It’s been a crazy summer for James Tibbs III.
The 13th overall pick in last year’s MLB draft, Tibbs opened the season with the Eugene Emeralds — the High-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants. He got off to a good start there, batting .246/.379/.478 with 12 home runs, 32 RBI and 42 walks in 57 games.
Then, seemingly out of nowhere, he was dealt to the Boston Red Sox on June 15 as part of the stunning Rafael Devers trade.
The Red Sox assigned him to Double-A Portland, where he struggled, hitting .207/.319/.267 with one homer, seven RBI and 39 strikeouts in 30 games.
It wasn’t a good first impression, and it may have caused Boston to sour on him. The Red Sox deemed him expendable at the trade deadline, sending him and fellow prospect Zach Ehrhard to the Los Angeles Dodgers for Dustin May just six weeks after acquiring him.
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It didn’t take long for the 22-year-old slugger to get settled in with his new team. In his fourth game for Double-A Tulsa, Tibbs showcased his superstar potential with a monster game.
On Wednesday, Tibbs went 4-for-4 with two homers, three runs, four RBI and two walks, reaching base in all six of his plate appearances, pacing the Drillers’ 14-3 rout of the Corpus Christi Hooks.
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In one game with Tulsa, he hit more homers than he did in 30 games with Portland. The Dodgers’ No. 7 prospect (per MLB Pipeline) is now hitting .333/.474/.733 with two homers, six RBI and three walks in four games for the Drillers.
Meanwhile in Boston, May struggled in his Red Sox debut, lasting just 3 2/3 innings and taking the loss against the Kansas City Royals.
Boston is working with May to help turn his season around, but he’s going to be a free agent this winter. If he leaves and Tibbs keeps flourishing in the Dodgers’ system, the Red Sox may soon regret this trade.
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Featured image via Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
