12/27/2024 - Baseball Factory East Coast Winter Classic (MS) James continues to impress with his well-rounded skills behind the plate, on the mound, and at the plate. As a catcher, he presents a soft, sure mitt and demonstrates strong pocket awareness by consistently sticking pitches. His blocking technique is solid, centering balls out front, and his pop times, currently around 2.98 seconds, will likely drop as he builds arm strength through a long toss program. Offensively, James utilizes a squared setup, with loose hands working through an aggressive swing path, staying inside the ball and spraying line drives to all fields while generating power through an aggressive hip turn. On the mound, his fastball sits between 59-60 mph, paired with a breaking ball that shows a 10/4 shape and gradual break. He does tend to slow his arm speed on the changeup, which can tip off hitters, but this should improve as he gains experience and arm strength. Highly coachable with a strong work ethic, James is poised to continue elevating his game as he develops further.