Josh James
P | Bats/Throws: R/R | 6' 3" 234LBS | Age: 31
Draft: 2014 | Rd: 34, #1006, Houston Astros | Western Oklahoma State College
W L ERA G GS SV IP SO WHIP
2019 5 1 4.70 49 1 1 61.1 100 1.32
2020 1 0 7.27 13 2 0 17.1 21 1.85
2021 0 0 5.40 5 0 0 5 8 1.20
4 Seasons 8 1 4.64 73 6 1 106.2 158 1.32
G W-L ERA IP SO WHIP
2019 49 5-1 4.70 61.1 100 1.32
2020 13 1-0 7.27 17.1 21 1.85
2021 5 0-0 5.40 5 8 1.20
4 Seasons 73 8-1 4.64 106.2 158 1.32
MLB Percentile Rankings
Movement Profile (Induced Break)
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Statcast Statistics

Season Age Pitches Batted
Balls		 Barrels Barrel % Barrel/PA Exit
Velocity		 Max EV Launch
Angle		 LA Sweet-
Spot %		 XBA XSLG WOBA XWOBA XWOBACON HardHit% K% BB% ERA xERA
2018 25 349 53 4 7.5 4.4 87.3 108.9 16.3 30.2 .187 .334 .268 .269 .343 28.3 31.9 7.7 2.35 3.01
2019 26 1142 127 6 4.7 2.3 89.7 110.4 16.9 33.9 .170 .284 .304 .265 .344 39.2 37.6 13.2 4.70 3.04
2020 27 340 43 7 16.3 8.4 85.4 107.1 16.4 46.5 .253 .508 .390 .407 .475 30.2 25.3 20.5 7.27 7.68
2021 28 69 11 1 9.1 4.8 89.5 115.2 3.8 18.2 .157 .354 .322 .259 .369 45.5 38.1 9.5 5.40 2.79
Player 1900 234 18 7.7 3.9 88.3 115.2 16.1 34.6 .187 .334 .313 .291 .369 35.3 34.3 13.2
MLB 7.0 4.8 88.5 122.4 12.3 33.2 .245 .405 .316 .315 .368 36.5 22.2 8.4
! Note: All figures in this table cover the period 2015-present.

Statcast Pitch Arsenal

James relies on 3 pitches.
Four Seamer
(58.0%) ,
Slider
(26.1%) ,
Changeup
(15.9%) ,


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Pitch Tracking



Batted Ball Profile

Season GB % FB % LD % PU % Pull % Straight % Oppo % Weak % Topped % Under % Flare/Burner % Solid % Barrel % Barrel/PA
2018 41.5 24.5 20.8 13.2 37.7 32.1 30.2 0.0 32.1 35.8 24.5 0.0 7.5 4.4
2019 35.4 35.4 22.8 6.3 34.6 36.2 29.1 1.6 30.7 31.5 19.7 10.2 4.7 2.3
2020 32.6 34.9 23.3 9.3 23.3 34.9 41.9 7.0 20.9 30.2 23.3 2.3 16.3 8.4
2021 54.5 27.3 9.1 9.1 36.4 27.3 36.4 0.0 54.5 27.3 0.0 9.1 9.1 4.8
Player 37.2 32.5 21.8 8.5 33.3 34.6 32.1 2.1 30.3 32.1 20.5 6.4 7.7 3.9
MLB 44.4 23.8 24.7 7.1 37.2 37.5 25.2 3.9 32.6 24.8 24.4 5.9 7.0 4.8
! Note: All figures in this table cover the period 2015-present.

Pitch Movement

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How this works: This section shows two different ways to evaluate pitch movement. On the left, “Total Movement” shows the real-world movement of a pitch, including the forces of gravity, which affects every pitch thrown. Since gravity requires time, and slower pitches aren't 'better' just because they have more time to move, a pitch's movement is compared to other pitches of the same pitch type, within +/- 2 MPH and +/- 0.5 feet of extension/release. On the right, Induced Movement (or IVB) is reported without gravity, and attempts to isolate movement created by the pitcher's ability to spin and manipulate the ball.
Total Movement (in inches, w/ gravity)Induced Movement (in inches, w/o gravity)
YearPitchTeamHand#MPHVertical
Drop		vs.
Comparable		Horizontal
Break		vs.
Comparable		Vertical
Break		vs. AvgHorizontal
Break		vs. Avg
2021 Slider HOU R 18 85.2 38.6 2.9 8.4GLV 3.4 -0.9 2.7 8.4GLV 2.7
2021 Changeup HOU R 11 87.6 30.9 1.0 15.7ARM 1.4 4.9 1.4 15.7ARM 1.8
2021 4-Seam Fastball HOU R 40 94.7 14.9 -0.6 11.6ARM 4.2 15.7 -0.5 11.6ARM 4.4
2020 4-Seam Fastball HOU R 196 96.3 13.9 -0.2 8.1ARM 0.4 15.6 -0.4 8.1ARM 0.8
2020 Changeup HOU R 46 88.8 32.1 2.7 15.5ARM 1.3 2.5 3.9 15.5ARM 2.1
2020 Slider HOU R 80 85.6 39.6 4.1 9.3GLV 4.8 -2.2 3.6 9.3GLV 4.0
2020 Curveball HOU R 17 82.3 54.7 5.2 5.5GLV -2.4 -14.0 4.3 5.5GLV -3.7
! Note: Years are in reverse order.

Run Values by Pitch Type

Year Pitch Type Team RV/100 Run Value Pitches % PA BA SLG wOBA Whiff% K% PutAway % xBA xSLG xwOBA Hard Hit %
2021 4-Seam Fastball -4.0 -2 40 58.0 12 .300 .700 .463 42.9 41.7 55.6 .210 .578 .386 80.0
2021 Slider 6.6 1 18 26.1 6 .167 .333 .208 25.0 33.3 50.0 .105 .115 .097 0.0
2021 Changeup 6.5 1 11 15.9 3 .000 .000 .000 28.6 33.3 50.0 .083 .088 .084 50.0
2020 4-Seam Fastball -2.0 -4 196 57.6 56 .300 .600 .471 19.4 21.4 32.4 .263 .533 .439 35.7
2020 Slider 0.5 0 80 23.5 10 .111 .111 .160 44.0 10.0 4.8 .334 .595 .423 25.0
2020 Changeup -3.9 -2 46 13.5 16 .143 .429 .291 45.5 43.8 36.8 .189 .414 .306 14.3
2020 Curveball -0.4 0 17 5.0 1 .000 .000 .000 100.0 100.0 20.0 -- -- .000 --
! Note: Years are in reverse order.
! Note: To better align with other values, positive numbers (red) are good, and negative numbers (blue) are poor.

Spin Direction

Year Pitch Type Pitches MPH Active Spin % Total Movement (In.) Spin-Based Observed Deviation
2021 Changeup 11 87.6 98 17.3 2:15 2:30 -15
2021 4-Seam Fastball 37 94.8 96 19.5 1:30 1:15 15
2021 Slider 18 85.2 38 9.8 7:15 8:30 -75
2020 Changeup 43 88.9 97 16.6 2:15 3:00 -45
2020 Curveball 14 82.6 75 17.8 7:00 6:30 30
2020 4-Seam Fastball 160 96.5 89 17.4 1:15 1:00 15
2020 Slider 73 85.6 39 11.1 7:15 8:15 -60
! Note: Years are in reverse order.
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! Note: This table is showing data from the PITCHER perspective.
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Pitcher Arm Angle

! Note: Data is available from 2020 through the present.
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Swing/Take

Runs
Year Team PA Pitches Heart Shadow Chase Waste All
2018 112 426 0 8 -2 -2 4
2019 298 1,291 10 7 -10 -5 2
2020 99 405 0 0 -4 -4 -8
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Plate Discipline

Season Pitches Zone % Zone Swing % Zone Contact % Chase % Chase Contact % Edge % 1st Pitch Strike % Swing % Whiff % Meatball % Meatball Swing %
2018 349 49.6 59.0 80.4 34.7 47.5 52.1 65.9 46.7 31.3 8.0 75.0
2019 1,142 48.1 68.2 72.0 24.5 39.6 41.2 57.9 45.4 36.8 6.2 82.9
2020 340 44.7 55.9 80.0 19.1 44.4 42.1 57.8 35.6 30.6 5.6 57.9
2021 69 58.0 55.0 72.7 24.1 28.6 42.0 81.0 42.0 34.5 4.3 66.7
Player 1,900 48.1 63.8 74.7 25.3 41.9 43.4 60.5 43.8 34.7 6.3 76.7
MLB 48.7 67.0 82.0 28.5 57.8 42.6 61.0 47.2 25.0 7.3 76.3
! Note: All figures in this table cover the period 2015-present.

Percentile Rankings

Year xwOBA /
xERA 		xBA xSLG xISO xOBP Brl Brl% EV Hard
Hit% 		K% BB% Whiff% Chase
Rate 		FB
Velo 		FB
Spin 		CB
Spin 		Extension
2018 96 83 43
2019 91 99 99 95 76 94 89 21 26 98 6 97 7 95 86 54
2020 2 35 10 5 1 38 1 92 87 60 1 76 3 89 61 56
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Expected Home Runs

Adjusted
Year Team Avg HR Trot Actual HR xHR HR-xHR Doubters Mostly Gone No Doubters No Doubter %
2018 22.7 4 3.6 0 2 1 3 75.0
2019 23.6 12 8.3 4 5 5 4 33.3
2020 23.3 6 5.5 1 1 4 3 50.0
2021 27.5 1 1.0 0 0 0 1 100.0
Player 23.5 23 18.4 5 8 10 11 47.8
Note: xHR tells how many of this pitcher's home runs allowed would have been out of other stadiums. The "Adjusted" view here accounts for different wall heights, distances and environmental effects using Statcast Park Factor data.
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Expected Home Runs by Park

Adjusted
Year HR
2018 4 4 3 6 3 3 4 4 3 3 3 4 5 3 4 4 3 4 3 4 3 3 6 4 3 3 3 3 4 4 3
2019 12 9 6 10 9 9 9 8 8 5 9 13 8 6 9 9 8 9 7 9 8 7 10 10 7 8 8 10 8 7 6
2020 6 7 3 6 6 6 6 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 6 5 6 6 6 7 6 6 5 5 6 6 6 5 5
2021 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
Player 23 21 13 23 19 19 20 18 17 14 18 23 19 15 19 19 18 19 17 20 18 18 23 21 16 17 18 20 19 17 15
Note: xHR tells how many of this pitcher's home runs allowed would have been out of other stadiums. The "Adjusted" view here accounts for different wall heights, distances and environmental effects using Statcast Park Factor data.
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Year to Year Changes

Metric 2018 2019 +/-   2020 +/-   2021 +/-  
Fastball Velocity 97.1 97.1 0.0 96.3 -0.8 ↓ 94.7 -1.6 ↓
Offspeed Velocity 88.5 89.0 0.5 ↑ 88.8 -0.2 ↓ 87.6 -1.2 ↓
Breaking Velocity 85.2 84.3 -0.9 ↓ 85.0 0.7 ↑ 85.2 0.2 ↑
Exit Velocity 87.3 89.7 2.4 ↑ 85.4 -4.3 ↓ 89.5 4.1 ↑
Launch Angle 16.3 16.9 0.6 ↑ 16.4 -0.5 ↓ 3.8 -12.6 ↓
Barrel % 7.5 4.7 -2.8 ↓ 16.3 11.6 ↑ 9.1 -7.2 ↓
Hard Hit % 28.3 39.2 10.9 ↑ 30.2 -9.0 ↓ 45.5 15.3 ↑
LA Sweet-Spot % 30.2 33.9 3.7 ↑ 46.5 12.6 ↑ 18.2 -28.3 ↓
xBA .187 .170 -0.017 ↓ .253 0.083 ↑ .157 -0.096 ↓
BA .183 .203 0.020 ↑ .234 0.031 ↑ .211 -0.023 ↓
xwOBA .269 .265 -0.004 ↓ .407 0.142 ↑ .259 -0.148 ↓
wOBA .268 .304 0.036 ↑ .390 0.086 ↑ .322 -0.068 ↓
xSLG .334 .284 -0.050 ↓ .508 0.224 ↑ .354 -0.154 ↓
SLG .341 .374 0.033 ↑ .484 0.110 ↑ .474 -0.010 ↓
K% 31.9 37.6 5.7 ↑ 25.3 -12.3 ↓ 38.1 12.8 ↑
BB% 7.7 13.2 5.5 ↑ 20.5 7.3 ↑ 9.5 -11.0 ↓
Swing % 46.7 45.4 -1.3 ↓ 35.6 -9.8 ↓ 42.0 6.4 ↑
Whiff% 31.3 36.8 5.5 ↑ 30.6 -6.2 ↓ 34.5 3.9 ↑
In Zone % 49.6 48.1 -1.5 ↓ 44.7 -3.4 ↓ 58.0 13.3 ↑
Out of Zone % 50.4 51.9 1.5 ↑ 55.3 3.4 ↑ 42.0 -13.3 ↓
Out of Zone Swing % 34.7 24.5 -10.2 ↓ 19.1 -5.4 ↓ 24.1 5.0 ↑
First Pitch Swing % 30.8 31.2 0.4 ↑ 16.9 -14.3 ↓ 28.6 11.7 ↑
First Pitch Strike % 65.9 57.9 -8.0 ↓ 57.8 -0.1 ↓ 81.0 23.2 ↑
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Statcast Fielder Positioning

vs RHHvs LHH
YearAlignment TypePAwOBAPATotal%PATotal%
2018 Shifts 91 .268 44 5 11.4 47 22 46.8
2019 Shifts 263 .307 133 30 22.6 130 91 70.0
2020 Shifts 83 .390 47 7 14.9 36 22 61.1
2021 Shifts 21 .322 10 1 10.0 11 6 54.5
! Note: Shifts are through the 2022 season, Shaded starting from the 2023 season, Shift: three or more infielders are on the same side of second base, Shade: positioned outside of their typical responsible slices of the field.
Learn more about how positioning is defined here

Pitch Tempo

Bases EmptyRunners On Base
SeasonTeamPitchesTempoFast %Slow %PitchesTempoFast %Slow %
2018 110 19.9 5.5% 4.5% 59 28.2 0.0% 39.0%
2019 316 18.4 17.4% 2.5% 199 23.8 0.0% 11.6%
2020 93 18.3 6.5% 2.2% 78 24.2 0.0% 16.7%
2021 19 17.8 5.3% 0.0% 13 22.3 0.0% 7.7%

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Pitch Distribution

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