Josh James

Sitting at 97 mph, the four-seamer is James’ primary offering, with a 63.5% usage rate in 2019. It’s 4.0 pVAL in 2019 was up slightly from a 3.4 pVAL in 2018, and pitch finished with a 30% K rate backed by a 14.1% SwStr%.

Thrown 14% of the time in 2019, James’ changeup averaged 89 mph and had a 21.8% SwStr%, with his movement on both planes sitting above-average compared to the rest of the league. Thrown more to left-handers, James ended 2019 with a 44.1% K rate and just a .138 BAA.

James has a true wipeout slider, with the 84 mph offering striking out batters at a 55.9% clip. Getting 14% more depth than the average slider and a whopping 132% more break, it’s not surprising to see the pitch garner a 20.2% SwStr%

James threw his curveball only 16 times in 2019, all to left-handed batters. The pitch had a 0.1 pVAL, sitting at 81.6 mph and gets both above-average drop and break.