Examining how the SF Giants actually got really good value in 2024 MLB Draft

Examining how the SF Giants actually got really good value in 2024 MLB Draft

Round 1: James Tibbs III

With their only Day One pick, the Giants took the Florida State outfielder James Tibbs. The perceptions that I saw from numerous outlets were positive. Value-wise, he is not considered a "reach" as he was ranked in the 11-15 range in most public draft boards. With the way the draft went before the Giants made their selection, no one inside the consensus top ten ended up falling for the taking that would have warranted a rather wretched response from the Giants fanbase and the national media. Overall, it was a well-received pick.

Looking at the selection itself, it made a ton of sense for the Giants. First and foremost, he is a hitter. And not just any hitter, but one of the best pure hitters in the class. Not quite Travis Bazzana but he is pretty darn close. Even though he is not my type of player as I prefer toolsier players in general, Tibbs looks the part. His lefty stroke is aesthetically pleasing and he has continuously improved in college. With the way that the Giants play, drafting hitters is the much-preferred method of bringing in impact position player talent. I mean, the Giants can turn undrafted and Indy League journeymen into legitimate big-leaguers (see: Spencer Bivens)

Second is his relative proximity to the big leagues. Tibbs is projected by plenty to move relatively quickly. That is certainly the plan as the Giants are currently taking in a massive influx of youthful talent that will carry the torch for the next five years. It might even take him just a year to move to Triple-A and potentially knock on the metaphorical big-league door and join the likes of Heliot, Lee, Matos, and company.

It is now time to look at the player himself. As I said earlier, this is a player archetype that I am usually fond of. Tibbs has to hit continuously because his other tools lag behind. He is not exactly the most athletic person in the world but he could grow a bit more muscle, or maintain his current weight while adding more muscle at the very least, once he enters the Giants strength and look conditioning program. Still, his raw power is above average at the very best. The inflated college home run and exit velocity numbers affected everyone and Tibbs is no exception. It seems though that he will most likely extract the most of his raw juice to hit 20 bombs a year.

On the other side of the ball, I have yet to see him play defense though he had one play where he ripped an absolute missile as he essentially launched himself from the middle of right field to the catcher's head with a relatively solid hang time. That should bode well for his chances of sticking in right field but his defensive grades across multiple rankings have him as high as average to as low as unplayable. I'll conservatively take his defense as something in between until I get to see him with the glove in pro ball.

If the Giants are looking for an impact bat that should fit the window of the youth movement seamlessly, Tibbs is the first guy up among all available prospects when the 13th overall selection is on the clock. However, I still think that there are a couple of adjustments that he has to make to become something special. First is his platoon splits as reports said that he crushed righties while relatively struggling against southpaws. There are a couple of outlets already having him as a platoon hitter in the big league lineup. I do not think that you draft a hitter in the first round with the plan of having his only hit against righties. That sounded pretty crazy because ideally, you want him to handle any pitcher.

The second is for him to adjust breaking balls and changeups. He absolutely pummeled fastballs this year but college and pro balls are different. In pro ball, the breaking balls are much better in terms of quality and were thrown more than ever. His opponents will know that and exploit that weakness as much as they can like a lot of the hitting prospects in the organization.

If ever Tibbs makes those adjustments, or need not because he is just a special bat through and through, then the Giants should get an everyday corner outfielder that should hit in the first half of the lineup. If the defense does not improve further and it limits him to hitting at the DH spot, then him being a platoon outfielder will be the way to go. Overall, it looks like you know what you will get out of Tibbs.