While the Triple-A Oklahoma City Comets have only played three games this season, top prospect James Tibbs III is pushing for a call up.
Tibbs hit two home runs in the Comets’ win against the Albuquerque Isotopes Sunday, his first two of the season, and had five RBIs.
He also had a great game Saturday, matching a career high with four hits. He also scored three runs and tallied three RBIs in the Comets’ win.
Throughout the three games he’s played this season, he has a .615/.642/1.461 slash line for an OPS over 2.000.
The Boston Red Sox traded Tibbs to the Los Angeles Dodgers at last season’s trade deadline in exchange for Dustin May. Just a couple month prior, Tibbs went from the San Francisco Giants to the Red Sox as part of the Rafael Devers trade.
While he’s done a lot of moving around in his first couple of years of professional baseball, he said he feels a little more settled down with the Dodgers.
“…I don’t think I imagined in my wildest dreams I would get traded twice my first year of pro ball, much less traded twice at all,” Tibbs said in spring training. “So for me it was a whirlwind of a year. I feel like I’m in a better spot mentally, physically, emotionally. I feel like I’m in a place where I have a foundation, can control the controllables and go from there.”
Did James Tibbs III Play Well in Spring Training?
Tibbs made an impact in spring training, with manager Dave Roberts naming him as one of the standouts from the Dodgers’ preseason.
He played in 23 games, batting .313 and hitting four home runs with 11 RBIs across the games. He had a 1.053 OPS throughout the games he played.
While Tibbs has been impressive, his path to the majors may be difficult due to the talent LA has at the MLB level. The Dodgers have two All-Stars in the outfield in Kyle Tucker and Teoscar Hernandez, and also have Andy Pages patrolling center.
Freddie Freeman blocks Tibbs’ way at first, so there’s no easy path for LA’s No. 11 prospect to take.
If he continues to produce how he has over the past month, though, the Dodgers may not have a choice in bringing up the 23-year-old.
Do you think James Tibbs III can make the MLB team this year?
