LOS ANGELES — Since it’s a lazy, Dodger-free Sunday in Los Angeles, let’s do some minor league ball, shall we? And if we Dodgers fans are looking for a name to keep an eye on in Oklahoma City this year, James Tibbs III is a pretty good one.
The Comets rolled past Albuquerque 13-4 at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark, and Tibbs was right in the middle of the whole thing. The outfielder went 3-for-4, scored three runs, drove in five, walked once, doubled, and launched two home runs in a game that turned into an offensive avalanche for Oklahoma City. By the end of it, his total bases sat at 10, and the box score looked like the kind of line that makes you stop and read it twice.
The game did not start as a cruise for the Comets. Albuquerque jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first inning, and for a moment it looked like Oklahoma City might be in for a long afternoon. Instead, the Comets answered with a four-run second, and Tibbs helped set the tone. He came around to score in that inning, and the biggest early blow came when Ryan Fitzgerald ripped a bases-loaded triple that brought home Hyeseong Kim, Michael Siani, and Tibbs to put OKC ahead 4-3. That was the first big turn in the game, and the Comets never really let go after that.
Tibbs Keeps Doing Damage
Then Tibbs started doing damage with the bat in a bigger way.
He opened the bottom of the fourth by hammering a solo homer to center field, a 406-foot shot hit at 104.1 mph off the bat. Just like that, the Comets had a 5-3 lead and a little more breathing room. It was a strong swing in a big spot, but it turned out to be only the warm-up act.
An inning later, Albuquerque had scratched one back and pulled within 5-4, so the game still had some tension. Tibbs took care of that too. In the fifth, with two men on and one out, he crushed another homer to center, this one a three-run shot that traveled 417 feet with a 108.7 mph exit velocity. That swing blew the game open from a one-run contest to a 9-4 Oklahoma City lead, and from there the Comets were in full control.
Any Room on the LA Roster?
Those of you who followed the Dodgers during Cactus League play won’t be surprised by Tibbs’ production. He had a solid Spring Training, even if it was destined to end with a one-way ticket to Oklahoma City. During the spring, Tibbs, whom the Dodgers acquired at the deadline last year as part of the Dustin May trade with the Red Sox, hit .313 for the Dodgers with four home runs and an OPS of 1.053. That’s production that would land you on most major leage rosters. But, alas, Tibbs plays for the Dodgers.
In Sunday’s game, the rest of the lineup had plenty to say too. Fitzgerald finished with three RBIs, Seby Zavala had three hits and later added a two-run homer, and Hyeseong Kim scored once and drove in another. Still, Tibbs was the headliner. His line for the day pushed his early-season batting average to .615 and his OPS to 2.105, which is a ridiculous thing to type even in the season’s opening days.
There was one small blemish with a fielding error in right, but this game belonged to his bat. When an outfielder hits two homers, drives in five, and helps turn a shaky start into a 13-run answer, that is the story.
For Dodgers fans watching the farm, this was the kind of performance that gets your attention fast. Tibbs III looked dangerous every time he stepped in, and on a day when Oklahoma City needed a thump in the middle of the order, he brought plenty of it.
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