SF Giants prospects: Tyler Fitzgerald records second straight 20-20 season
One of the SF Giants' best prospects in the upper minors achieved a notable milestone last week. Sacramento River Cats infielder Tyler Fitzgerald (Giants #11 prospect) hit his 20th home run of the season last Sunday against Albuquerque, giving him his second consecutive 20-20 season. Even though it only had an exit velocity of 98.5 mph and an estimated distance of 364 feet, it was enough to go over the fence. Between Double-A and Triple-A this season, Fitzgerald has hit .287/.356/.512 with 24 doubles, seven triples, 21 home runs, and 27 steals (30 attempts) in 110 games.
While hitting 20 homers and stealing 20 bases in a single season in the minors is no small feat, achieving it was made easier with the improved base-stealing rules that were implemented. Last season, there were 26 prospects in the Minors who managed the feat. This year, there are currently 19 prospects. However, repeating the same feat in consecutive seasons is a much tougher task. Fitzgerald joins Mets top prospect Ronny Mauricio and Red Sox top prospect Ceddanne Rafaela as the only prospects to do so both this year and last year.
Fitzgerald was the Giants fourth-round pick in the 2019 MLB Draft out of Louisville. While the canceled 2020 minor-league season cost him some early player development opportunities, he has been a steadily above-average producer when healthy. Last season, Fitzgerald spent the entire campaign with the Giants Double-A affiliate, hitting .229/.310/.424 with 21 home runs and 20 stolen bases (21 attempts), becoming the first player to record a 20-20 season in Flying Squirrels history.
Fitzgerald got off to a slow start in the Eastern League last year, posting a .634 OPS by the end of June but posted an amazing .296/.355/.559 triple-slash to finish the season. Still, Fitzgerald's struggles with contact (32.9% strikeout rate in 2022) and a depth of upper minor league infielder prospects ahead of Fitzgerald on the organizational depth chart (Brett Wisely, Will Wilson, and Casey Schmitt) led the team to send him back to Richmond. After his excellent April in which he earned the Eastern League Player of the Month, Fitzgerald was promoted to Sacramento where he spent the rest of his 2023 season.
Even though he is on the older side for a prospect as he is set to turn 26 in the middle of September, Fitzgerald still possesses some of the best tools in the system. Fitzgerald is an above-average athlete who is surprisingly fluid in his lanky 6'3'' frame. It gives him a shot to stick at shortstop and even be a viable center fielder.
At the plate, Fitzgerald's contact skills remain the biggest question facing his long-term development. He has above-average power potential, showcased by his ability to hit 60 home runs over the past three seasons despite a strikeout rate approaching 30%. He's done a good job cutting down his strikeouts since arriving in Sacramento, but he has seemingly sacrificed some power to do that.
San Francisco's production at shortstop for the big-league club has been abysmal all season long. Even though it would necessitate a 40-man move to accommodate him, giving Fitzgerald a shot to try to inject positive production at the position might not be a bad idea. If not, the SF Giants should give Tyler Fitzgerald opportunities next spring to try to nail down a spot on the big-league team as the starting shortstop or utility infielder.
