SF Giants minor league notes: James Tibbs III, Seth Lonsway, and Carlos Gutierrez

We are shifting gears back down to the SF Giants farm system to highlight some notable performances. James Tibbs III, Seth Lonsway, and Carlos Gutierrez led the way this week.

SF Giants minor league notes: James Tibbs III, Seth Lonsway, and Carlos Gutierrez

James Tibbs III career night at the plate

The Giants have high hopes for James Tibbs III. They selected him in the first round of the 2024 draft out of Florida State University. They expected that his experience against ACC competition would lead to a quick transition to pro ball.

If you were looking at his topline stats earlier this week, that had not exactly been the case. The left-handed bat is slashing .237/.382/.453 (132 wRC+) with seven home runs, 20 RBI, and 29 runs in 173 plate appearances with the Eugene Emeralds. This includes a 16.8 percent walk rate, 15.0 percent strikeout rate, and .216 ISO.

Tibbs III had a career night at the plate on Friday, blasting two home runs with a double and five RBI in an 8-5 win over the Vancouver Canadians. That boosted his triple slash line up quite a bit. While his topline numbers are now solid, the 22-year-old outfielder has probably hit the ball better than his numbers would indicate. He continues to make good swing decisions, leading to a walk rate higher than his strikeout rate.

Tibbs III has consistently made hard contact this season. The one area that may need improvement is a 56.8 percent ground ball rate. A high ground ball rate is now allowing his hard contact and power to play up.

Seth Lonsway's impressive run with Richmond

The Richmond Flying Squirrels are off to a tough 13-29 start in the Eastern League. It may be hard to tell by looking at the record, but they have some pretty good rotation arms, including Seth Lonsway, Jack Choate, John Michael Bertrand, and Joe Whitman. Lonsway had led the way for Richmond, posting a 2.40 ERA with 38 strikeouts and 14 walks across 41.1 innings. Oddly enough, he has not allowed a run on the road this year.

The Giants selected Lonsway in the sixth round of the 2021 draft out of Ohio State University. He tallied some impressive strikeout numbers in college, but that came with high walk totals, too. The southpaw pitcher has made some strides in terms of control, improving his walk rate to 3.0 BB/9 with the Flying Squirrels this year.

The left-handed hurler flashes a low-to-mid 90's four-seam fastball that has quality riding action and some armside movement. He mixes in a big, 12-to-6 curveball that sits in the high 70's and gets a healthy number of swinging strikes. That is his go-to secondary pitch. Lonsway throws a harder slider and an occasional changeup, but relies on his fastball-curveball mix.

Carlos Gutierrez's torrid pace in May

The Giants signed outfielder Carlos Gutierrez for $32,500 out of Mexico during the 2023 international free agency cycle. He has done nothing but hit since then. Gutierrez recorded a .906 OPS in 90 plate appearances in the Dominican Summer League in 2023. He appeared in only three games in the Arizona Complex League last year.

Despite the limited action last year, the Giants assigned Gutierrez to San Jose to start this year. He has done a nice job at setting the table for a quality San Jose lineup.

The left-handed bat is slashing .340/.433/.431 (142 wRC+) with one home run, 18 RBI, and 38 runs in 180 plate appearances with San Jose. This includes 16 steals in 18 opportunities. Gutierrez's batting average is second in the California League among qualified hitters.

The 20-year-old outfielder has been on a torrid pace in May, recording a .429/.520/.524 line in 76 plate appearances. He has nine multi-hit efforts in 16 games during that stretch.

Gutierrez is a fun hitter to watch. He is on the smaller side with a 5-foot-10, 174-pound frame. He has excellent contact skills and bat control that find a lot of holes in the defense. Gutierrez does not have much power upside currently and may not grow into much more as he matures. However, he has a line-drive swing from the left side and does a nice job of using the entire field. He does not do too much and hits the ball where the pitcher throws it. Gutierrez's offensive profile leans hit-over-power.