James Tibbs III would possibly greatest be described as a hitting rat. Drafted thirteenth total final 12 months by the San Francisco Giants out of Florida State College, and subsequently shipped to the Boston Crimson Sox in final month’s blockbuster Rafael Devers deal, the 22-year-old outfielder lives and breathes baseball — notably the half that entails standing within the batter’s field. From a younger age, Tibbs has doggedly labored on honing his left-handed stroke.
An Atlanta native who attended highschool in close by Marietta, Tibbs excelled collegiately, slashing .338/.462/.685 over three seasons on the ACC college, with a 28-homer junior marketing campaign additional enhancing his profile. And he’s continued to hit in professional ball. He performed simply 26 video games after inking a contract final summer season, and his outcomes had been blended; he posted a 153 wRC+ in 9 video games (42 plate appearances) in A-ball, earned a promotion, then went chilly in Excessive-A. Now in his first full skilled season, he’s again to doing what he does greatest: bashing baseballs. Tibbs put up a 132 wRC+ with a dozen residence runs in Excessive-A previous to the commerce, and since becoming a member of his new group, he has logged a 107 wRC+ over 86 plate appearances whereas acclimating to Double-A.
Ranked 14th in what Eric Longenhagen referred to as “the most effective farm system in baseball” when our Crimson Sox Prime Prospects record was revealed in late June, the promising younger outfielder was assigned a forty five FV, with uncooked energy graded as his greatest hitting device. Tibbs sat down to speak hitting previous to a latest Portland Sea Canines residence recreation.
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David Laurila: You had been drafted one 12 months in the past. Are you an identical hitter now, or has something meaningfully modified?
James Tibbs III: “I’m just about the identical. It’s what’s gotten me this far, and I’ve sort of tried to copy that as a lot as attainable. I’ve by no means been one to attempt to make modifications until it’s completely essential, as a result of I play off of really feel. I’ll make changes primarily based off of that really feel, however I’m doing it making an attempt to get again to my base. My base has been fairly constant for the final… three years? Two years? One thing like that.
“I really feel like I cowl the plate effectively. I really feel like I can see the ball effectively from the place I stand and the way I load. I really feel like I exploit my physique effectively in an effort to get to the spots that I can’t essentially cowl. So yeah, it’s been fairly constant for probably the most half.”
Laurila: How would you describe your method on the plate?
Tibbs: “It is dependent upon the pitcher. What a pitcher does goes to dictate what I’m making an attempt to do. It’s a chess match, proper? So, for me it sort of varies relying on what a pitcher throws and what he’s per. Is he east and west? Is he north and south? How I need to get my bat within the zone relies off of that. If I need to be extra lofty, or if I need to be extra direct… these issues will range primarily based the pitcher. Is he slider-dominant? Is he changeup-dominant? Is he fastball-dominant?
“From there it’s my job to play the chess match and beat him to the spot, beat him to the zone. All of these issues are primarily based off what we’re seeing by way of his stories, by way of his statistics, by way of his charts. These assist me determine how I need to greatest method what he’s doing.”
Laurila: What about your swing? Is that principally all the time the identical?
Tibbs: “It may be, primarily based off of Hawkeye, however for me it’s extra a change in mindset. If he’s throwing a trip fastball at 22 vert, I’m going to attempt to be extra direct. In my thoughts that may be extra direct, however to the attention the swing would possibly look the identical. If he’s throwing extra sinkers or sliders, then I’m going to should be extra lofty with my swing in an effort to greatest match the airplane in order that I can hit it within the air.
“I’m not making an attempt to hit something on the bottom. My method is that I’m making an attempt to hit balls exhausting within the air in all places I am going. From line to line, I need to hit the ball within the air. For me to greatest get on airplane with what he’s throwing, I’ve to know the place the ball goes and the way a lot run or trip he has. The mindset will make me really feel totally different in the way in which I swing. I’d suppose, ‘All proper, he throws fastballs with trip, so I’m going to attempt to get on prime,’ and it may not look totally different, however I really feel like I’m higher approaching the trail, the airplane, in an effort to create that flight and backspin the ball within the air.”
Laurila: Are you making an attempt to catch the ball out in entrance?
Tibbs: “Completely. The sport has gotten so quick, proper? With all the rate and trip — these type of issues — it’s sort of made you pace up the way in which that you simply method the sport. Perhaps in highschool, and even school, I’d sort of let it get to me a bit bit extra, however right here there’s extra velo. As a way to be my greatest self, I’ve to have the ability to hit the ball out in entrance of the plate.
“You’ve bought the sq., and then you definately’ve bought the triangle of residence plate. Proper? I’m by no means making an attempt to hit it behind the sq. of the plate. I’m making an attempt to hit it within the entrance half of the plate on the very minimal. There’s a six-inch window the place I’m making an attempt to reside, and that’s out in entrance.”
Laurila: You may catch the ball out entrance and nonetheless go reverse area hole…
Tibbs: “Sure. There’s a false impression… I imply, I could be late on a fastball inside and nonetheless pull it, however the angle with which I hit it’s going to be extra downslope, so I’m going to hit it on the bottom. For me to have success on the pull aspect with a fastball in, I’m going to should get it out in entrance. I may be early by the usual of I hit the ball to the correct aspect of the sector, however I’ll know that I used to be really late. I did this final night time. It was a sinker down and in, and I caught it extra right here, as an alternative of extra right here, so I ended up hitting it on the bottom. I wasn’t in a great spot to hit, as a result of I wasn’t out in entrance of the plate.”
Laurila: You’re speaking like a hitting coach…
Tibbs: “I imply, this has been my complete life, man. That is how I’ve lived. My dad was a pitcher in highschool, and he and I did job sort of breaking down my swing. Then statistics and numbers and really feel… all of them play into it and assist me correlate a plan as to what I have to do in an effort to achieve success.”
Laurila: How does the Crimson Sox group examine to San Francisco? Do the hitting coaches and coordinators put extra emphasis on something particularly?
Tibbs: “Right here it’s extra air-pull. That’s sort of what we’ve talked about, hitting the ball within the air to the pull aspect — and that’s actually my recreation. After I’m at my greatest, I’m hitting the ball within the air from the scoreboard in left-center to the [right field] foul pole. However I’ve energy to left area, too. If my rhythm is sweet, and my timing is sweet… I imply, it’s all about timing. The man on the mound is making an attempt to alter your timing, whether or not it’s offspeed pitches, his rhythm, slide step, leg kick… these issues create an entire different stage of issue in barreling a baseball.
“The secret is barrels. The secret is tough hits. The secret is contact charge. The secret is controlling the zone. I can do all of these issues effectively, however your capability to combine and match timing, and blend and match pitch speeds, is what permits you to have the higher hand in opposition to me.”
Laurila: Bat-speed coaching is large within the Crimson Sox system.
Tibbs: “Sure.”
Laurila: Have been they doing that in your previous org?
Tibbs: “No. I’m doing that right here, however I hadn’t beforehand. I imply, I’ve swung a heavy bat. I’ve most likely executed that since I used to be six or eight years previous. I actually swung a steel stick with hit golf balls. However till I bought right here, it had been a few years since I’d executed something like that.”
Laurila: Has your bat pace, or your exit velocities, improved since coming right here?
Tibbs: “I’ve solely been right here for about 4 weeks, however no. My EVs have really gone down. A part of that’s timing. I felt like my swing was off, so I’ve needed to make an adjustment. However I feel we’re trending in the correct route. I used to be hitting balls more durable than I ever have in my life once I was in Excessive-A, however then I bought right here and needed to sort of readjust every little thing. The pitchers are clearly higher at this stage.”
Laurila: You had an influence surge final 12 months. What do you attribute that to?
Tibbs: “I bought stronger, and that’s a testomony to our power coach at Florida State, Jamie Burleson. Understanding the sport was a giant a part of it, too — understanding ways in which pitchers had been making an attempt to pitch me was an enormous benefit all year long. The chess match, proper? I really feel like I’m higher in a position to perceive the story {that a} pitcher is making an attempt to inform on the mound. That helps me promote out to the pitch that I’m going to see. Clearly, there are occasions the place I’m mistaken. He would possibly do one thing totally different, however I’m going to play the chances. I would like to have the ability to dominate that pitch, so loads of it’s understanding the sequencing, and understanding how he needs throw sure balls in sure areas. What he’s making an attempt to do, and the way he greatest executes pitches, goes to play into how I method my at-bat.”
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Earlier “Talks Hitting” interviews can discovered by way of these hyperlinks: Jo Adell, Jeff Albert, Greg Allen, Nolan Arenado, Aaron Bates, Jacob Berry, Alex Bregman, Bo Bichette, Justice Bigbie, Cavan Biggio, Charlie Blackmon, JJ Bleday, Bobby Bradley, Will Brennan, Jay Bruce, Triston Casas, Matt Chapman, Michael Chavis, Garrett Cooper, Gavin Cross, Jacob Cruz, Nelson Cruz, Paul DeJong, Brenton Del Chiaro, Josh Donaldson, Brendan Donovan, Donnie Ecker, Rick Eckstein, Drew Ferguson, Justin Foscue, Michael Fransoso, Ryan Fuller, Joey Gallo, Paul Goldschmidt, Devlin Granberg, Gino Groover, Matt Hague, Andy Haines, Mitch Haniger, Robert Hassell III, Austin Hays, Nico Hoerner, Jackson Holliday, Spencer Horwitz, Rhys Hoskins, Eric Hosmer, Jacob Hurtubise, Tim Hyers, Walker Jenkins, Connor Joe, Jace Jung, Josh Jung, Jimmy Kerr, Heston Kjerstad, Steven Kwan, Trevor Larnach, Doug Latta, Dillon Lawson, Brooks Lee, Royce Lewis, Evan Longoria, Joey Loperfido, Michael Lorenzen, Mark Loretta, Gavin Lux, Dave Magadan, Trey Mancini, Edgar Martinez, Don Mattingly, Marcelo Mayer, Hunter Mense, Owen Miller, Paul Molitor, Colson Montgomery, Tre’ Morgan, Ryan Mountcastle, Cedric Mullins, Daniel Murphy, Lars Nootbaar, Logan O’Hoppe, Vinnie Pasquantino, Graham Pauley, David Peralta, Luke Raley, Julio Rodríguez, Brent Rooker, Thomas Saggese, Anthony Santander, Drew Saylor, Nolan Schanuel, Marcus Semien, Giancarlo Stanton, Spencer Steer, Trevor Story, Fernando Tatis Jr., Spencer Torkelson, Mark Trumbo, Brice Turang, Justin Turner, Trea Turner, Josh VanMeter, Robert Van Scoyoc, Chris Valaika, Zac Veen, Alex Verdugo, Mark Vientos, Matt Vierling, Luke Voit, Anthony Volpe, Joey Votto, Christian Walker, Jared Walsh, Jordan Westburg, Jesse Winker, Bobby Witt Jr. Mike Yastrzemski, Nick Yorke, Kevin Youkilis