Josh James (baseball)

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Josh James
Josh James (31148588168) (cropped).jpg
James in 2018
Houston Astros – No. 39
Pitcher
Born: (1993-03-08) March 8, 1993 (age 28)
Hollywood, Florida
Bats: Right
Throws: Right
MLB debut
September 1, 2018, for the Houston Astros
MLB statistics
(through September 21, 2021)
Win–loss record8–1
Earned run average4.64
Strikeouts158
Teams

Joshua James (born March 8, 1993) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Houston Astros of Major League Baseball (MLB). He played college baseball at Barry University and Western Oklahoma State College. He was drafted by the Astros in the 34th round of the 2014 Major League Baseball draft and made his major league debut in 2018. His fastball reached 102 miles per hour in the 2018 American League Championship Series.

Early life[]

Joshua Edward James was born to Ivan and Tricia James on March 8, 1993. James' father, Ivan, is Puerto Rican and grew up on the island of St. Croix.[1] James' mother, Tricia, was born on St. Thomas.[1] James spent part of his childhood in the U.S. Virgin Islands along with his younger sister Joy. He started playing baseball when he was four years old and was heavily encouraged by his father to continue to develop as a player.

James attended South Broward High School in Hollywood, Florida, a marine science magnet school,[2] where he was a three-year letterman in baseball.[1] There, he was primarily an infielder, and he began pitching at age 16. One of his teammates at South Broward was Jose Marmolejos, who has played for the Washington Nationals and Seattle Mariners.[3] In addition to baseball, James played basketball, golf, and track.

At Barry University in Miami Shores, Florida, James' coaches converted him to a pitcher exclusively, but he only pitched five innings in 2012.[4] He majored in Sport Management while at Barry. James later transferred to Western Oklahoma State College, a NJCAA junior college in Altus, Oklahoma. James attempted to switch back to the infielder position but was informed by his coaches that he would find more success as a pitcher.[2] He redshirted the 2013 season and returned for his first full season as a pitcher in 2014.

Career[]

Minor Leagues

James was drafted by the Houston Astros in the 34th round of the 2014 Major League Baseball draft with the 1006th pick.[5]

James made his professional debut in 2014 with the Greeneville Astros and spent the whole season there, going 1–3 with a 2.72 ERA in 39.2 innings pitched. He pitched 2015 with the Quad Cities River Bandits where he was 7–4 with a 2.63 ERA in 24 games (18 starts), 2016 with the Lancaster JetHawks where he posted a 9–5 record and a 4.81 ERA in 23 games (19 starts), and 2017 with the Corpus Christi Hooks where he was 4–8 with a 4.38 ERA in 21 games, 11 which were starts.[6]

He started the 2018 season with Corpus Christi and was promoted to the Fresno Grizzlies during the season.[7] With the two teams he was 6–4 with a 3.23 ERA, and 171 strikeouts in 114.1 innings (13.5 per 9 innings). James was named the Astros' Minor League Pitcher of the Year for 2018.[8]

In 2018, he saw a jump in his velocity, which he credited to a sleep apnea diagnosis.[9] His roommate in rookie ball in 2014, Ryan Thompson, complained often about James' incessant snoring, saying, "He was like a chainsaw taking down a national forest."[10] James saw a sleep specialist in December 2016 and was diagnosed with sleep apnea.[11] After he began using a CPAP machine, James said he felt "just a little bit more refreshed in the morning, a little bit more refreshed about the day, and slowly I started feeling a little bit better every day."[11] This translated into a gradual increase in his fastball velocity, growing from 94 to 95 miles per hour to 100 miles per hour.[11]

Major Leagues

James was promoted to the major leagues for the first time on September 1, 2018,[12] becoming the lowest drafted pitcher in Houston Astros history to make a start for the team.[13] In 2018 with the Astros he was 2–0 with a 2.35 ERA, in six games (three starts) in which he pitched 23.0 innings and struck out 29 batters. (11.3 strikeouts per 9 innings).[14] James was on the American League Division Series roster but did not see any playing time against the Cleveland Indians. In the 2018 American League Championship Series, James pitched 4.1 innings, giving up 6 hits and 4 runs and striking out 7.[15]

In game 4 of the 2018 ALCS, James recorded his highest velocity fastball, clocking in at 102.4 miles per hour.[16]

In 2019 with the Astros, he was 5–1 with one save and a 4.70 ERA, in 49 games (one start) in which he pitched 61+1⁄3 innings and struck out 100 batters (14.7 per 9 innings).[17] James was credited with the win in game 3 of the 2019 World Series.[17]

James made two starts at the beginning of the 2020 season before transitioning back to the bullpen. On August 20, he left the game against the Colorado Rockies with left hip discomfort, and he was placed on the 10-day injured list on August 22. James was activated on September 9th and posted a 1.35 ERA and 0.90 WHIP over his 6.2 innings of work in the month of September.[15] He was placed on the COVID injured list due to health and safety protocols on September 25. On the year, he was 1–0 with a 7.27 ERA with 21 strikeouts in 17+1⁄3 innings (10.9 strikeouts per 9 innings), over 13 games.[15] In his 4.0 innings of work in the 2020 postseason, he allowed 5 hits and 4 runs. Notably, James gave up a game-tying home run to Ji-man Choi in Game 5 of the 2020 American League Championship Series.[18]

On October 24, 2020, it was announced that James had undergone surgery to repair a labral tear in his left hip and would be out for 6–8 months.[19] Originally set to return in late May to early June, he was retroactively placed on the 60-day injured list on May 26, 2021, as he continued to recover from the surgery.[20] After completing rehab assignments with the Fayetteville Woodpeckers and Sugar Land Skeeters, James was activated off the injured list on August 1 and optioned to Triple-A Sugar Land. In his 20.2 innings in the minors, he allowed 7 earned runs and struck out 28.[21] James was recalled on August 31 and was optioned back to Triple-A on September 5. He was optioned and recalled two more times in the month of September. James had a 5.40 ERA in his 5.0 major league innings in 2021.[22] In his final appearance of the year for Sugar Land on October 3, he gave up 3 runs and left the game with an injury after hitting a 20 pitch limit. His current health status is unknown, but the Astros placed him on the active roster on November 3.

Personal life[]

James grew up a fan of the New York Yankees. His favorite players were Derek Jeter, Ken Griffey, Jr., and Alex Rodriguez. He is a fan of the Miami Heat and is a practicing Christian.

James began dating Gabrielle Lopez in November 2013 while both were enrolled at Western Oklahoma State College. Lopez played on the softball team. The couple has two children, Noah (born November 2018) and Sophia (born July 2020). James and Lopez are engaged to be married and reside in Southwest Florida.

James has many tattoos, including a partial sleeve on his left arm. The bible verse Psalms 119:105 is tattooed on his forearm. The verse reads, "Thy Word Is a Lamp Unto My Feet and Light Unto My Path." Several other tattoos honor his roots in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.[23]

References[]

  1. ^ a b c "Pitcher with USVI ties gets ALCS action". virginislandsdailynews.com.
  2. ^ a b "Astros' AAA Pitching Prospect Josh James Finds Focus, Fire, And Victory". therunnersports.com. 8 May 2018.
  3. ^ "South Broward teammates Josh James and José Marmolejos face off on big league stage". sun-sentinel.com.
  4. ^ "2012 Baseball Roster, Josh James". gobarrybucs.com.
  5. ^ Atkins, Hunter (2018-05-08). "Astros give Taylor Jones, Josh James minor league player of the month honors - Houston Chronicle". Chron.com. Retrieved 2019-10-10.
  6. ^ "Josh James Stats, Highlights, Bio - MiLB.com Stats - The Official Site of Minor League Baseball". MiLB.com. Retrieved June 24, 2018.
  7. ^ "Grizzlies' James racks up baker's dozen K's". MiLB.com. 2018-06-06. Retrieved 2019-10-10.
  8. ^ Laymance, Reid (September 20, 2018). "Kyle Tucker, Josh James earn Astros minor league awards". Chron.
  9. ^ "How a sleep apnea diagnosis led to a breakout for Astros prospect Josh James – The Athletic". Theathletic.com. 2018-05-09. Retrieved 2019-10-10.
  10. ^ Kaplan, Jake. "'Like a chainsaw taking down a national forest': The intolerable snoring that led to Josh James' sleep apnea diagnosis". The Athletic.
  11. ^ a b c "Energized James flashing high velo in ALCS". MLB.com.
  12. ^ Ben DuBose (2018-08-31). "Josh James set for MLB debut against Angels | Houston Astros". Mlb.com. Retrieved 2019-10-10.
  13. ^ Rome, Chandler (September 2, 2018). "Josh James makes strong MLB debut as Astros trounce Angels". Houston Chronicle.
  14. ^ "Josh James Stats". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved 2019-11-01.
  15. ^ a b c "Josh James Stats". Baseball-Reference.com.
  16. ^ "Nolan Ryan had a front-row seat to Josh James' 102-mph flame-throwing in ALCS Game 4".
  17. ^ a b "Josh James Stats". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved 2019-10-11.
  18. ^ "Choi's HR jolts TB: 'We always bounce back'".
  19. ^ "Astros reliever James undergoes hip surgery". October 24, 2020. Retrieved October 24, 2020.
  20. ^ "Astros Shuffle Rotation With Valdez, Odorizzi Set To Return". MLB Trade Rumors.
  21. ^ "Josh James Stats, Fantasy & News".
  22. ^ "Josh James Stats, Fantasy & News". MLB.com.
  23. ^ "Josh James lleva a Puerto Rico en su piel". Lasmayores.com.

External links[]

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