Atlanta Braves Scouting Report on Outfielder Jared James

Scouting Report

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Jared James is listed at 6’1 and 185 pounds. He is a long, lean build with certain athleticism, but perhaps a lean frame that wouldn’t handle added weight very well. He’s a left-handed hitter and right-handed thrower.

Hitting

James has a coiled stance, with his hands out in front of him as he sets at the plate. He pulls back his hands into load position as the pitch is delivered. This does give him a bit of a challenge against premium velocity as he’s seemingly bouncing his hands back as he then needs to react to the pitch and move his swing motion forward.

James does have a quick, explosive swing, which does explain the power he’s able to generate in that swing at times, in spite of what would appear a fairly slight build. However, he typically takes advantage of slower breaking balls to generate his power, something that are much less frequent in the big leagues.

Base Running/Fielding

James definitely has an excellent first step or two on the base paths, and that served him well in the minor leagues as evidenced in his stolen base numbers in short experience. He didn’t show great instincts to me as a base stealer, however, so that could come to bite him more as he climbs the ladder.

His excellent first step serves him well as a base runner, and he was able to take extra bases many times in my viewings of James. He did take a few risks that I saw him go through a coach’s sign and he was successful on most of these, but that could be a concern going forward as working with his coaches will be of high importance in his advancement.

Video

Next: Future outlook