Josh James (baseball) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Josh James |
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James with the Houston Astros
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| Staten Island FerryHawks – No. 40 | |||
| Pitcher | |||
| Born: March 8, 1993 Hollywood, Florida, U.S. |
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| debut | |||
| September 1, 2018, for the Houston Astros | |||
| MLB statistics (through 2021 season) |
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| Win–loss record | 8–1 | ||
| Earned run average | 4.64 | ||
| Strikeouts | 158 | ||
| Teams | |||
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Joshua James (born March 8, 1993) is an American professional baseball pitcher. He currently plays for the Staten Island FerryHawks. This team is part of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball. Before this, he played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Houston Astros.
Josh played college baseball at Barry University and Western Oklahoma State College. He was picked in the 2014 MLB draft. He is well-known for his super-fast fastball, which can reach 102 miles per hour!
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Early Life and College Baseball
Joshua Edward James was born on March 8, 1993. His parents are Ivan and Tricia James. He was born in Hollywood, Florida. Josh's dad, Ivan, is from Puerto Rico. His mom, Tricia, was born on St. Thomas. Josh spent some of his childhood in the U.S. Virgin Islands with his sister, Joy.
Josh went to South Broward High School in Hollywood, Florida. He played baseball for three years there. At first, he mostly played as an infielder. He didn't start pitching until he was 16 years old. One of his teammates, Jose Marmolejos, also went on to play in Major League Baseball. Besides baseball, Josh also played basketball, golf, and track. He even tried tennis for a short time.
At Barry University in Miami Shores, Florida, Josh's coaches made him a pitcher only. But he only pitched a few innings in 2012. He studied Sport Management there. After his first year, Josh wanted to find another college. He wasn't getting much playing time or a scholarship at Barry.
He then moved to Western Oklahoma State College in Altus, Oklahoma. A former coach helped him connect with the team there. This college team had a great history. They had played in many national championship games. Other players from Western Oklahoma State College later played in MLB. While there, Josh tried to go back to playing infielder. But his coaches told him he would be more successful as a pitcher. He didn't play in 2013. In 2014, he became a starting pitcher. He had a 3.21 ERA and 56 strikeouts in 61.2 innings. After that, he planned to go to Lynn University.
Professional Baseball Career
Playing for the Houston Astros
Starting in the Minor Leagues
The Houston Astros chose Josh James in the 34th round of the 2014 Major League Baseball draft. He was the 1,006th player picked overall. Josh started his professional career in 2014. He played for the Greeneville Astros. He finished that season with a 1–3 record and a 2.72 ERA.
In 2015, he played for the Quad Cities River Bandits. He had a 7–4 record with a 2.63 ERA. He played in 24 games, starting 18 of them. In 2016, he moved up to the Lancaster JetHawks. There, he had a 9–5 record and a 4.81 ERA. In 2017, he played for the Corpus Christi Hooks. He went 4–8 with a 4.38 ERA in 21 games.
Josh started the 2018 season with Corpus Christi. Later that year, he was promoted to the Triple–A Fresno Grizzlies. Between the two teams, he had a 6–4 record and a 3.23 ERA. He also had 171 strikeouts in 114.1 innings. This was about 13.5 strikeouts for every 9 innings pitched. Josh was named the Astros' Minor League Pitcher of the Year for 2018.
During 2018, Josh's fastball got much faster. He said this was because he was diagnosed with sleep apnea. This is a condition where a person stops breathing for short times during sleep. His roommate in 2014 often complained about his loud snoring. Josh saw a sleep doctor in 2016. He started using a special machine called a CPAP machine. He felt more rested each morning. This helped his fastball speed go from 94–95 mph to 100 mph!
Reaching the Major Leagues
Josh James was called up to the major leagues on September 1, 2018. He became the lowest-drafted pitcher in Astros history to start a game for the team. In 2018, he had a 2–0 record with a 2.35 ERA for the Astros. He pitched in six games, starting three of them. He threw 23 innings and struck out 29 batters. This was about 11.3 strikeouts per 9 innings.
Josh was on the team's roster for the American League Division Series. He didn't play in that series. In the 2018 American League Championship Series, Josh pitched 4.1 innings. He gave up 6 hits and 4 runs, but he struck out 7 batters. In Game 4 of that series, Josh threw his fastest fastball ever. It was 102.4 miles per hour! He struck out Rafael Devers with it.
In 2019, Josh changed from being a starting pitcher to pitching from the bullpen. This means he came into games later to relieve other pitchers. On July 15, he started a game as an "opener." He pitched a perfect first inning and got one strikeout. On September 3, 2019, he earned his first career save. He finished the 2019 season with a 5–1 record and a 4.70 ERA. He pitched in 49 games and struck out 100 batters in 61.1 innings. He was also part of the team for the ALDS, ALCS, and World Series. He earned a win in Game 3 of the World Series. This made him one of only 10 Astros pitchers to win a World Series game.
In 2020, Josh started the season as a starting pitcher. But after two starts, he moved back to the bullpen. On August 20, he left a game because of hip pain. He was placed on the injured list. He came back on September 9. He had a great September, with a 1.35 ERA. He was later placed on the COVID-19 injured list. For the year, he had a 1–0 record with a 7.27 ERA. He struck out 21 batters in 17.1 innings. In the 2020 postseason, he gave up a game-tying home run in Game 5 of the 2020 American League Championship Series.
In October 2020, Josh had surgery on his left hip. He was expected to be out for 6–8 months. In March 2022, it was also shared that he had a special injection in his right elbow. He was placed on the injured list in May 2021 while recovering. After playing some rehab games, Josh was back with the Astros in August. He played in 5 major league innings in 2021 and had a 5.40 ERA.
In March 2022, Josh signed an $800,000 contract with the Astros. He was sent to the Triple-A Sugar Land Space Cowboys in April. On June 15, he left a game with an injury. He was later placed on the injured list with a right lat strain. He started rehab games in August. After 7 rehab appearances, he left a game in September with another injury. On October 1, it was announced he had surgery on his right flexor tendon. In November 2022, the Astros decided not to offer Josh a new contract, making him a free agent.
Playing for Other Teams
On January 26, 2024, Josh signed a minor league contract with the St. Louis Cardinals. He played in 9 games for the Triple–A Memphis Redbirds. He struggled there and was released by the Cardinals on May 13.
On May 21, 2024, Josh signed with the Long Island Ducks. This team is also in the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball. He played in 23 games for the Ducks. He was released by the Ducks on August 4.
On August 6, 2024, Josh signed with the Staten Island FerryHawks. He played in 17 games for Staten Island. He had a 3.78 ERA and 29 strikeouts. He also earned 1 save.
Personal Life
Josh James has many tattoos. He has a partial sleeve on his left arm. On his right forearm, he has a bible verse, Psalms 119:105. It says, "Thy Word Is a Lamp Unto My Feet and Light Unto My Path." Other tattoos honor his roots in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The date of his Major League debut (9.1.18) is on his right tricep.
Josh is a big fan of the Miami Heat basketball team. He has their logo tattooed on him. He also has a tattoo of the Florida Marlins baseball team logo. Even though he has the Marlins tattoo, he grew up a fan of the New York Yankees. His favorite players were Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez.
In the offseason, Josh lives in Southwest Florida. He lives with his wife, Gabrielle, and their children. Josh and Gabrielle met in college in November 2013. They both played baseball and softball. They got married in January 2022. They have four children: Noah (born November 2018), Sophia (born July 2020), and twins Avery and Jace (born October 2022).
