Within hours of each other, Josh James received both the notice of his being the Houston Astros organization’s Minor League Pitcher of the Month as a member of the Double-A Corpus Christi Hooks, and the bigger news of his promotion to Houston’s AAA Fresno Grizzlies.

UPDATE: With rosters expanding, Josh was promoted, and will make his MLB debut, Saturday, September 1, starting for the Astros at Minute Maid against the Angels. Congratulations, Josh!

Related: Will Josh James Make Astros’ Playoff Roster? Can MLB Let Him?

In 114.1 innings pitched this season, through August, with AA Corpus Christi and AAA Fresno, James was 6-4 with a 3.23 ERA, with 171 strikeouts and only 79 hits allowed. He carries a remarkable 13.5 K/9 rate to his debut.

James is the lowest drafted pitcher (34th round) in Astros history to start a game for them. Darryl Kile had been the lowest (30th).

Related: Taylor Jones: From Hoops to Mound to Slugger

In fact, it was a sweep for the Hooks, as first baseman Taylor Jones was named the Astros MiLB Player of the Month for April.

Josh James’ stellar April brought in these numbers: five mound appearances (three starts), a 1.80 ERA (ranking second in the Texas League for the month) in 20 innings, rendering meaningless his lack of a won-loss record. His six walks against 34 strikeouts yields a BB/K ratio usually reserved for Cy Young Award winners. That strikeout number tied for the top spot in the league for April. He held opposing hitters to a nifty .208 batting average.

UPDATE through games of July 24, courtesy a Grizzlies’ tweet: Josh James continues to rack up strikeouts (101 K in 65.0 AAA IP) as Fresno (59-43) now enjoys a season-high 8-game division lead with 38 to play. James has struck out 10 or more in six of his first 12 Triple-A starts.

Related: Astros, With Death Grip on Prospects, Should Make Fresno Ace, Josh James, Closer

The Hill You Say

Joshua James was born March 8, 1993, in Hollywood, FL, attending South Broward High School (a marine science magnet school), where he was an “itinerant” infielder, and seemed to be constantly pushed more in the direction of the mound by various coaches, even into college.

The right-hander happily recounted his diamond version of musical chairs to Astros blogger Jayne Hansen in her June 2016 interview, “I didn’t start pitching until I was like 16. I pitched a little bit in high school, but I was more of an infielder. Then I went to Barry University [Miami Shores, FL], and in my freshman year they made me a pitcher exclusively, but I only threw five innings so I didn’t get that much work as a pitcher.

“Then I went to Western Oklahoma State College [Altus, OK] and tried to be an infielder there. My coach told me I was better off as a pitcher so I stuck to pitching again for that year and didn’t pitch at all, red-shirted, and came back the following year [2014] and actually got a full season in. So that was my first year and I was probably 20 years old when I got my first season as a pitcher.”

Considering that curious positional choreography that dotted James’ early career, it might be surprising for some to hear him named “Pitcher of the” anything, much less minor league Pitcher of the Month. While anything but cocky, I’m willing to bet James, himself, wasn’t surprised.

Measurable Growth

Houston drafted the 6’3″, 206-pound James in the 34th round of the 2014 draft following his junior year at Western Oklahoma.

Being a relatively “newly hatched” pitcher, the Houston front office has moved James along deliberately, which explains why a 25-year-old is just beginning in Triple-A.

From Hansen’s 2016 interview, James reveals how he’s grown as a hurler, in the context of his third pro year with Houston’s then-Advanced-A Lancaster club: “I’ve gotten a lot better at just understanding my mechanics and understanding how to pitch and I’m growing as a pitcher. As long as I can just keep it going, I think I’ll become a lot better. I think that’s what I’ve accomplished so far as becoming a better pitcher.

“I’ve been doing an OK job, but I’ve looked at my TrackMan stuff [radar technology isolating pitch speed and spin rate info] and I’m still kind of everywhere. I really need to be able to [tighten up] my command. I’m just trying to be consistent and just trying to maintain throughout the season because every season is long. I’m just trying to be as best as I can be.”

Speed Unlimited

After a middlin’ 2017 with Corpus Christi (4-8, 4.38 ERA, 32 BB, 72 Ks, 1.46 WHIP), James offered this self-assessment just days before his AAA promotion and POM announcement, courtesy of the Hooks and broadcaster Sam Levitt.

James’ increased fastball speed from the low 90s to the upper 90s in the past year was the first topic the pitcher addressed with interviewer Levitt: “I was waking up every day and didn’t feel like I was getting a good night’s rest. I’d have a cup of coffee and say, ‘Man, I’m still kind of tired.'”

James’ low minors roommate, now fellow Grizzlie pitcher, Ryan Thompson (currently on the DL), heard his snoring and recommended he get his symptoms checked. A diagnosis of sleep apnea led James to eschew deviated septum surgery, choosing instead, to sleep next to an apparatus called a CPAP machine (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure), commonly used as a means of therapy for sleep apnea that requires the wearing of a mask. James wears the mask to bed nightly, and even tried to use it on the long overnight bus rides in the Texas League. He’ll now be wearing it during his tenure in the Pacific Coast League.

He was amazed at the improvement of his sleep and the next day’s energy and well-being. “I saw an uptick in my speed, and I’m hoping for some triple digits here soon.”

Explaining the difference between the Josh James of 2017 and this year’s model, James offered: “In 2017, I had just started mental strength, and I was back and forth on is this gonna help, is it not going to help?” James made an offseason commitment to developing a renewed focus, and upon arriving at Spring Training 2018 with the Astros at their West Palm Beach facilities, immersed himself in a “good mix of relaxation, meditation, and it’s all about being present.

“You’ll see me peek over to right field and look over towards the foul pole,” James explained to Levitt, giving the listener a behind-the-scenes look at a player getting centered during a game.

“I saw Evan Longoria [San Francisco Giants third baseman] do it, and I kind of took that and used that, as well… to find a spot to focus on, and I tell myself to let it go to move forward to the next pitch, so I don’t get stuck on that last pitch.”

UPDATE: James drew the loss in his AAA debut, May 10, in Las Vegas against the New York Mets’ affiliate, the 51s, while getting no decision in a better outing, May 17, at El Paso. In James’ five innings of the eventual 9-7 Fresno win over the Chihuahuas (San Diego Padres affiliate), he yielded 2 earned runs on 3 hits and 2 walks. He struck out 10, though, a definite eye-opener.

In his two Triple-A games, so far, James has worked to a 4.50 ERA in ten innings, while walking 5 and striking out 17. His batting average against is .212, with a WHIP of 1.20.

UPDATE, June 5: James struck out a season-high 13 in his 7 scoreless innings against the Colorado Springs Sky Sox (Milwaukee Brewers AAA affiliate), as the Fresno Tacos (their Tuesday home nom-de-play) prevailed, 1-0. He scattered three hits (no hits allowed for his final 14 batters faced), and one walk. His 13 strikeouts fell one shy of Tim Lincecum‘s single-game Fresno record (April 29, 2007, also vs. Colorado Springs), and was the most whiffs since the Astros moved into Fresno in 2015.