AB | 488 |
---|---|
AVG | .248 |
OBP | .333 |
SLG | .334 |
HR | 4 |
- Full name Justice Gabriel Bigbie
- Born 01/24/1999 in Chesapeake, VA
- Profile Ht.: 6'2" / Wt.: 200 / Bats: R / Throws: R
- School Western Carolina
- Drafted in the 19th round (555th overall) by the Detroit Tigers in 2021 (signed for $100,000).
Top Rankings
Organization Prospect Rankings
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BA Grade: 50/High
Track Record: A four-year starter for Western Carolina, Bigbie was a career .352 hitter in college, capping his career with a .395/.500/.621 season for the Catamounts in 2021. The Tigers made him the 555th player picked in the 2021 draft. Bigbie’s first two years with the Tigers were nondescript, but he broke out in 2023. After hitting three home runs combined in his first 129 pro games, he hit 19 in 115 games in 2023 while climbing three levels to Triple-A Toledo.
Scouting Report: While the Tigers had long been impressed with Bigbie’s bat-to-ball skills, they worked with him to tweak his swing to more regularly get the ball in the air. Bigbie has always made plenty of hard contact. Now, that impact has gone from outs and singles into doubles and homers thanks to the boost in his flyball rate. He still has work to do because his power is almost entirely to the opposite field. He hit 13 of his 19 home runs to right or right center, and he’s yet to show he can pull the ball consistently in the air. Bigbie doesn’t have a particularly quick bat, and he will chase, but he has excellent barrel control. Bigbie’s offensive breakout also coincided with his move back to the outfield full-time. He was a well below-average defender at first base, but is just below-average in the outfield. He has a below-average arm, but is an average runner.
The Future: Bigbie put himself on the path to Detroit in 2023. There are still some concerns about whether his breakout is sustainable, but he will return to Toledo to try to prove he can help the Tigers in left field before long.
Scouting Grades Hit: 50 | Power: 50 | Run: 40 | Field: 50 | Arm: 40