Minor League Baseball

Former Giants, Red Sox Top Prospect Blowing Up in Dodgers Farm System

James Tibbs III, a former first round pick who was traded for both Rafael Devers and Dustin May earlier this summer, is already tearing it up with Double-A Tulsa.
Sam Connon|
Charlotte, NC, USA; Florida State outfielder James Tibbs III (22) seen warming up before the game against Wake Forest during the ACC Baseball Tournament at Truist Field.
Charlotte, NC, USA; Florida State outfielder James Tibbs III (22) seen warming up before the game against Wake Forest during the ACC Baseball Tournament at Truist Field. | Cory Knowlton-Imagn Images

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Los Angeles DodgersBoston Red SoxSan Francisco Giants

It has been a whirlwind couple of months for James Tibbs III, who wasn't even a full year into his professional career before he started getting passed around from one franchise to another.

And yet, all the chaos doesn't seem to be disrupting Tibbs at the plate.

The 22-year-old outfielder showed out for the Tulsa Drillers on Wednesday, going 4-for-4 with two home runs, three runs, four RBIs and two walks against the Corpus Christi Hooks. It was only Tibbs' fourth game in the Los Angeles Dodgers' organization, and it evidently didn't take the top prospect very long to get his feet under him.

Tibbs and outfielder Zach Ehrhard got dealt from the Boston Red Sox to the Dodgers at last Thursday's trade deadline, coming over in exchange for starting pitcher Dustin May. Less than seven weeks earlier, he was one of the main pieces Boston got back when they shipped superstar slugger Rafael Devers to the San Francisco Giants.

The Giants selected Tibbs with the No. 13 overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft following his stellar career at Florida State. He opened 2025 in High-A, batting .246 with an .859 OPS through 57 games.

Tibbs was elevated to Double-A once he joined the Red Sox, although he hit just .207 with a .586 OPS in his 30 games with the Portland Sea Dogs. Through four games with the Dodgers' Double-A affiliate, he is batting .333 with a 1.207 OPS.

On the same night Tibbs broke out at the plate, May made his debut with the Red Sox. The 27-year-old right-hander got stuck with the loss after allowing six hits, one walk and three earned runs in 3.2 innings of work.

Tibbs was ranked as San Francisco's No. 4 prospect at the time of the Devers trade. He was Boston's No. 5 prospect prior to the May deal. While Tibbs is now ranked as the No. 7 prospect in Los Angeles' system, it is worth noting that the organization's top-six prospects are all part of MLB Pipeline's Top 100.

In 117 career minor league games, Tibbs has hit .238 with 17 home runs, 17 doubles, two triples, 51 RBIs, 74 runs, five stolen bases and a .747 OPS.

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Sam Connon
SAM CONNON

Sam Connon is a staff writer for “Minor League Baseball on SI’’ and other "On SI'' baseball sites. He previously covered UCLA Athletics for “UCLA on SI’’ and won awards from the College Media Association and Society of Professional Journalists. Connon also wrote for “New England Patriots on SI’’ and was on the Patriots and Boston Red Sox beats at Prime Time Sports Talk. Follow Sam on Twitter @SamConnon.

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