J.R. House

Organization Prospect Rankings

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  Ranked Baltimore Orioles #26 prospect in 2007
  Just when it looked like House's once-promising baseball career finally had died, it gained new life in 2006. House was regarded as one of the best catching prospects in the minors after hitting .348 in 2000, but injuries kept him from building on that season. He left baseball and tried to resurrect his football career in 2005. House had set since-broken national passing records in high school, and he joined the West Virginia program. After falling down the depth chart, however, House decided to give baseball another try with the Astros last year. He showed his old hitting ability in the minors and appeared in four big league games, but Houston took him off its 40-man roster, allowing the Orioles to sign him as a minor league free agent. House's bat has always been his calling card, and he can drive the ball to all parts of the park. The Orioles also like his work ethic. He's a better athlete than most catchers but still a below-average runner. House's defensive skills behind the plate never were his strong suit, and Baltimore will keep him at first base to keep him healthy. He likely will open the season in Triple-A, but the Orioles are desperate for power bats and wouldn't hesitate to give him a shot if he gets off to a good start.
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  Ranked Pittsburgh Pirates #29 prospect in 2005
  House was ranked as the Pirates' top prospect in 2001 and 2002 before his career was derailed by reconstructive elbow surgery and two sports hernia operations. He was healthy for the first time in three years last season, except for a stint on the disabled list at Triple-A after he sprained his ankle in a collision at home plate. House's best attribute is his ability to hit for average and power. He has improved his defense as a catcher in recent years and became more adept at calling pitches. He has an outstanding work ethic and positive attitude, which has kept him going through adversity. Despite improvement, his throwing and receiving skills behind the plate may prevent him from being a full-time catcher in the major leagues, so he began playing some first base and left field last season. He is also a very slow runner. House is out of minor league options, so the Pirates must make a decision on him during spring training. With a good spring, he should be a reserve in the major leagues this season, playing primarily against lefthanders after hitting .360 against them at Nashville last season.
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  Ranked Pittsburgh Pirates #25 prospect in 2004
  House was MVP of the low Class A South Atlantic League in 2000 and seemed on the fast track to stardom. He has lost much of the last two seasons to injuries, having two operations to repair a hernia in 2002 before Tommy John surgery that September. His elbow reconstruction ended speculation that he might try to play quarterback at West Virginia, which recruited him after he set since-broken national high school records for single-season and career passing yards. House returned to action in mid-July last year and played well, even getting a chance to make his major league debut with the Pirates in the final week of the season when injuries created an opening for him. He also helped his cause with a strong performance in the Arizona Fall League. The elbow injury certainly hasn't affected House's hitting stroke. In fact, he's much improved at the plate as he has learned to use the whole field and better handle breaking and offspeed pitches. House has the ability to hit for both average and power. House wasn't a good defensive catcher before the surgery, and basestealers went a perfect 16-for-16 against him in 2003. His future may not be behind the plate. He played a game at first base in the AFL and the Pirates plan to work him out in left field during spring training. Because of his missed time, House needs one more full season in the minors. He'll spend 2004 in Triple-A, rotating between catcher, first base and left field.
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  Ranked Pittsburgh Pirates #15 prospect in 2003
  House was the organization's top prospect the past two years but has endured two subpar seasons in Double-A along with three surgeries in 2002. House had a hernia repaired in May and a follow-up operation in June to remove related scar tissue. He had Tommy John surgery in September, which will cause him to miss at least half of this season. His elbow reconstruction ended talk that he'd play quarterback at West Virginia, a constant subject of speculation since he set national high school records with 5,526 single-season and 14,457 career passing yards (both marks were surpassed in 2002). House has a good bat with power potential. He's a fine situational hitter and is adept at taking outside pitches the other way. He has an outstanding work ethic and confident personality, which leaves little doubt he'll put in the necessary work to recover from surgery. House has been overmatched at times by Double-A pitching and occasionally become passive at the plate. He also hasn't progressed behind the plate as much as the Pirates hoped, and his elbow surgery could lead to a position change. House will head back to Altoona when healthy and likely won't catch until late in the season. He probably won't reach Pittsburgh before 2005.
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  Ranked Pittsburgh Pirates #1 prospect in 2002
  House made more headlines for what he didn't do last summer than for what he did. He flirted with the idea of becoming a two sport athlete through the first three months of the season, giving heavy consideration to playing quarterback for West Virginia. House finally decided on baseball as a full-time vocation and said he wouldn't change his mind. House is the nation's all-time leading prep passer, throwing for 14,457 yards at Nitro (W. Va.) High from 1995-98. Because he had dual residency, House played baseball at Seabreeze High in Daytona Beach, Fla. The Pirates lured House away from football with a $266,000 signing bonus as their fifth round pick in 1999. He rankled veterans in the major league clubhouse when he received an audience with owner Kevin McClatchy before making his decision to stick with baseball. House has the potential to hit for both power and average, and he showed it in 2000 when he was co-MVP of the South Atlantic League despite missing a month with mononucleosis. He has particularly good power to the opposite field. House made strides defensively last season, particularly with his handling of pitchers. He also has a confident aura about him, something that becomes obvious when you are around him. His strike-zone judgement regressed as he jumped from low Class A to Double-A Altoona in 2001, though that's not unusual for a young player making that kind of leap. He also still has work to do defensively as his throwing is average at best. House has seen action at first base, but his bat is much more valuable at catcher. Typical of a backstop, House doesn't run well. He had injury problems early in 2001 as he was hampered by hamstring and ribcage strains. House struggled to adjust against advanced pitching in 2001 and seemed lost at times. With catcher Jason Kendall staying behind the plate for now, House doesn't need to be rushed. He seemed to be on the fast track prior to 2001. Now it's not out of the question that House could go back to Altoona, at least to start the season, to give him a better chance of dominating the competition before moving up to Triple-A Nashville.
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  Ranked Pittsburgh Pirates #1 prospect in 2001
  House had a most intriguing high school career. Not only was he a two-sport star, but he was a two-state standout as well. In the fall, House was a record-setting quarterback in West Virginia at Nitro High. He would move to Florida in the spring and catch for Seabreeze High in Ormond Beach. House's father maintained residences in both West Virginia and Florida, and both states' high school athletic associations had liberal transfer policies. House passed for more than 14,000 yards in his career at Nitro, a national record. He also set a national mark by throwing 10 touchdown passes in Nitro's 69-52 win over Morgantown in the 1998 3-A state championship game. In baseball, House led Seabreeze to the Florida 4-A semifinals as a senior while slugging 15 homers. Though he had scholarship offers from major college football programs, he opted to sign with the Pirates for a bonus of $250,000. He moved all the way to a full-season Class A league by the end of his first pro summer. House likely would have won the Class A South Atlantic League triple crown in 2000 if he hadn't missed a month with mononucleosis. An outstanding hitter, he has been called a young Mike Piazza by some for his ability to hit for both average and power as a catcher. His catching skills are still raw but he showed improvement in all areas last season. Despite his quarterback pedigree, House's arm is just average, though his accuracy was better in 2000. He also showed more mobility behind the plate and a better idea of calling a game. Like most catchers, he doesn't run real well and it's unlikely he ever will be a Gold Glove catcher. But with Jason Kendall now signed through 2007 and holding a no-trade clause, House's future probably doesn't lie behind the plate with the Pirates anyway. He has played first base, and the Pirates might try him at third base or one the corner outfield spots this year. Though his path to Pittsburgh at catcher is blocked, House will force his way into the Pirates' plans with his outstanding bat--if he sticks to baseball. He flirted with the idea of resuming his football career in the offseason after Clemson offensive coordinator Rich Rodriguez, noted for his passing attacks, replaced the retiring Don Nehlen as coach at West Virginia. House also hinted at asking to be traded in the wake of Kendall's contract. The Pirates believe House will stay with baseball and continue on the fast track to the major leagues, arriving sometime in 2002.

Minor League Top Prospects

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  Ranked South Atlantic League #3 prospect in 2000
  House almost certainly would have won the SAL triple crown if not for missing a month with mono. No less than the Mike Piazza of the league, House combined his offensive onslaught with natural leadership skills. Behind the plate, he’s raw but improving. As a former blue-chip quarterback prospect who played high school football in West Virginia and high school baseball in Florida, House is adjusting to full-time baseball. "Great overall skills and you can easily see his potential as a batter," Legg said. "His throwing and release time will get better as he plays more and refines that quarterback throw. But he has soft hands behind the plate and made some nice adjustments as a hitter." House might wind up at first base, which might not be a bad idea for extending what projects as a long stretch of offensive production.
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  Ranked New York-Penn League #7 prospect in 1999
  House began the year in the GCL after being taken by the Pirates in the fifth round this June. He made a quick jump to the NY-P, an impressive accomplishment directly out of high school. Making the jump even more impressive is the fact that House was more of a football star in high school and has limited baseball experience. House's future is with the bat. He shows above-average bat speed and power potential and has an extremely advanced approach for his age and experience. Managers were divided over whether he would be able to remain behind the plate defensively, where his hands and footwork are still at the raw stage. House split time between catcher and first base this summer.

Top 100 Rankings

• Ranked Baseball America's #41 prospect in 2002
• Ranked Baseball America's #21 prospect in 2001

• December, 1999 Scouting Report
  House almost certainly would have won the SAL triple crown if not for missing a month with mono. No less than the Mike Piazza of the league, House combined his offensive onslaught with natural leadership skills. Behind the plate, he’s raw but improving. As a former blue-chip quarterback prospect who played high school football in West Virginia and high school baseball in Florida, House is adjusting to full-time baseball. "Great overall skills and you can easily see his potential as a batter," Legg said. "His throwing and release time will get better as he plays more and refines that quarterback throw. But he has soft hands behind the plate and made some nice adjustments as a hitter." House might wind up at first base, which might not be a bad idea for extending what projects as a long stretch of offensive production.