Speaker 1: All right, we'll get back to your phone calls in
Speaker 1: a little bit. But a pleasure at to spend in
Speaker 1: a few minutes with one of the Dodgers' top minor
Speaker 1: league prospects. You heard his name all spring along for
Speaker 1: tearing it up in the Cactus League over in Arizona.
Speaker 1: He's off to a great start here in twenty twenty
Speaker 1: six in Triple A, Oklahoma City. With the comments he
Speaker 1: of courses Dodger outfielder James Tibbs the third and he
Speaker 1: joins us now here on off night Dodger Talk. James,
Speaker 1: appreciate the time. How you doing.
Speaker 2: I'm good, I'm good. Thanks for having me.
Speaker 1: Absolutely appreciate you coming on here on Dodger Talk. You're
Speaker 1: you're in Triple A Oklahoma City. A great start to
Speaker 1: the season. You had the seven home runs in the
Speaker 1: first nine games. What has that jump been like for you.
Speaker 1: It's the Triple A level this year.
Speaker 2: Yeah, it's been. It's been interesting. I think a triple
Speaker 2: you see a lot of guys with a lot of
Speaker 2: time in the big leagues, and whether that be position
Speaker 2: players or pitchers, and you know, specifically on the pitching side,
Speaker 2: a lot of guys will have a really good idea
Speaker 2: what they're doing on the mouth, and so it kind
Speaker 2: of creates a a lot a lot more of a
Speaker 2: chess match for me and trying to figure out what
Speaker 2: they're doing, trying to figure out, you know, as they're
Speaker 2: trying to figure out what I'm doing. And it's just
Speaker 2: kind of the cat and mouse game that I love about,
Speaker 2: you know, baseball itself, and it's given me, giving me
Speaker 2: some some difficulties at times, but I think at the
Speaker 2: same time, it's kind of helped me understand, uh even more,
Speaker 2: you know, about my game and about what makes me,
Speaker 2: you know, tick at the plate, and how I can
Speaker 2: be the best I can be. So it's been it's
Speaker 2: been a lot of fun and I've really enjoyed it.
Speaker 2: Obviously there's going to be ups and downs in the season,
Speaker 2: and definitely been been in a couple of ups and
Speaker 2: a couple of downs and trying to figure out how
Speaker 2: to you know, make those uh you know, learn from
Speaker 2: those and and be the best player I can be.
Speaker 1: We mentioned you had a great spring at Camelback ran
Speaker 1: shot over three hundred four home runs eleven RBIs uh.
Speaker 1: What was a message though from the Dodgers front office
Speaker 1: when they called you in and said you're going back
Speaker 1: to the minor league camp, You're going to start the
Speaker 1: year in Triple A Oklahoma City. What was the message
Speaker 1: they gave you to go work on, to go do,
Speaker 1: to go for for this year.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean, I just think it was continuing to
Speaker 2: work on the things we had really focused on spring training,
Speaker 2: which was, you know, the defensive versatility, playing in the outfield,
Speaker 2: playing multiple spots in the outfield, playing first base, being
Speaker 2: able to do those well because we really, uh we
Speaker 2: really value that, you know, as an organization, and so
Speaker 2: that's something that I take a lot of pride in
Speaker 2: and I really enjoy. And so from that side of
Speaker 2: the of the ball, definitely continue to work in those
Speaker 2: areas and uh, making continue to make strides. I think
Speaker 2: they really liked where I was what was at defensively,
Speaker 2: but I think it's just continuing to make strides there.
Speaker 2: And I think the other thing was just continuing to
Speaker 2: work on the little things with my swing, trying to
Speaker 2: figure out, uh, you know, we've made some swing adjustments
Speaker 2: in the off season, so trying to figure out where
Speaker 2: when things go wrong, what that looks like, and and
Speaker 2: and being able to minimize uh, you know, down stretches
Speaker 2: and continue to hit left your relievers, which is something
Speaker 2: that you know, I take a lot of pride in
Speaker 2: as well. So I think all, you know, all those
Speaker 2: things where things I already knew, which I was thankful for,
Speaker 2: but also things that I was excited to come and
Speaker 2: work on. And Okay, see, we'll.
Speaker 1: Go back to last year, James, if we can, a
Speaker 1: world win year for you. Thirteen months after you were
Speaker 1: drafted by the Giants, traded to the Red Sox, and
Speaker 1: then the Dodgers acquire you in the trade for Dustin May.
Speaker 1: Three teams in like forty seven forty eight days as
Speaker 1: a baseball player. What is that like for you? I mean,
Speaker 1: you're in your first full year of pro ball and
Speaker 1: now you're on your third organization. What was going through
Speaker 1: your mind?
Speaker 2: Who oh man, you got an hour? Yeah, I think
Speaker 2: it was. It was tough. You know, I think for
Speaker 2: a guy that had played for three teams his whole life,
Speaker 2: you know, one college, went high school and one travelbal organization,
Speaker 2: really it took a toll on me. You know, I
Speaker 2: didn't really know the business side of baseball, and so,
Speaker 2: you know, from the outside looking in it's like, well,
Speaker 2: you know, he got traded whatever. But for me, it
Speaker 2: was it was hard. You know, I had to really,
Speaker 2: I really had to come to terms with you know,
Speaker 2: to grips with the situation and be like, look, I
Speaker 2: got two choices here. I can you know, feel sorry
Speaker 2: for myself. I can suck up and figure it out.
Speaker 2: And so the beauty of the way that uh, you
Speaker 2: know Rhymer and Blake Gaylenos our heading coach, and Tulsa
Speaker 2: you know, put it, it was like, hey, man, we just
Speaker 2: want to be yourself. You know, we believe in you,
Speaker 2: we believe in what you do. And so it really
Speaker 2: gave me, you know, a jolt of encouragement that kind
Speaker 2: of helped you know, me kind of get back into
Speaker 2: the swing of things literally and figuratively and kind of
Speaker 2: how you know, helped me, you know, figure out what
Speaker 2: I need to do. And and you know, they're just
Speaker 2: so good up and down. I think from the outside
Speaker 2: of perspective as somebody growing up in you know, watching baseball,
Speaker 2: you see the the ability of the Dodgers to help,
Speaker 2: you know, get the best out of their players, and
Speaker 2: so to experience that myself was something that my family
Speaker 2: and I are very thankful for and it's been a blessing,
Speaker 2: you know, an answer to prayer, to say the least.
Speaker 2: So it was a lot, it was. It was forty
Speaker 2: seven days went quick and three teams in that time.
Speaker 2: Was definitely something that I had to make an adjustment at.
Speaker 2: But I think coming into this year it was it
Speaker 2: was nice to be able to feel comfortable and feel wanted,
Speaker 2: and feel loved and and and really kind of helped
Speaker 2: me and my confidence in the game and my ability
Speaker 2: to kind of come out there and compete every day.
Speaker 1: You mentioned the mental side of the game and the
Speaker 1: confidence you're playing with when you come to a team
Speaker 1: like the Dodgers and the coaching staff in Tulsa tells
Speaker 1: you what they told you, ye squad and do what
Speaker 1: you did how you got here. How much does that
Speaker 1: take pressure off of you relax you at the plague
Speaker 1: and did you noticeably see a change in the way
Speaker 1: you were playing?
Speaker 2: Absolutely one hundred percent. I mean I think that you know,
Speaker 2: for them to say that that's not something that they
Speaker 2: owe me, you know, they don't. They don't owe me
Speaker 2: the things they've given me. And I think that's the
Speaker 2: beauty of the Dodgers is they're very upfront, they're very honest,
Speaker 2: but they're also very encouraging. And for them to do that,
Speaker 2: you know, from Rhyme's being you know, in charge of
Speaker 2: the farm and and and VG really taking you know,
Speaker 2: control of helping me get back to that swim. I mean,
Speaker 2: I remember we were sitting in Corpus and and you
Speaker 2: know that first day it was my third game and
Speaker 2: we took probably four or five hundred swings that day
Speaker 2: and to end up with two homers that day. So
Speaker 2: it's just a testament to them all the way around
Speaker 2: of how good they are at, you know, helping and
Speaker 2: getting the best out of their players. I mean, I
Speaker 2: think the mental side of baseball is it's so cliche,
Speaker 2: but it's just the most important thing, you know, in
Speaker 2: this game because one hundred and fifty games, one hundred
Speaker 2: and sixty games, you got to figure out how to compete,
Speaker 2: you know, sometimes in bad circumstances. And so for them
Speaker 2: to give me that encouragement was it was a huge
Speaker 2: breath of fresh air. And I think from my family
Speaker 2: and I we are extremely appreciative of what they've done
Speaker 2: for us and how they've treated us, you know, coming
Speaker 2: to this organization.
Speaker 1: James Tims the third with us here on Dodger Dodgers
Speaker 1: off their in Milwaukee tomorrow. James off to a great
Speaker 1: start in twenty twenty six, had a great spring at
Speaker 1: Campbell back Rams with the big league's team. How do
Speaker 1: you describe your game, James, who's the best comp in
Speaker 1: your mind to the way you play the game, the
Speaker 1: way you hit, the way you can kind of hit
Speaker 1: for power, the on base percentage, you kind of do
Speaker 1: it all as a hitter at the plate, in as
Speaker 1: a corner outfielder. What's the best What's what's the best
Speaker 1: comp for James Tim?
Speaker 2: I don't know.
Speaker 1: I've heard Peters.
Speaker 2: I don't mind that. I don't mind that at all.
Speaker 2: I don't know. It's not something that I've really ever
Speaker 2: thought of. I really just like, first of all, it's
Speaker 2: embarrassing giving a comp of myself, But I also think
Speaker 2: that just you know, I just want to be the
Speaker 2: best player I could be, right and at the end
Speaker 2: of the day, like I'm just trying to compete into
Speaker 2: the mess of my ability with the with the gifts
Speaker 2: that the Lord has given me, and and hope that
Speaker 2: that's enough, you know. And so like you said, like,
Speaker 2: I love getting on base, I love hitting the ball hard,
Speaker 2: I love hitting for average. Those are things that I
Speaker 2: take a lot of pride in. And playing good defense
Speaker 2: as well. Being able to be sufficient out there and
Speaker 2: and make some above average places from time to time,
Speaker 2: I think is extremely important to me. So if I
Speaker 2: can do all those things, well, whoever you guys want to,
Speaker 2: whoever anybody wants to count me to, that's as long
Speaker 2: as I'm as long as I'm doing what I need
Speaker 2: to be doing.
Speaker 1: We mentioned the spring that you had in Arizona and
Speaker 1: you were with the big league team for most of it.
Speaker 1: It's only your second year in pro ball and there
Speaker 1: you are sitting in the clubhouse Showy Otani, Freddie Freeman,
Speaker 1: Mookie Betts. What was that like for you? It was
Speaker 1: it an eye opening experience at first? At what point
Speaker 1: did you feel like, Okay, I'm here, I need to
Speaker 1: start kind of gleaning off these guys. What was it
Speaker 1: like for you to be in that clubhouse in Arizona
Speaker 1: this year?
Speaker 2: Yeah, coming in, I think that my whole goal was
Speaker 2: to just soak up every bit of information I could.
Speaker 2: You know, I was out in La in January and
Speaker 2: kind of gotten some advice from some of the guys
Speaker 2: that were around, and it was just, hey, man, you're
Speaker 2: not going to make the team, so just go in
Speaker 2: there and enjoy it, have so much fun, let your
Speaker 2: talent speak for itself, and just learn. And that's really
Speaker 2: kind of what I did. And you know, I really
Speaker 2: love being at the field every day. I really enjoyed
Speaker 2: being around those guys. Obviously, there's not a lot of
Speaker 2: pressure for me being that I'm not trying to make
Speaker 2: the team. All I'm trying to do is just uh,
Speaker 2: you know, show that I could I belong and and
Speaker 2: and show that I'm I'm good enough to compete. And
Speaker 2: so for me, I went in there and they probably
Speaker 2: they probably hate me because I asked so many questions,
Speaker 2: but I was just trying to ask questions after questions.
Speaker 2: And you know, the cool part about that locker room
Speaker 2: is everybody was extremely receptive to that. You know, everybody
Speaker 2: wanted to answer questions, they wanted to help, they wanted uh,
Speaker 2: you know, they wanted me to be the best player
Speaker 2: I could be. Not because you know, of any reason
Speaker 2: in particular, but they just care about the game, They
Speaker 2: care about each other, they care about the guys. They're
Speaker 2: willing to, you know, talk, they love talking baseball, and
Speaker 2: so I think that was extremely eye opening for me.
Speaker 2: You know. I think after the first two or three
Speaker 2: weeks is where I kind of was like, Okay, all right,
Speaker 2: you know, I feel comfortable now, I feel like I'm
Speaker 2: you know, I feel like I'm a part of it
Speaker 2: in some sense. And so I think that was where
Speaker 2: it really kind of helped me start to take strides
Speaker 2: and really kind of get things, you know, moving, you know,
Speaker 2: on the ground. And so definitely a fun experiences, something
Speaker 2: that I'll remember for the rest of my life. I
Speaker 2: definitely hopefully I get a lot more of those, but
Speaker 2: the first one is extremely special.
Speaker 1: Now you always hear the expression be where your feed are,
Speaker 1: be present in the moment. With that being said, James,
Speaker 1: how much do you allow yourself to think about that
Speaker 1: call coming? Because it's going to be sooner rather than later.
Speaker 1: Everybody knows that. Everybody sees it, and everybody's excited to
Speaker 1: see James tips the third in a Dodger's uniform. Can
Speaker 1: you allow yourself to think about that or is that
Speaker 1: something that you have to keep out on the outside?
Speaker 2: Yeah, I uh, you know, ber you fewr has been
Speaker 2: something I've really lived by the last year year and
Speaker 2: a half. And there's a Bible verse that I hold
Speaker 2: near and dear to my heart. It says, be still
Speaker 2: and know that I am God. So I really just
Speaker 2: try to be still. I mean, it's it's as cliche
Speaker 2: as it sounds, like I've focused on the here and
Speaker 2: now and what I can do. Obviously, i'd be lying
Speaker 2: to you that if I didn't think about it. Obviously,
Speaker 2: it's definitely something that I think about. It's a childhood
Speaker 2: dream I've always wanted to I mean since I can remember,
Speaker 2: I've always wanted to be a big league baseball player,
Speaker 2: and so obviously something that I think about. But at
Speaker 2: the same time, I'm really happy where I'm at. I
Speaker 2: really love, you know, the guys and the team, and
Speaker 2: I really love, you know, working on things that that
Speaker 2: i've I've even necessary to be, you know, a complete player,
Speaker 2: and you know, helping myself try to make the stride,
Speaker 2: you know, as many strides as I can, so that
Speaker 2: there's not as big of a of a roadblock, you know,
Speaker 2: when I get to the big leagues. And so I
Speaker 2: think for that, for those reasons, I'm pretty pretty steady
Speaker 2: and just keeping you know, confident and keeping happy where
Speaker 2: I'm at and in the day. If it comes, it comes,
Speaker 2: and you know, or when it comes, it comes, and
Speaker 2: so I'm just you know, I'm trying really hard to
Speaker 2: enjoy it, and I've been pretty successful at it so far.
Speaker 2: So obviously I hope it happens this year. I hope
Speaker 2: it happens soon. But at the same time, I'm not
Speaker 2: worried about it in any stretch of the imagination.
Speaker 1: All Right, let's get to know James Tims a third,
Speaker 1: a little bit better, a little rapid fire here for
Speaker 1: the Dodger fans. Best minor league city you've played in
Speaker 1: in your brief time in the minor leagues to playing pro.
Speaker 2: Ball, Yeah, I think away with Way Park was probably Vancouver.
Speaker 2: They got a pretty good crowd, pretty good, pretty fun
Speaker 2: atmosphere there. Uh. And then home home side definitely Portland.
Speaker 2: Portland was a cool spot, a lot of a lot
Speaker 2: of knowledgeable fans over there, and they love the game.
Speaker 2: So those are two of my favorites.
Speaker 1: Best baseball moment that you've had at any level, whether
Speaker 1: it's high school at Florida State professionally, is there a
Speaker 1: baseball moment that sticks out in your mind.
Speaker 2: Yeah, for sure. I think there's the one that really
Speaker 2: sticks out of my mind is Game two of our
Speaker 2: Super Regional against Yukon. Hit three homers to help, you know,
Speaker 2: help us get to get to Omaha. Definitely one of
Speaker 2: my favorites.
Speaker 1: Best food for James Timbs, the third your favorite?
Speaker 2: Oh, think of Venison steak. It's probably one of my favorites.
Speaker 1: Really interesting, Okay, how favorite music the you do? Right now?
Speaker 1: What are you listening to?
Speaker 2: What am I listening to you right now? Cliche? But
Speaker 2: it's gonna be some country music. Probably Cody Johnson, Luke Combe, Yeah,
Speaker 2: Zack Top, those type of guys, Riley Green, George Straight.
Speaker 2: Oh yeah, we love Riley Green. He's awesome.
Speaker 1: Uh, James Tim's the Third's bat company. Let's shout out
Speaker 1: who you're using with your lumber back company.
Speaker 2: I'm a Victis guy. Love those guys. They've been great
Speaker 2: to me.
Speaker 1: All right. There he is James Timbs, the third Dodger
Speaker 1: Minor league prospect. A great twenty twenty six spring off
Speaker 1: to a great start in Triple A, Oklahoma City, and
Speaker 1: it's just a matter of time before Dodger draw fans
Speaker 1: gets to see him wearing that Dodger blue. James really
Speaker 1: appreciate the time on a game night. Thanks for checking
Speaker 1: in with all the Dodger fans out here in Southern California.
Speaker 1: And continue success in Triple A. We can't wait to
Speaker 1: see at the big league level.
Speaker 2: Absolutely, thanks for having me.
Speaker 1: I really appreciate it absolutely all right, there he goes,
Speaker 1: James Tibbs the third. What a great guy and certainly
Speaker 1: a big time prospect for the Dodgers' first round pick
Speaker 1: of the San Francisco Giants. They traded him in the
Speaker 1: Rafael Devers trade to the Boston Red Sox, and then
Speaker 1: the Dodgers got him in a steal in the trade
Speaker 1: for Dustin May. Last year, tore it up in Double
Speaker 1: A Tulsa. Went to spring training this year at camel
Speaker 1: Back Ranch. That's the name we kept hearing all spring long.
Speaker 1: James Tibbs the third and then the first two weeks
Speaker 1: of the season in Triple A Oklahoma City hit seven
Speaker 1: home runs. Now he's cooled off with the home runs
Speaker 1: a little bit, but still having a great season average wise,
Speaker 1: ops driving in runs as a corner outfielder there in
Speaker 1: Triple A Oklahoma City. We appreciate him coming on the
Speaker 1: show and again it is just a matter of time
Speaker 1: when there is an opportunity that arises for an outfield
Speaker 1: spot and some of the bats at the big league level.
Speaker 1: James Tibbs the third will be wearing Dodger blue. We
Speaker 1: cannot wait for him to make his major league debut.