before than I’ve been here, but when I’m here, I’m all over the campus, obviously at a better level on this level.
Laurila: You had a power surge last year. What do you attribute it to?
tibbs: “I got stronger, and it proves our strength coach at Jamie Burleson, Florida. Understanding the game is also an important part of that – understanding the way the pitcher is trying to sell me is a huge advantage in the year. Chess game, right? I feel like I can sell something in some ways. Where can I sell it. I’m going to play percentage.
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Earlier “Talks Hitting” interviews can found through these links: Jo Adell, Jeff Albert, Greg Allen, Nolan Arenado, Aaron Bates, Jacob Berry, Alex Bregman, Bo Bichette, Justice Bigbie, Cavan Biggio, Charlie Blackmon, JJ Bleday, Bobby Bradley, Will Brennan, Jay Bruce, Triston Casas, Matt Chapman, Michael Chavis, Garrett Cooper, Gavin Cross, Jacob Cruz, Nelson Cruz, Paul DeJong, Brenton Del Chiaro, Josh Donaldson, Brendan Donovan, Donnie Ecker, Rick Eckstein, Drew Ferguson, Justin Foscue, Michael Fransoso, Ryan Fuller, Joey Gallo, Paul Goldschmidt, Devlin Granberg, Gino Groover, Matt Hague, Andy Haines, Mitch Haniger, Robert Hassell III, Austin Hays, Nico Hoerner, Jackson Holliday, Spencer Horwitz, Rhys Hoskins, Doug Latta, Dillon Lawson, Brooks Lee, Royce Leewis, Evan Longoria, Joey Loperfido), Michael Lorenson, Ryan Mountcastle, Cedric Mullins, Daniel Murphy, Lars Nootbaar, Logan O’Hoppe, Vinnie Pasquantino, Graham Pauley, David Peralta, Luke Raley, Julio Rodríguez, Brent Rooker, Thomas Saggese, Anthony Santander, Drew Saylor, Nolan Schanuel, Marcus Semien, Giancarlo Stanton, Spencer Steer, Trevor Story, Fernando Tatis Jr., Spencer Torkelson, Mark Trumbo, Brice Turang, Justin Turner, Trea Turner, Josh VanMeter, Robert Van Scoyoc, Chris Valaika, Zac Veen, Alex Verdugo, Mark Vientos, Matt Vierling, Luke Voit, Anthony Volpe, Joey Votto, Christian Walker, Jared Walsh, Jordan Westburg, Jesse Winker, Bobby Witt Jr.)
