Where Newly Acquired James Tibbs III Ranks Among Red Sox’s Top Prospects

How history views the blockbuster Rafael Devers trade could hinge on James Tibbs III.

On Sunday night, the Boston Red Sox made a franchise-altering move by sending Devers to the San Francisco Giants. Fans may be more familiar with Kyle Harrison and Jordan Hicks, as the returning pitchers both have major-league experience. Yet Boston also brought back two prospects.

The Giants included Tibbs and Jose Bello in the Devers package. The 20-year-old Bello was pitching in the Complex League, so he’s likely years away from making any potential impact.

Tibbs, on the other hand, could make or break the deal. The Giants selected the outfielder with the No. 13 pick of last year’s MLB Draft after he batted .363/.488/.777 in his final season at Florida State.

Following the trade, MLB.com updated its Red Sox prospect rankings. Tibbs slides into No. 6 on Boston’s farm system behind Roman Anthony (No. 1 in the overall top 100), Marcelo Mayer (No. 8), middle infielder Franklin Arias (No. 54), pitcher Luis Perales, and outfielder Jhostynxon Garcia.

MLB gives Tibbs a 50 hit grade and 55 power mark on the 80-level prospect scale.

“Tibbs offered one of the best combinations of swing decisions and hard contact in the Draft,” MLB.com’s scouting report says. “He has a smooth left-handed swing with plenty of bat speed and strength, giving him solid power to all fields.”

The updated scouting report also considered how the trade could affect Tibbs’ future position.

“Tibbs has bounced from left field as a freshman to primarily playing first base as a sophomore to right field as a junior and his first taste of pro ball,” MLB noted. “He has the solid arm strength to handle right field, though he’ll need to maintain every bit of his presently below-average speed to have viable range. Even so, it still could be a stretch for him to cover Fenway Park’s spacious right field, so he could wind up on the other outfield corner.”

Tibbs was batting .246/.379/.478 with 12 home runs in 57 games for High-A Eugene before the trade. The 22-year-old leaves San Francisco’s farm system with an eight-game hitting streak.

According to Beyond the Monster’s Andrew Parker, the Red Sox are assigning Tibbs to Double-A Portland.