SF Giants promote 2024 first-round pick to High-A

SF Giants top outfield prospect James Tibbs III''s stay with the San Jose Giants was brief. The 2024 first-round pick has been promoted to High-A according to the team's transaction log.

SF Giants promote 2024 first-round pick to High-A

The Giants made a couple of more organizational moves as well. Reliever Josh Wolf will be joining Tibbs III in Eugene, whereas Cam Cotter will be moving up to Richmond from Eugene.

The Giants added Wolf on a minor league deal earlier this year. He made 10 appearances with San Jose, allowing just one earned run on 21 strikeouts against five walks in 12.2 frames. In five minor league seasons, the right-handed reliever has tallied a 5.20 ERA, 1.64 WHIP, 10.1 K/9, and a 1.69 SO/W rate. While Wolf has generally posted healthy strikeout numbers in the lower minors, he has battled control problems as well.

On the other hand, Cotter had a 2.27 ERA with 48 strikeouts in 47.2 innings with Eugene. He was originally signed as an undrafted free agent, but he was college teammates with both Will Wilson and Patrick Bailey at North Carolina State University in 2019. Of course, Wilson would be drafted in the first round that year followed by Bailey in 2020.

It has been an eventful few months for Tibbs III. Last month, he was selected in the first round of the draft by the Giants out of Florida State University. It was the first time that the Giants had selected a player in the first round out of Florida State University since Buster Posey in 2008.

Tibbs III had been coming off of an excellent 2024 college campaign where he slashed .363/.488/.777 with 28 home runs, 95 RBI, and 75 runs in 320 plate appearances. Given that he played against stiff competition in the ACC and excelled in the Cape Cod League last summer, he was considered a relatively advanced hitter and expected to move quickly through the lower minors.

So far, that has been the case. The 21-year-old outfielder has recorded 17 hits, including four doubles, with two RBI in 42 plate appearances with San Jose. The Eugene Emeralds will now have some of the organization's most exciting hitters as Tibbs III joins last year's top pick, Bryce Eldridge, in High-A.