SF Giants prospect named Eastern League player of the month

Before he was promoted to Triple-A, SF Giants #20 prospect Tyler Fitzgerald was named the Eastern League player of the month.

Marc Delucchi | May 5, 2023

SF Giants prospect named Eastern League player of the month /

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San Francisco Giants

The SF Giants promoted shortstop Tyler Fitzgerald (Giants #20 prospect) to Triple-A earlier this week. As he looks to settle into Sacramento, Fitzgerald was named the Eastern League Player of the Month for April. Prior to his promotion, he hit .324/.410/.588 with six doubles, three triples, two home runs, and three stolen bases in 19 games with the Richmond Flying Squirrels. In 10 plate appearances since joining Sacramento, he has two hits, two walks, and two strikeouts.

Erie SeaWolves baserunner Dane Myers slides into second base ahead of a throw to Richmond Flying Squirrels shortstop Tyler Fitzgerald. (2022) — Dane Myers slides into second base while SF Giants prospect Tyler Fitzgerald scrambles for the ball. (2022) :: GREG WOHLFORD/ERIE TIMES-NEWS / USA TODAY NETWORK

Fitzgerald was the Giants fourth-round pick in the 2019 MLB Draft out of Louisville. While the canceled 2020 minor-league season cost him some early player development opportunities, he has been a steadily above-average producer when healthy. Last season, Fitzgerald spent the entire campaign with the Giants Double-A affiliate, hitting .229/.310/.424 with 21 home runs and 20 stolen bases (21 attempts), becoming the first player to record a 20-20 season in Flying Squirrels history.

Fitzgerald got off to a slow start in the Eastern League last year, posting a .634 OPS by the end of June but posted an amazing .296/.355/.559 triple-slash to finish the season. Still, Fitzgerald's struggles with contact (32.9% strikeout rate in 2022) and a depth of upper minor league infielder prospects ahead of Fitzgerald on the organizational depth chart (Brett Wisely, Will Wilson, Casey Schmitt, and Shane Matheny) led the team to send him back to Richmond. After his excellent April, though, Fitzgerald is now one step away from the majors.

Set to turn 26 in September, Fitzgerald is on the older side for a prospect. However, he has an intriguing set of tools. Fitzgerald is an above-average athlete who is surprisingly fluid in his lanky 6'3'' frame. He has a chance to be an average or better defender at every position on the infield. Some scouts have also speculated that he has the fluidity and speed to potentially be viable in the outfield as well.

At the plate, Fitzgerald's contact skills remain the biggest question facing his long-term development. He has above-average power potential, showcased by his ability to hit 40 home runs from 2019-2020 despite striking out in nearly a third of his trips to the plate. If he can limit his strikeouts, Fitzgerald could become an overachiever who ends up holding down an everyday job.

With that said, Fitzgerald's power, athleticism, and defensive versatility all have the makings of a solid bench bat. A right-handed hitter, Fitzgerald has not shown platoon splits, in fact, he posted a higher OPS against same-sided pitchers than southpaws in each of the past two seasons.

The SF Giants have several intriguing infielder prospects vying for a big-league call up at Triple-A. After winning the Eastern League Player of the Month Award alongside a promotion to Sacramento, shortstop Tyler Fitzgerald is garnering some attention of his own.

Published May 5, 2023

MARC DELUCCHI

Marc Delucchi (he/they/she) serves as the Managing Editor at Giants Baseball Insider, leading their SF Giants coverage. As a freelance journalist, he has previously covered the San Francisco Giants at Around the Foghorn and McCovey Chronicles. He also currently contributes to Niners Nation, Golden State of Mind, and Baseball Prospectus. He has previously been featured in several other publications, including SFGate, ProFootballRumors, Niners Wire, GrandStand Central, Call to the Pen, and Just Baseball. Over his journalistic career, Marc has conducted investigations into how one prep baseball player lost a college opportunity during the pandemic (Baseball Prospectus) and the rampant mistreatment of players at the University of Hawaii football program under former head coach Todd Graham (SFGate). He has also broken dozens of news stories around professional baseball, primarily around the SF Giants organization, including the draft signing of Kyle Harrison, injuries and promotions to top prospects like Heliot Ramos, and trade details in the Kris Bryant deal. Marc received a Bachelor's degree from Kenyon College with a major in economics and a minor in Spanish. During his time in college, he conducted a summer research project attempting to predict the future minor-league performance of NCAA hitters, worked as a data analyst for the school's Women's basketball team, and worked as a play-by-play announcer/color commentator for the basketball, baseball, softball, and soccer teams. He also worked as an amateur baseball scout with the Collegiate Baseball Scouting Network (later renamed Evolution Metrix), scouting high school and college players for three draft cycles. For tips and inquiries, feel free to reach out to Marc directly on Twitter or via email (delucchimarc@gmail.com).