James Bourque

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Washington Nationals #22 prospect in 2020
  TRACK RECORD: Mostly a reliever in college, Bourque began his professional career as a starter. He moved back to the bullpen in 2018 and has risen quickly since then. His two plus pitches helped him earn a promotion from Double-A Harrisburg to Washington on May 26 for his major league debut. But he allowed four runs in two-thirds of an inning in the Nationals' 9-6 win over Miami and then spent the rest of the season at Triple-A Fresno.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Bourque, who missed the 2015 season after having Tommy John surgery, throws at 96-98 mph with high-effort mechanics. He also has a hard, downer curveball thrown at 84-85 mph from an overhand delivery. Those two pitches can both wipe out hitters, but his control is lagging. He occasionally throws a below-average changeup.
  
  THE FUTURE: As a bet on pure stuff, Bourque has a chance to slide into the Nationals' bullpen as a seventh-inning option. His command, though, will have to get better for that to happen.
• 
  Ranked Washington Nationals #18 prospect in 2019
  Track Record: Bourque split time in the bullpen and rotation during his first two years at Michigan before becoming a primary reliever during his junior year and finding more success in the role. He's followed a similar path during his four years with the Nationals.
  
  Scouting Report: Washington ran Bourque out as a starter in 2014 and again in 2016 and 2017 after he missed the 2015 season due to Tommy John surgery, but the 6-foot-4 righthander didn't find much success until he moved into the bullpen this summer. Bourque was able to pitch almost exclusively off of a plus fastball and curveball combination, while his control issues were minimized in shorter outings. He posted a career-best 1.70 ERA in 53 innings split between high Class A and Double-A. Bourque's fastball touches as high as 98 and is regularly in the mid-90s, and he complements it with a power curve in the 85-88 mph range. That curve is presently an out-pitch and could wind up being a 70-grade offering. Bourque's lack of a third pitch might not inhibit him as a reliever, but Nationals evaluators liked the progress he made with a changeup during instructional league.
  
  The Future: Bourque should begin 2019 in Double-A, where he'll try and refine his command, but he could move quickly to the majors as a potential late-inning reliever.

• July, 2020 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: Mostly a reliever in college, Bourque began his professional career as a starter. He moved back to the bullpen in 2018 and has risen quickly since then. His two plus pitches helped him earn a promotion from Double-A Harrisburg to Washington on May 26 for his major league debut. But he allowed four runs in two-thirds of an inning in the Nationals’ 9-6 win over Miami and then spent the rest of the season at Triple-A Fresno.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Bourque, who missed the 2015 season after having Tommy John surgery, throws at 96-98 mph with high-effort mechanics. He also has a hard, downer curveball thrown at 84-85 mph from an overhand delivery. Those two pitches can both wipe out hitters, but his control is lagging. He occasionally throws a below-average changeup.
  
  THE FUTURE: As a bet on pure stuff, Bourque has a chance to slide into the Nationals’ bullpen as a seventh-inning option. His command, though, will have to get better for that to happen.
• February, 2020 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: Mostly a reliever in college, Bourque began his professional career as a starter. He moved back to the bullpen in 2018 and has risen quickly since then. His two plus pitches helped him earn a promotion from Double-A Harrisburg to Washington on May 26 for his major league debut. But he allowed four runs in two-thirds of an inning in the Nationals' 9-6 win over Miami and then spent the rest of the season at Triple-A Fresno.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Bourque, who missed the 2015 season after having Tommy John surgery, throws at 96-98 mph with high-effort mechanics. He also has a hard, downer curveball thrown at 84-85 mph from an overhand delivery. Those two pitches can both wipe out hitters, but his control is lagging. He occasionally throws a below-average changeup.
  
  THE FUTURE: As a bet on pure stuff, Bourque has a chance to slide into the Nationals' bullpen as a seventh-inning option. His command, though, will have to get better for that to happen.