Tigers’ Justice Bigbie Makes A Statement In Upper Minors
Justice Bigbie approaches his journey the way he always has.
One step at a time.
The 24-year-old corner outfielder entered pro ball as a 19th-round pick in 2021, meaning the Western Carolina product has had to fight for every promotion.
“I knew I had put together a pretty good year at Western,” Bigbie said. “But I didn’t really know if—or when—I was going to get drafted. I was trying to stay positive and hopefully get a chance, and it definitely worked out.”
That is an understatement for the understated Bigbie.
He opened the 2023 season at High-A West Michigan and finished it at Triple-A Toledo. Over the course of 115 games, the righthanded batter hit .343/.405/.537 with 19 home runs and 78 RBIs.
Bigbie took a quantum leap forward with his production this season. That process began in 2022 at Low-A Lakeland during his first full season.
“I think honestly before I had left Lakeland, I’d started to, I don’t want to say figure some stuff out, but I started to swing the bat better in Lakeland,” Bigbie said.
“Francisco Contreras was our hitting coach, and our bench coach was Matt Malott. I got to know them really well, and I think they were a huge help with adjusting to the level of competition that I was at.”
That would be another understatement from Bigbie, who had hit just five home runs in 129 pro games in 2021 and 2022.
A switch flipped this spring. Bigbie mashed six homers at High-A to earn a mid-June promotion to Double-A Erie. He added another 12 bombs in the Eastern League and one more in the International League after moving to Triple-A on Sept. 7.
He finished his season with an assignment to the Arizona Fall League.
“He’s quiet,” an American League scout said. “But isn’t that what they say? It’s the quiet ones you’ve gotta keep your eye on.”
