James Kaprielian

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Oakland Athletics #10 prospect in 2021
  Fastball: 55. Slider: 55. Changeup: 50. Curveball: 50. Control: 55.
  
  TRACK RECORD: That Kaprielian pitched in the majors for the first time in 2020 is a feel-good story in itself. A 2015 first-round pick of the Yankees who was traded to Oakland in the Sonny Gray deal, Kaprielian missed most of the 2016 season with a flexor strain and all of 2017 and 2018 recovering from Tommy John surgery and a subsequent bout with shoulder soreness. He returned in 2019, albeit under a monitored workload, and opened 2020 at the alternate training site. He received his first callup on Aug. 16 and made two appearances out of the Athletics’ bullpen.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Kaprielian’s stuff continues to inch toward a return to form, though it’s still not where it was coming out of college. His fastball is back up to 93-95 mph as a starter and averaged 95 in relief. While his secondaries haven’t fully returned, he has the most trust in his above-average 85-86 mph slider with tight shape. Kaprielian’s curveball and changeup also show average potential, and he throws everything for strikes with above-average control. Kaprielian’s delivery remains effortful, leading to long-term health concerns.
  
  THE FUTURE: The A’s are eager to see what Kaprielian looks like in 2021 now that his stuff is on the mend. He can reach his back-of-the-rotation potential only if health permits.
• 
  Ranked Oakland Athletics #14 prospect in 2020
  TRACK RECORD: Kaprielian has been a premium prospect since his college days at UCLA. Unfortunately, injuries—including a forearm strain and Tommy John surgery—limited him to just 29.1 innings prior to 2019. Kaprielian threw no more than 73 pitches in any outing in 2019.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: While Kaprielian's velocity remained relatively consistent throughout the season, the quality of his stuff slowly returned. Prior to the injury, Kaprielian's fastball sat comfortably between 93-96 MPH, stretching as high as 99. In 2019, his fastball mostly sat between 90-93. Kaprielian's slider is above-average and flashes plus with good, tight shape. Kaprielian's curve and changeup are solid-average and play off each other nicely. His command proved more advanced than most pitchers in their first year back from Tommy John. His delivery is still effortful, which leaves him at risk for further injury
  
  THE FUTURE: Triple-A Las Vegas seems a likely starting point in 2020, when he'll try to return to the track that could lead to a mid-rotation starter's role.
• 
  Ranked Oakland Athletics #12 prospect in 2019
  Track Record: Drafted 16th overall by the Yankees in 2015, Kaprielian shined in his pro debut and then again for three starts in 2016 before a strained flexor tendon shut him down. The condition of his elbow didn't improve in 2017, and he had Tommy John surgery in April of that year. His rehab stretched well into 2018 and was interrupted by a July shoulder injury that kept him off the field for a second straight season. While Kaprielian was on the disabled list in 2017, the Yankees traded him and two other players to the Athletics for Sonny Gray.
  
  Scouting Report: Kaprielian returned to the mound at the tail end of instructional league in 2018, but after missing nearly three entire seasons he understandably looked rusty. During his lengthy rehab he lowered his arm slot slightly to ease stress on arm. Kaprielian when last healthy sat in the mid 90s and peaked at 97 mph while showing feel for spin. His slider and curveball both flashed plus, and his changeup showed average potential with sinking action, giving him a potential four-pitch repertoire. He draws praise for his competitive makeup but not his high-stress delivery.
  
  The Future: At his peak Kaprielian showed a double-plus fastball with two plus breaking pitches, but after a three-year layoff--and just 29 pro innings to his name--it's impossible to forecast what's in store for 2019.
• 
  Ranked Oakland Athletics #8 prospect in 2018
  The Athletics made sure to acquire Kaprielian from the Yankees in the Sonny Gray deal at the 2017 trade deadline, even knowing Kaprielian's alarming injury history. A strained flexor tendon in Kaprielian's right arm limited his 2016 season to just three starts, and when arm problems arose again in 2017, Kaprielian had Tommy John surgery in April. Kaprielian's small-sample-size stats in the minors are impressive: 18 hits allowed in 29.1 innings, with 36 strikeouts and seven walks. He dominated hitters in his three seasons at UCLA (17-10, 2.06 ERA), serving as a freshman reliever on the Bruins' 2013 national championship team and as a starter the next two seasons. Considering he has missed the bulk of the past two seasons and probably won't be ready for the start of the 2018 season, a scouting report on Kaprielian should be taken with several grains of salt. When healthy, he employs a fastball that sits in the mid-90s and can reach the high-90s. He complements his heater with a deep arsenal of a curveball, slider and changeup that all flash above-average. He's not afraid to attack the strike zone. Kaprielian is roughly targeting an early summer return to the mound and, once healthy, is in line to begin his Athletics career at Double-A Midland. His fastball, stuff and competitiveness give him a No. 3 starter projection, but staying healthy is the first step he needs to master.
• 
  Ranked New York Yankees #5 prospect in 2017
  The Yankees drafted Kaprielian with the No. 16 overall pick and signed him for $2.65 million in 2015. The team expected big things from him after a strong pro debut, and general manager Brian Cashman hinted Kaprielian had an outside chance of making his big league debut by season's end. Instead, Kaprielian dealt with a strained right flexor tendon in his elbow and made just three starts. He made it back for instructional league and performed well enough there to warrant an assignment to the Arizona Fall League. After touching 95 mph toward the end of his college career, Kaprielian added 20 pounds of muscle prior to this season and saw his velocity jump again. He touched 97 mph both with Tampa and again in the AFL, and he sat between 94-96. He throws all four pitches, including a slider and curveball that have both been plus at their best, as well as a changeup that could be an average fourth pitch. Evaluators note that his delivery, featuring a plunging arm action, is high-stress and could contribute to further injury issues. Kaprielian has front-of-the-rotation makeup and stuff with a well below-average delivery. After six weeks in the AFL to make up for lost time, Kaprielian could join either high Class A Tampa or Double-A Trenton in 2017.
• 
  Ranked New York Yankees #4 prospect in 2016
  The Mariners drafted Kaprielian in the 40th round out of high school but he went to UCLA, serving as a setup reliever for the Bruins' 2013 national champions, then pitching in the rotation for two years. His $2.65 million bonus is the secondlargest in Yankees' draft history behind 2007 pick Andrew Brackman. Kaprielian starts his arsenal with a heavy fastball that sits in the low 90s and topped out at 96 mph in 2015 while he pushed short-season Staten Island to the New York-Penn League championship series. He complements the fastball with his bread-and-butter curveball in the mid 70s as well as a hard slider in the low to mid-80s that projects as plus pitch. He's also got a changeup that behaves a bit like a split-fingered fastball for the way it drops straight down instead of fading away from a hitter. he locates all four pitches and has feel for his offspeed stuff. The pitch package plus his college pedigree, athleticism and high-quality makeup gives him a future as a mid-rotation starter. The Yankees likely will send Kaprielian to high Class A Tampa to begin his first full season.

Draft Prospects

• Ranked #19 prospect in 2015 draft
  Kaprielian shined for USA Baseball's Collegiate National Team last summer, pitching through a family tragedy as his mother died at age 58 from breast cancer in June. His mother encouraged him to keep his commitment before she passed away, and Kaprielian had a strong summer, including dominating Taiwan in a July 4 start that included 12 strikeouts. Kaprielian knows how to finish hitters off when he's ahead in the count, with a plus curveball as his best pitch. He can land it, vary the shape of it and bury it as a chase pitch, and his feel for the curve is his strongest attribute. He has dabbled with a slider as well but has focused on the fastball, curveball and solid-average changeup for most of the spring. Kaprielian ranked No. 73 on the BA500 out of high school in 2012, spurning the Mariners, who took a 40th-round flier. His fastball velocity was among the reasons Kaprielian didn't sign out of high school, as he topped out at 92, and his fastball velocity remains a question this spring. While he sat 93-95 in a relief role during UCLA's 2013 national championship run, Kaprielian generally pitches with a fairly flat, straight 90-91 mph four-seam fastball. He doesn't throw a two-seamer. In several April and May starts, his velocity improved, bumping 95 and holding 92-93 deeper into games. That could push the polished, 6-foot-4, 200-pounder into the top half of the first round.
• Ranked #73 prospect in 2012 draft
  Kaprielian's feel for pitching and projection made him an intriguing sleeper coming into the spring, but no one's sleeping on him after a stellar spring, which has included two no-hitters. Kaprielian is a standout athlete who was an aggressive linebacker for the Beckman football team, and his mean streak translates well to the mound. He attacks hitters with an 88-91 mph fastball that bumps 92 and has some sink. He has good fastball command for a high school pitcher, in spite of a herky-jerky delivery that can throw off his timing occasionally. He commands his 12-to-6 curveball even better than his fastball, and it projects as a plus pitch. He also shows feel for a sinking, fading changeup, and it could be an average to plus offering. If Kaprielian showed a bit more velocity he would be a first-round pick, but that may come in three years. He's committed to UCLA and his signability may cause him to drop in the draft.

Minor League Top Prospects

• 
  Ranked Arizona Fall League #7 prospect in 2016
  The Yankees' first-round pick in 2015, Kaprielian came to the AFL to make up for time lost to an elbow flexor strain in 2016 when he only got three starts early in the regular season. The UCLA product pitched effectively in five of his seven AFL starts, finishing with a 4.33 ERA and 26 strikeouts in 27 innings. Kaprielian's fastball sits in the mid-90s, with his best secondary pitch generally being a low-80s power curveball. AFL scouts believe that he could move quickly with good health and extra strength added this year, projecting as at least a No. 3 starter.

Top 100 Rankings

• Ranked Baseball America's #87 prospect in 2017

• March, 2021 Scouting Report
  Fastball: 55. Slider: 55. Changeup: 50. Curveball: 50. Control: 55.
  
  TRACK RECORD: That Kaprielian pitched in the majors for the first time in 2020 is a feel-good story in itself. A 2015 first-round pick of the Yankees who was traded to Oakland in the Sonny Gray deal, Kaprielian missed most of the 2016 season with a flexor strain and all of 2017 and 2018 recovering from Tommy John surgery and a subsequent bout with shoulder soreness. He returned in 2019, albeit under a monitored workload, and opened 2020 at the alternate training site. He received his first callup on Aug. 16 and made two appearances out of the Athletics’ bullpen.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Kaprielian’s stuff continues to inch toward a return to form, though it’s still not where it was coming out of college. His fastball is back up to 93-95 mph as a starter and averaged 95 in relief. While his secondaries haven’t fully returned, he has the most trust in his above-average 85-86 mph slider with tight shape. Kaprielian’s curveball and changeup also show average potential, and he throws everything for strikes with above-average control. Kaprielian’s delivery remains effortful, leading to long-term health concerns.
  
  THE FUTURE: The A’s are eager to see what Kaprielian looks like in 2021 now that his stuff is on the mend. He can reach his back-of-the-rotation potential only if health permits.
• December, 2020 Scouting Report
  Fastball: 55. Slider: 55. Changeup: 50. Curveball: 50. Control: 55.
  
  TRACK RECORD: That Kaprielian pitched in the majors for the first time in 2020 is a feel-good story in itself. A 2015 first-round pick of the Yankees who was traded to Oakland in the Sonny Gray deal, Kaprielian missed most of the 2016 season with a flexor strain and all of 2017 and 2018 recovering from Tommy John surgery and a subsequent bout with shoulder soreness. He returned in 2019, albeit under a monitored workload, and opened 2020 at the alternate training site. He received his first callup on Aug. 16 and made two appearances out of the Athletics’ bullpen.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: Kaprielian’s stuff continues to inch toward a return to form, though it’s still not where it was coming out of college. His fastball is back up to 93-95 mph as a starter and averaged 95 in relief. While his secondaries haven’t fully returned, he has the most trust in his above-average 85-86 mph slider with tight shape. Kaprielian’s curveball and changeup also show average potential, and he throws everything for strikes with above-average control. Kaprielian’s delivery remains effortful, leading to long-term health concerns.
  
  THE FUTURE: The A’s are eager to see what Kaprielian looks like in 2021 now that his stuff is on the mend. He can reach his back-of-the-rotation potential only if health permits.
• July, 2020 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: Kaprielian has been a premium prospect since his college days at UCLA. Unfortunately, injuries—including a forearm strain and Tommy John surgery—limited him to just 29.1 innings prior to 2019. Kaprielian threw no more than 73 pitches in any outing in 2019.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: While Kaprielian’s velocity remained relatively consistent throughout the season, the quality of his stuff slowly returned. Prior to the injury, Kaprielian’s fastball sat comfortably between 93-96 MPH, stretching as high as 99. In 2019, his fastball mostly sat between 90-93. Kaprielian’s slider is above-average and flashes plus with good, tight shape. Kaprielian’s curve and changeup are solid-average and play off each other nicely. His command proved more advanced than most pitchers in their first year back from Tommy John. His delivery is still effortful, which leaves him at risk for further injury
  
  THE FUTURE: Triple-A Las Vegas seems a likely starting point in 2020, when he’ll try to return to the track that could lead to a mid-rotation starter’s role.
• February, 2020 Scouting Report
  TRACK RECORD: Kaprielian has been a premium prospect since his college days at UCLA. Unfortunately, injuries—including a forearm strain and Tommy John surgery—limited him to just 29.1 innings prior to 2019. Kaprielian threw no more than 73 pitches in any outing in 2019.
  
  SCOUTING REPORT: While Kaprielian's velocity remained relatively consistent throughout the season, the quality of his stuff slowly returned. Prior to the injury, Kaprielian's fastball sat comfortably between 93-96 MPH, stretching as high as 99. In 2019, his fastball mostly sat between 90-93. Kaprielian's slider is above-average and flashes plus with good, tight shape. Kaprielian's curve and changeup are solid-average and play off each other nicely. His command proved more advanced than most pitchers in their first year back from Tommy John. His delivery is still effortful, which leaves him at risk for further injury
  
  THE FUTURE: Triple-A Las Vegas seems a likely starting point in 2020, when he'll try to return to the track that could lead to a mid-rotation starter's role.
• July, 2018 Scouting Report
  The Athletics traded for Kaprielian while he was on the disabled list, and they still haven’t seen him pitch nearly a year later. He had Tommy John surgery in April 2017 while a member of the Yankees’ organization and then suffered a shoulder injury setback while rehabbing his elbow, but he is on target for a return later this summer. When healthy, Kaprielian shows mid-90s heat and a well-rounded arsenal of above-average weapons he has used to slice through low-level competition.
• December, 2017 Scouting Report
  Track Record: The Athletics made sure to acquire Kaprielian from the Yankees in the Sonny Gray deal at the 2017 trade deadline, even knowing Kaprielian's alarming injury history. A strained flexor tendon in his right arm limited his 2016 season to just three starts, and when arm problems arose again in 2017, he had Tommy John surgery in April. Scouting Report: Kaprielian's stats in the minors are impressive: 18 hits allowed in 29.1 innings, with 36 strikeouts and seven walks. Considering he has missed the bulk of the past two seasons and probably won't be ready for the start of 2018, a scouting report on Kaprielian should be taken with several grains of salt. When healthy, he employs a fastball that sits in the mid-90s and can reach the high 90s. He complements his heater with a deep arsenal of a curveball, slider and changeup that all flash above-average. He's not afraid to attack the strike zone. The Future: Kaprielian is targeting an early summer return to the mound in 2018 and is in line to begin his Athletics career at Double-A Midland. His fastball, stuff and competitiveness give him a No. 3 starter projection, but staying healthy is the first step he needs to master.
• December, 2016 Scouting Report
  Background: The Yankees drafted Kaprielian with the No. 16 overall pick and signed him for $2.65 million in 2015. The team expected big things from him after a strong pro debut, and general manager Brian Cashman hinted Kaprielian had an outside chance of making his big league debut by season's end. Instead, Kaprielian dealt with a strained right flexor tendon in his elbow all season long and made just three starts. He made it back for instructional league and performed well enough there to warrant an assignment to the Arizona Fall League. Scouting Report: After touching 95 mph toward the end of his college career, Kaprielian added 20 pounds of muscle prior to this season and saw his velocity jump again. He touched 97 mph both with Tampa and again in the AFL, and he sat between 94-96. He throws all four pitches, including a slider and curveball that have both been plus at their best, as well as a changeup that could be an average fourth pitch. Evaluators note that his delivery, featuring a plunging arm action, is high-stress and could contribute to further injury issues down the road. The Future: A mature competitor, Kaprielian has front-of-the-rotation makeup and stuff with a well below-average delivery. After six weeks in the AFL to make up for lost time, Kaprielian could join either high Class A Tampa or Double-A Trenton in 2017.
• August, 2016 Scouting Report
  The Yankees' first-round pick in 2015, Kaprielian came to the AFL to make up for time lost to an elbow flexor strain in 2016 when he only got three starts early in the regular season. The UCLA product pitched effectively in five of his seven AFL starts, finishing with a 4.33 ERA and 26 strikeouts in 27 innings. Kaprielian's fastball sits in the mid-90s, with his best secondary pitch generally being a low-80s power curveball. AFL scouts believe that he could move quickly with good health and extra strength added this year, projecting as at least a No. 3 starter.
• December, 2014 Scouting Report
  Kaprielian shined for USA Baseball's Collegiate National Team last summer, pitching through a family tragedy as his mother died at age 58 from breast cancer in June. His mother encouraged him to keep his commitment before she passed away, and Kaprielian had a strong summer, including dominating Taiwan in a July 4 start that included 12 strikeouts. Kaprielian knows how to finish hitters off when he's ahead in the count, with a plus curveball as his best pitch. He can land it, vary the shape of it and bury it as a chase pitch, and his feel for the curve is his strongest attribute. He has dabbled with a slider as well but has focused on the fastball, curveball and solid-average changeup for most of the spring. Kaprielian ranked No. 73 on the BA500 out of high school in 2012, spurning the Mariners, who took a 40th-round flier. His fastball velocity was among the reasons Kaprielian didn't sign out of high school, as he topped out at 92, and his fastball velocity remains a question this spring. While he sat 93-95 in a relief role during UCLA's 2013 national championship run, Kaprielian generally pitches with a fairly flat, straight 90-91 mph four-seam fastball. He doesn't throw a two-seamer. In several April and May starts, his velocity improved, bumping 95 and holding 92-93 deeper into games. That could push the polished, 6-foot-4, 200-pounder into the top half of the first round.