Florida State baseball is back to its winning ways in the 2024 NCAA Baseball Tournament, a year removed after missing the tournament as a whole for the first time in 67 years.
The Seminoles, in their second season under Link Jarrett, have improved their overall win total from last year by 22 games, which has included a runner-up finish in the 2024 ACC Baseball Tournament and the No. 8 national seed in the NCAA tournament. Wins over Stetson and UCF in the Tallahassee Regional marked the first NCAA Tournament wins for FSU since 2019.
REQUIRED READING:Watch James Tibbs' 3 home runs for Florida State vs UConn in NCAA super regionals
Now, the Seminoles have returned to college baseball's marquee event — the College World Series — for the first time since 2019. FSU beat UConn in the best-of-three Tallahassee Super Regional series starting on Friday.
While there has are numerous ingredients to FSU's formula for its rapid turnaround from last season, two particular ingredients, or players in this situation, stand out amongst all: James Tibbs III and Cam Smith.
Here's what to know about Tibbs and Smith heading into Tallahassee Super Regional, regarding where both are currently projected to go in the MLB draft along with scouting reports on each by MLB Pipeline:
James Tibbs MLB mock draft
Here's where MLB draft analysts have Tibbs going in the 2024 MLB Draft:
- MLB Pipeline's Jonathan Mayo (as of May 30):No. 12 to the Boston Red Sox
- ESPN's Kiley McDaniel (as of May 8): No. 9 to the Pittsburgh Pirates
- Bleacher Reports' Joel Reuter (as of May 30): No. 14 to the Chicago Cubs
- The Athletics' Keith Law (as of May 15): No. 12 to the Red Sox
James Tibbs Scouting Report
The ACC Player of the Year is ranked the No. 16 prospect in this year's draft class by MLB Pipeline. The Athletics' Keith Law has him listed at No. 14 among those in this year's draft in his rankings.
To little surprise, the strengths of Tibbs' scouting report on his MLB.com draft profile surround his hitting, which earned scouting grades of 60 for hitting and 50 for power by MLB Pipeline. Here's what MLB Pipeline wrote on Tibbs' strengths:
"He’s done nothing but hit with the Seminoles, with a combined 1.066 OPS over his first two seasons, including hitting 17 homers and slugging .682 as a sophom*ore in 2023. He put himself even more on the Draft map by continuing to rake with a wood bat, hitting .303/.390/.472 with six homers in the Cape Cod League over the summer, then vaulted into the first-round landscape with a huge junior campaign.
"It will be Tibbs’ bat that gets him drafted in the first few rounds. The left-handed hitter is confident and smart at the plate, with an approach he’s improved over his time at Florida State, cutting his strikeout rate and upping his walk rate considerably from his freshman to his sophom*ore seasons, and even more so this spring. He punishes fastballs and has been showing the ability to get to his average power and drive the ball to all fields, though he’s struggled more with breaking stuff in the past."
Despite all the talk about his hitting, MLB Pipeline did mention some concerns about Tibbs' fielding and speed, which earned scouting grades of 50 and 40, respectively. Even with a .985 career-fielding percentage, and the numbers looking small compared to the sample size as a whole, he made seven errors with the Seminoles — five coming in 2023.
Cam Smith MLB mock draft
- MLB Pipeline's Jonathan Mayo (as of May 30):No. 14 to the Chicago Cubs
- Bleacher Reports' Joel Reuter (as of May 30): No. 16 to the Chicago Cubs
- The Athletics' Keith Law (as of May 15): No. 17 to the Red Sox
Cam Smith Scouting Report
Smith is ranked slightly higher in this year's draft class by MLB Pipeline compared to Tibbs, coming in two spots ahead of him at No. 14.
On a scale of 20-80, Smith earned an overall scouting grade of 55 by MLB Pipeline. He received individual grades of of 55 in hitting, 50 in power, 45 in running, 60 in arm and 55 in fielding. Here's what MLB Pipeline wrote on Smith:
"While he hit a dozen homers as a Seminoles freshman, he struggled at times to catch up to the higher level of competition. He caught up in a hurry over the summer, earning Most Outstanding Pro Prospect honors in the Cape Cod League after finishing with a .981 OPS, and he’s upped his game again during his Draft-eligible sophom*ore season.
"At 6-foot-3, 220 pounds, Smith already looks the part with plenty of now strength. How much he hits will help dictate how consistently he can get to his plus raw power, and he’s answered that question well last summer and this spring. He struggled to stick to an approach and have quality at-bats during his freshman year, often chasing pitches out of the zone, but that was vastly improved on the Cape, with his miss rate dropping from 29 percent to 19 over the summer. It’s a trend that’s continued in 2024 as Smith continued keep the swing-and-miss to a minimum."
MLB Pipeline did note that Smith's fielding and continued growth in his discipline at the plate this season with the Seminoles has helped his draft stock grow, helping his overall draft stock projection rise on boards. Smith, who is looked at as a third baseman at the next level, cut his errors down by four from his freshman season while cutting his strikeout rate from roughly 32% to roughly 18% this year.
