James Tibbs III – Is He JTIII?
James Tibbs III seems to have improved since joining the Dodgers. He changed his leg kick from being a “timing mechanism” to being a “metronome tap.” When he came to the Dodgers, they knew his swing did not need to be overhauled, like Justin Turner’s. The Dodgers reportedly…
James Tibbs III seems to have improved since joining the Dodgers. He changed his leg kick from being a “timing mechanism” to being a “metronome tap.” When he came to the Dodgers, they knew his swing did not need to be overhauled, like Justin Turner’s. The Dodgers reportedly encouraged him to return closer to the swing that made him a star at Florida State rather than chasing exit-velocity tweaks. Mechanically, that helps him to access his pull-side power, sync his hips and hands, and get the barrel out sooner.
Could he become the next Justin Turner? Well, not exactly, because JT was a RH hitter and JTIII is a LH hitter, but I think the answer is yes! They are similar in that they both have a “bat-first profile,” with strong plate discipline and the ability to make mechanical adjustments. Neither player is a standout athlete defensively.
Turner’s transformation was a mechanical reinvention plus swing-plane overhaul. Tibbs already has a polished swing and approach, so his ceiling is more likely to be a high-OBP corner bat with 20-25 HR power. If he learns to handle high velocity and left-handed pitching, he goes from a “useful platoon corner bat” to a “dangerous everyday hitter in a good lineup.” JTIII has a “slow heartbeat” at the plate, meaning that he doesn’t chase much, doesn’t panic with two strikes, and sees the ball well. These types of hitters age well and often overperform projections.
If everything clicks, Tibbs could become something like: .270 / .360 OBP / 25 HR corner outfielder. That is basically a middle-of-the-order complementary bat on a good team. Not a superstar, but extremely valuable.
| Skill | Tibbs profile |
|---|---|
| Plate discipline | Excellent |
| Strike zone judgment | Advanced |
| Contact ability | Above average |
| Raw power | Quietly strong |
JTIII is a player to watch. I would love to see him as a platoon option in LF to Teoscar. JTIII could hit when the tough RHPs are on the mound. He has a shot to make the team, either now or later this year.
Watch this Girl – She has the pipes!
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Disagree, not disagreeable
2026 Cactus League Standings Rank Team W-L PCT 1 Los Angeles Dodgers 17-7 .708 2 San Francisco Giants 16-7 .696 3 Texas Rangers 14-10 .583 4 Chicago White Sox 13-10 .565 5 Cincinnati Reds 13-10 .565 6 Los Angeles Angels 13-12 .520 7 Cleveland Guardians 11-11 .500 8 San Diego Padres 11-11 .500 9 Colorado Rockies 11-12 .478 10 Arizona Diamondbacks 10-13 .435 11 Milwaukee Brewers 9-13 .409 12 Kansas City Royals 9-14 .391 13 Chicago Cubs 9-14 .391 14 Athletics 12-13 .480 15 Seattle Mariners 6-16 .273
“According to Bill Plunkett of the Southern California News Group, Ohtani and Yamamoto are both expected to pitch in a game before the Dodgers leave Arizona: Ohtani and Yamamoto are likely to pitch in games before the Dodgers break camp on Saturday, but their schedules have not been determined yet. Ohtani and Yamamoto won’t have much time to throw off a mound as the Dodgers have just five Cactus League games remaining before they depart Arizona on Saturday. It’s possible that one or both players pitch in a “B” game on a backfield at Camelback Ranch, but L.A. might prefer they face Major League competition instead”. Ohtani has not pitched in a game this spring, so it’s possible that he will be limited to some degree when he makes his first pitching start of the regular season.
4:05 PM ET Brewers (97-65) Dodgers (93-69) SP Chad Patrick R 0-0 .00 ERA SP Tyler Glasnow R 0-0 .00 ERA Confirmed Lineup DH Miguel Rojas R 1B F. Freeman L SS Mookie Betts R 3B Max Muncy L LF T. Hernandez R 2B Hyeseong Kim L RF James Tibbs L CF Zach Ehrhard R C E. Alfonzo S 88° Wind 3 mph L-R
Tibb is LH which is a leg up.
Erdhard’s speed is making a difference in his competition with Tibbs. Ability to play CF is huge.
Suwinski was a nice pick-up…. but may be an obstacle for Tibbs, etc.
Suwinski with a long 3-run homer against the Cubs and Erhard continued to impress with a 2-run triple.
Tucker bomb Ryan dealing Team is ready
Dodgers win both games today.
4:05 PM ET Rangers (81-81) Dodgers (93-69) SP Trey Supak R 0-0 .00 ERA SP River Ryan R 0-0 .00 ERA Confirmed Lineup SS Miguel Rojas R RF Kyle Tucker L 1B F. Freeman L LF T. Hernandez R 3B Max Muncy L CF Andy Pages R 2B A. Freeland S DH Zyhir Hope L C E. Alfonzo S 86° Wind 5 mph Out
4:05 PM ET Watch Now Dodgers (93-69) Cubs (92-70) SP Emmet Sheehan R 0-0 .00 ERA SP Jameson Taillon R 0-0 .00 ERA Confirmed Lineup 2B Hyeseong Kim L DH Alex Call R SS Mookie Betts R C D. Rushing L 3B S. Espinal R RF J. Suwinski L LF Zach Ehrhard R 1B James Tibbs L CF M. Siani 85° Wind 3 mph Out
His name is still Ohtani
About ready for real games
Duke, Just to add another name sitting in the waiting room. Star Trek Enterprise had a “III” nicknamed Trip. One of my favorite Trekkie series. Back to baseball: like the original JTIII, Erdhard is a RH but with less power and more speed than Tibbs. Let’s see where both of them are when the sprain, strain, pull or break happens. They are batting the same currently but Erdhard had more SB and 3 3Bs despite not being a “III”. And he can fit in CF. Not sure Tibbs has the speed for it.
Only Will Smith remains active at the WBC. Diaz ,Kim, Ohtoni and Yamamota all heading to Dodger camp after their recent losses.
Today there are two Dodger split squad games at 4PM ET and shortly after that major cuts will be made to the Opening Day roster.
JT3! I can’t think of a single major leaguer with a Roman numeral in his name. (But wait… Is it Michael Harris II?) I wonder if Tibbs was ever called “Trip.” Tibbs is ticketed for OKC but could be an injury away.
0-3 3 Ks Levels to this game
Hope!
4:05 PM ET Dodgers (93-69) White Sox (60-102) SP Justin Wrobleski L 0-0 .00 ERA SP Mike Vasil R 0-0 .00 ERA Confirmed Lineup CF Andy Pages R DH Kyle Tucker L SS Mookie Betts R 1B F. Freeman L 3B Max Muncy L 2B A. Freeland S C D. Rushing L RF Zach Ehrhard R LF Zyhir Hope L 87° Wind 5 mph R-L
Remaining WBC Schedule (All times ET) Date Round Matchup Time TV Location Sat, March 14 Quarterfinal Puerto Rico vs. Italy 3:00 PM FS1 Houston, TX Sat, March 14 Quarterfinal Venezuela vs. Japan 9:00 PM FOX Miami, FL Sun, March 15 Semifinal 1 Dominican Rep. vs. USA 8:00 PM FS1 Miami, FL Mon, March 16 Semifinal 2 QF 3 Winner vs. QF 4 Winner 8:00 PM FS1 Miami, FL Tue, March 17 Final SF 1 Winner vs. SF 2 Winner 8:00 PM FOX Miami, FL Recent Results Quarterfinal 1: Dominican Republic 10, South Korea 0 (7 innings). Quarterfinal 2: United States 5, Canada 3.
Neen digging Tibbs too. When the inevitable Teo/Tucker hamstring arises, he’s in line to make his debut. Hit dingers, draw walks, run the bases well, field your position, play hard. That’s the Dodger way.