So far in his professional baseball career, Los Angeles Dodgers prospect James Tibbs III has racked up two things: quality at-bats and frequent-flyer miles. The former first-round pick of the San Francisco Giants is on his third franchise in three seasons, and after his remarkable start in Triple-A for the Oklahoma City Comets, the well-traveled outfielder seems to be knocking on the door of the big leagues.
After being acquired by the Dodgers last season, when they traded Dustin May to the Boston Red Sox, the former Florida State product hit .269 with a .900 OPS in 36 games with the Double-A Tulsa Drillers. Well, after a spring training that turned some heads after he posted a 1.053 OPS with four home runs, Tibbs has continued to perform at an elite level, earning Pacific Coast League Player of the Week for March 31-April 5th.
Dodgers Prospect James Tibbs III Angling for Promotion with Strong Early Play
The Rich Get Richer
Coming off their second consecutive World Series title, the Los Angeles Dodgers are not slowing down offensively. According to Baseball Savant, the Dodgers rank first in the league in xSLG (.529) and xwOBA (.386). Well, now on top of those already impressive metrics, they have Tibbs down in Triple-A, hitting .439 with seven home runs, 13 RBIs, and a 1.098 SLG.
If you take a deeper dive into those stats, Tibbs’ start only seems more impressive. Right now, among all eligible hitters in Triple-A, the Dodgers farmhand ranks in the 99th percentile in xwOBA (.574), xSLG (.962), and barrel percentage (35.7%), per ProspectSavant.
A large majority of prospect rankings have 2023 first-round pick Max Clark ranked as the top outfield prospect in Triple-A. In an early-season comparison between the 23-year-old Tibbs and the Detroit Tigers phenom, Tibbs is posting an average exit velocity that is 10.1 MPH harder than Clark, while ranking above him in xBA as well.
The projectable power stemming from his smooth left-handed swing became one of the biggest reasons why Tibbs heard his name called ten picks after Clark in the first round in 2023. With 20 home runs across three levels last season, Tibbs flashed that power, but this season, his 71.4% hard-hit percentage is taking it to a level that will be hard for the Dodgers front office to ignore.
It’s CRAZY the HEATER that James Tibbs III is on! Tibbs III had FOUR hits AGAIN last night, 3 of them being home runs. Last night was his 2nd 4-hit game of the year, and the 5th multi-hit game of his season to this point…WOW!
He’s hitting .514 so far, with an OPS of… pic.twitter.com/88lEMAtjA3
— Dodgers Daily (@dodger_daily) April 5, 2026
Promotion Outlook
On paper, it may seem as if Tibbs is forcing the Dodgers’ hand to promote him, but in reality, with the current state of their roster, the Dodgers’ decision-makers have their hands tied. As it stands, the Dodgers’ outfield is one of the biggest reasons for their solid start. Andy Pages is hitting over .450 in 42 at-bats, while Teoscar Hernández and Kyle Tucker rank second and third on the team in hits, respectively.
Off the bench, Los Angeles has Alex Call as their fourth outfielder, and Hyeseong Kim has also shown he’s versatile enough to play the outfield. In limited action this season, Call has especially proven to be a valuable member of the team, with two of his four hits going for extra bases.
With Tibbs blocked from every angle, it seems unlikely he’ll get a promotion before the end of April without an injury to one of the four outfielders. However, if the Dodgers’ 10th-ranked prospect continues to drive the ball to all sides of the field for power, he has the potential to still make his debut before the All-Star break, if guys like Alex Freeland continue to struggle off the bench at the MLB level.
Main Photo Credit: © Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
