Justice Bigbie

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Detroit Tigers #26 prospect in 2025
  BA Grade/Risk: 40/Medium.
  
  Track Record: A 19th-round pick out of Western Carolina in 2021, Bigbie was the breakout star of the Tigers’ farm system in 2023. He hit .343/.405/.537 in a season that started in High-A and ended at Triple-A Toledo. His 2024 season did not go nearly as smoothly. In a return to Toledo, Bigbie seemed overmatched at times and out of sync at others. His on-base percentage in 2024 was lower than his batting average in 2023.
  
  Scouting Report: Bigbie has always hit the ball hard and, in 2023 as he got better at getting the ball into the air, he discovered more playable power. But he hasn’t developed the ability to pull the ball consistently and, in 2024, seemed to be guessing far too often. He’s struggled to hit high velocity pitches and is more of a hitter who capitalizes on pitchers’ mistakes. Bigbie’s struggles defensively make it hard for him to fill a part-time role. He’s well below-average defensively at first base and below-average in left or right field. He’s an average runner with a fringe-average arm.
  
  The Future: After going unpicked in the Rule 5 draft, Bigbie is set to return to Toledo to start 2025. His struggles in 2024 raise concerns about whether he will hit enough to have an MLB role, but his performance in 2023 is worth remembering.
  
  Scouting Grades: Hit: 45 | Power: 45 | Run: 50 | Field: 40 | Arm: 45.
• 
  Ranked Detroit Tigers #11 prospect in 2024
  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