Jiwan James

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Philadelphia Phillies #9 prospect in 2012
  James was an all-state baseball, basketball and football player at his Florida high school. He was signed for $150,000 in the 22nd round in 2007 by Chip Lawrence, the same scout who unearthed Domonic Brown one year earlier. An incredible athlete, he evokes images of Brown with his wiry frame. James spent his first two years in pro ball as a pitcher before he suffered a stress reaction in his forearm, prompting a move to the outfield in 2009. A switch-hitter, James is much better from his natural left side, from which he's starting to show home run power during batting practice. He's a slap hitter from the right side, and though the Phillies won't abandon it yet, James eventually may hit solely lefthanded. In 2011, he had a .721 OPS against lefties compared to .608 against righties. He struggles to recognize offspeed pitches and gives at-bats away. James is a plus-plus defender in centerfield and gets great reads off the bat. He has an above-average arm and above-average speed, but he needs to work on getting better reads as a baserunner. The No. 7 prospect on this list a year ago, James still has a high ceiling but needs to make adjustments offensively to become an everyday player. After passing through the Rule 5 draft unscathed, he'll spend 2012 in Double-A.
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  Ranked Philadelphia Phillies #7 prospect in 2011
  James was an all-state football, basketball and baseball player in high school before turning pro for $150,000 in the 22nd round. He was signed by the same scout, Chip Lawrence, who wouldn't quit on Domonic Brown. James spent his first two years in pro ball as a pitcher until he came down with a stress reaction in his forearm, at which point he moved to the outfield in 2009. He put together a 24-game hitting streak last summer in his first taste of full-season ball. An incredible athlete, James draws comparisons to Brown with his long, lean frame. A switch-hitter, James is much better from his natural left side. From the right side, he's more defensive and slaps at the ball. James doesn't use his lower half in his swing and he has poor pitch recognition. He's not going to hit many homers, but he should be able to collect extra-base hits with his plus-plus speed. Defensively, James has incredible range and gets good reads off the bat. Combine that with his solid-average arm, and he has the potential to be a top-notch centerfielder. The Phillies also love his makeup. It's hard to ignore James' four-tool package, but how much he hits will determine how far he goes. He'll advance to high Class A Clearwater in 2011.
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  Ranked Philadelphia Phillies #11 prospect in 2010
  James has tremendous upside and is the best athlete in a system loaded with toolsy players. One scout said his pure tools are better than Anthony Gose's across the board except for his throwing arm. He was signed by the same scout, Chip Lawrence, who unearthed Domonic Brown in the 20th round. James was a quarterback, wide receiver and safety in football and an all-state shooting guard in basketball at Williston (Fla.) High, where he doubled as an outfielder and pitcher in baseball. He signed for $150,000 as a 22nd-round pick in 2007--notable because he was the first over-slot signing in that summer--and made nine appearances as a pitcher, posting a 7.71 ERA. He missed all of 2008 with a stress reaction in his forearm, and when that didn't heal well enough for him to return to the mound, he became an outfielder. Just as he was getting caught up in 2009, James missed a month with a left wrist injury. But he put on a show at instructional league, jumping out with his switch-hitting ability, blazing speed and surprising raw power. He has a chance to be a plus defender in center field with a plus arm, though his arm is just average now. James is raw and essentially missed two years trying to pitch. The Phillies are eager to get him to low Class A for his first full season as a hitter.

• December, 2011 Scouting Report
  Background: James was an all-state baseball, basketball and football player at his Florida high school. He was signed for $150,000 in the 22nd round in 2007 by Chip Lawrence, the same scout who unearthed Domonic Brown one year earlier. An incredible athlete, he evokes images of Brown with his wiry frame. James spent his first two years in pro ball as a pitcher before he suffered a stress reaction in his forearm, prompting a move to the outfield in 2009. Scouting Report: A switch-hitter, James is much better from his natural left side, from which he's starting to show home run power during batting practice. He's a slap hitter from the right side, and though the Phillies won't abandon it yet, James eventually may hit solely lefthanded. In 2011, he had a .721 OPS against lefties compared to .608 against righties. He struggles to recognize offspeed pitches and gives at-bats away. James is a plus-plus defender in centerfield and gets great reads off the bat. He has an above-average arm and above-average speed, but he needs to work on getting better reads as a baserunner. The Future: The No. 7 prospect on this list a year ago, James still has a high ceiling but needs to make adjustments offensively to become an everyday player. He'll spend 2012 in Double-A.