Dodgers Dev Lab Weekly: Tibbs III hits 3 HR, De Paula Continues Defining Year
By Emily Sanders ·
Dodgers Dev Lab Weekly covers the last 7 days of action for the Dodgers farm system.
James Tibbs III Hits 3 HR and Walks Seven Times in Big Week
James Tibbs III (AAA, RF, Rank: 9) went 8-for-20 with three home runs, a double, five RBI, and seven walks over 27 plate appearances this week at Oklahoma City, a performance that checked every box in his profile. The combination of patience and power has defined him all year: a 55 hit tool backed by plus zone awareness and above-average game power, and those tools showed up in their best form simultaneously. The seven walks were not a product of passivity, either; Tibbs is at his best when he uses his plate discipline to set up pitches to drive, and that is what happened here. Over the last 30 days, he is slashing .367/.478/.656 with six home runs and 20 RBI in 113 plate appearances, with 20 walks against just 17 strikeouts. That contact-to-patience combination makes the offensive profile translate.
The full season at Triple-A tells the same story on a larger canvas: .302/.423/.563 with 27 home runs and 90 walks in 537 plate appearances, with a 16.8 BB% that would lead most major league lineups. The walk rate has been a constant across every level he has played, and the power output at Oklahoma City has run well ahead of what his 55 power grade might suggest on paper. The honest limitation is still the defensive profile. Tibbs is a corner-only outfielder with below-average speed and a modest arm, which puts the bar squarely on the bat. At the pace he is hitting, that bar is being cleared. The only remaining question is whether the contact quality holds against MLB velocity and spin, and nothing in the 2026 body of work suggests it won't.
Josue De Paula Continues to Grind for His Next Opportunity
Josue De Paula (AA, CF, Rank: 1) collected nine hits and three home runs across 28 plate appearances this week at Tulsa, driving in nine runs while drawing three walks and striking out just four times. The contact rate continues to be a genuine separator at this level: an 84.6% contact rate on the season paired with a K% of 14.3, both of which are exceptional for a 21-year-old with this power output. He is slashing .315/.412/.564 through 524 plate appearances at Double-A, with 25 home runs, 32 doubles, and 29 stolen bases. Over the last 30 days he has nine home runs and 25 RBI in 103 plate appearances, with a .341 average and a .447 OBP, numbers that push the ceiling conversation into uncomfortable territory.
The profile is built around a leveraged left-handed swing with plus raw power and advanced pitch recognition that allows him to get to his power without sacrificing too much contact. The hit tool grades at 50, a fair assessment given some swing length and vulnerability to well-located premium velocity, but in games it has performed well above that against Double-A arms. He is a 60 power with 29 steals already this season, dimensions that make the defensive profile secondary to the offensive output. The long-term projection slots him in a corner rather than center, and the modest athletic grades and below-average speed grade support that, but nothing about his current performance suggests urgency in moving him off center. What 2026 has looked like is a 21-year-old putting a full Double-A season behind him on his own terms, and the Dodgers are not moving him for anything.
Quick Hits
Cam Leiter (A+, RHP, Rank: 16) · made his High-A debut after a promotion from Ontario and struck out seven batters over 3.1 scoreless innings, allowing two hits and two walks. The debut came on the heels of a dominant final stretch at Low-A: over his last 30 days at Ontario he posted a 0.79 ERA in 11.1 innings with 19 strikeouts and a 44.2 K% against a 11.6 BB%. The arsenal is the reason for the buzz: a fastball that sits 96-99 mph, a plus curve with true depth, and a slider/cutter with plus potential. Command has been the persistent concern, and the 12.0 BB% at Low-A this year confirms that grade remains below-average, but the stuff plays at a level that makes those walks manageable for now. A 60 fastball and 60 curve with two additional usable secondaries at 22 years old is a legitimate mid-rotation ceiling, and the no-hitter treatment in his High-A debut is an encouraging first data point.
Emil Morales (A+, SS, Rank: 5) · went 9-for-29 with two home runs and nine RBI over 29 plate appearances, with two walks and seven strikeouts. His 18th and 19th home runs of the season, both coming in the same week, push his combined total to 24 on the year across Low-A and High-A. At 19 years old with a .292/.380/.545 combined line, the plus raw power is translating into games at a rate that challenges the 45 hit tool grade. Over the last 30 days at Great Lakes he is slashing .303/.421/.573 with six home runs and a 15.9 BB%, suggesting the approach has tightened considerably since his promotion. The swing-and-miss questions are real, but the power-patience combination in this recent stretch gives the projection a longer leash.
Joendry Vargas (A, SS, Rank: 18) · had one of the week's more eye-catching lines among hitters at the lower levels: 10-for-26 with three doubles, a home run, and seven RBI without a single walk. That aggression is the defining feature of his profile; a 56.2% swing rate this season is among the highest in the system, and the 4.4 BB% reflects it. What the last 30 days have shown, though, is a hitter who can punish that approach when it works: .385/.389/.615 with 12 doubles in that stretch, using his bat speed and athleticism to drive the ball without needing counts. The contact quality has been legitimate, and the 60-grade arm and projectable frame point toward third base long-term. The plate discipline is the ceiling question, but at 20 years old with a 50 power grade performing above its current projection, there is enough here to monitor.
Aidan Foeller (AA, RHP, Rank: 56) · pitched five innings against Double-A competition, allowing four hits and one earned run with six strikeouts and one walk. It was his fifth consecutive appearance at Double-A with three or fewer runs allowed since his promotion from High-A, and over those five starts at Tulsa his ERA sits at 1.56 in 17.1 innings with 19 strikeouts and a 9.2 BB%. The season-combined ERA of 3.00 across 72 innings tells the same story as his recent form: a pitcher whose fastball-breaker combination is functional enough to produce results even with below-average command and a fringy changeup. The projection slots him in a relief role long-term, and the 40-grade command is the primary reason, but the 14 whiffs on 92 pitches this week suggest the stuff plays regardless of the assignment.
Mairo Martinus (A+, SS, Rank: 33) · collected eight hits and two home runs in 26 plate appearances, driving in nine runs without drawing a single walk. The zero walks are not a surprise; his BB% over the entire season is 4.1, a product of a 55% swing rate that is among the most aggressive in the system. The last 30 days have looked like his best baseball: .327/.333/.574 with six home runs and 23 RBI in 102 plate appearances. The power output well outpaces the 45 raw power grade he carries, and the speed is a genuine 55. Whether the contact skills and plate discipline hold at higher levels remains the evaluation, but the production at High-A this month has earned a second look at the profile.
Easton Shelton (A, 1B, Rank: 27) · drove in four runs on six hits, including two home runs and a triple, over 20 plate appearances. The 33rd and 34th home runs of his season at Low-A, both arriving this week, put him in rarefied air for a 20-year-old first baseman. His season line reads .297/.398/.639 with 35 home runs and 106 RBI in 462 plate appearances, and the 65-grade raw power is clearly not a projection anymore; it is a present reality. The strikeout rate at 33.5% and a 56.4% contact rate are legitimate concerns, and nothing about a first-base-only profile allows much slack on the contact side, but the sheer volume of damage this year is difficult to dismiss. I would take the over on an eventual Double-A promotion before this season ends if the roster allows it.
Carson Hobbs (AA, RHP, Rank: 50) · threw 3.2 hitless innings out of the Tulsa bullpen, walking two and striking out three. The hitless outing continues a stretch of strong relief work: a 3.65 ERA over his last 30 days at Double-A, but with a 35.3% whiff rate in that span that suggests the underlying stuff is playing. His season ERA of 3.63 in 57 innings across 41 appearances is a functional number for a reliever projecting as an org arm, and the 92-94 mph fastball-slider combination has been consistent enough to hold Double-A hitters in check. The ceiling is narrow, but he has been reliable.
Zachary Root (AA, LHP, Rank: 11) · was placed on the 7-day injured list on August 20, one day after his last appearance. The timing is notable because his final three starts at Double-A were rough: a 7.30 ERA over 12.1 innings with 21 strikeouts but 10 earned runs. That sequence followed a dominant High-A run of 2.40 ERA in 60 innings, so the Double-A adjustment has been real and now he heads to the IL before getting a chance to settle in further. No diagnosis has been confirmed.
Mike Sirota (AA, CF, Rank: 3) · was activated from the 7-day injured list on August 23 and went 0-for-3 in his return game with one walk. He had last played on August 14 before the IL placement three days later. The season line at Tulsa remains strong at .306/.460/.517 with 10 home runs in 300 plate appearances, and the combined line across High-A and Double-A (.314/.466/.547, 17 HR) shows a hitter who has been among the more productive prospects in the system when healthy. Getting back on the field and into a rhythm is the priority for the final weeks of the season.