Drafted in the 29th round (874th overall) by the Houston Astros in 2004.
Top Rankings
Organization Prospect Rankings
James, obtained from the same school in the same draft that produced J.R. Towles, rated No. 6 on this list a year ago but regressed during a frustrating season in which he battled back problems that limited him to 18 starts at Corpus Christi and led to a seven-week absence in the second half. The Astros point to James breaking a bone in his right foot after the 2007 season, and then trying to overcompensate on the mound as his downfall. A screw was inserted in his foot during surgery and led James to push off the rubber more carefully. Inadvertently, he fell into bad habits, throwing across his body, and saw his low 90s sinker become less effective as it flattened out. There was hope he would get himself straightened out in the Arizona Fall League, but he ended up reverting to the problems that forced him to the DL during the regular season. When on, his sinker dominates low in the zone, and he still had a 1.96 groundout/airout ratio last year. But he has a tendency to fall in love with the sinker too much, so he has tried to incorporate his slider more frequently. His changeup still lags far behind. Long term, James projects as a reliever, but for now he'll go back to Corpus Christi, where a rotation slot will allow him to make up for lost innings.
A teammate of J.R. Towles at North Central Texas, James took longer to emerge as a true prospect. Once he found a consistent delivery and release point at low Class A in 2006, his stock surged upward. He tore up high Class A in the first half of 2007, then got hit harder in Double-A and the Arizona Fall League. James relies heavily on a low-90s sinker that generated a 2.1 groundout/flyout ratio last season. His slider serves as a fine complement to his sinker. He has the mental toughness to pitch in any role the Astros throw at him. He depends on his sinker too much at times, which caused trouble against more advanced hitters. He has yet to come up with an effective changeup; he doesn't have enough command or arm speed on his current model. He's starting to realize that he has to have the changeup to remain a starter. After he pitched in the AFL, James was diagnosed with a fracture in his right foot. He had a screw inserted in the foot but still was expected to be ready for spring training. Added to the 40-man roster in November, James will head back to Double-A as a starter to begin 2008. There's a good chance that he'll eventually wind up in the bullpen, and he has enough stuff and the makeup to become a setup man.
Minor League Top Prospects
James flew under the radar last season despite going 6-2, 1.36 in Lexington. His fringy fastball didn't excite scouts then, but they believe in him more now that his velocity increased this year. His heater sat at 89-92 and he can sink and tail it to either side of the plate, making him a groundball machine. James' slider is an average pitch with plus potential. He has toyed with different grips on his changeup but hasn't found consistent command of it yet. "He could be unhittable at times here and all he'd throw were sinkers," Sarbaugh said. "He'd flash you the breaking ball, he'd flash the changeup, but he was pretty much all sinkers."
Best Tools List
Rated Best Pitching Prospect in the Carolina League in 2007
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