James Kaprielian

29-Year-Old PitcherSP

Free Agent

Out

Injury Shoulder

Est. Return 2/1/2024

2023 Stats

W-L

2-6

ERA

6.34

WHIP

1.59

Rest-of-Season Projections

W-L

ERA

WHIP

Unlock Our Projections

2023 Fantasy Outlook

Shoulder issues delayed the start of Kaprielian's 2022 season, but he was activated at the start of May and remained in the rotation the rest of the way, making 26 starts. The results for the 2015 first-round pick were rather uninspiring. Even with help from both a very pitcher-friendly home park and the league-wide drop in offense, the righty still managed a forgettable 4.23 ERA, and his 4.63 FIP and 5.04 SIERA suggest things could have been a good deal worse. His 17.0 K% and 10.2 BB% were both much worse than league average. Among pitchers who threw at least 100 innings, only Dakota Hudson was as poor in both categories, and Kaprielian doesn't keep the ball on the ground like Hudson does. Further depressing Kaprielian's stock is the fact that he underwent shoulder surgery early in the offseason. Even if he fully recovers and gets back to last year's form, he'll be an unappealing choice, and the chances of continued shoulder troubles can't be ignored given his injury history. Read Past Outlooks

RANKSFrom Preseason

#582

ADP

Bats R

Throws R

40 Man No

Height 6'3"

Weight 225

DOB 3/2/1994

Born Laguna Hills, CA

College UCLA

Drafted 1st Rd 2015 NYY

Outrighted to Triple-A

POakland Athletics

Shoulder

October 13, 2023

Kaprielian (shoulder) cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A Las Vegas on Thursday.

ANALYSIS
Kaprielian had been on the 60-day injured list following surgery in August to repair the posterior labrum in his right shoulder. It's not clear how long his rehab is expected to take, but the right-hander will have to prove his health and earn his way back onto the 40-man roster.

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Pitching Stats

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2023

2022

2021

2020

2023 MLB Game Log

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2022 MLB Game Log

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2021 MLB Game Log

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2020 MLB Game Log

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Minor League Game Log

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Pitching Appearances Breakdown

Average Pitch Count

Last 10 Games

Last 5 Games

How many pitches does James Kaprielian generally throw?

1-10

11-20

21-30

31-40

41-50

51-60

61-70

71-80

81-90

91-100

101-110

111-120

121+

1-10

11-20

21-30

31-40

41-50

51-60

61-70

71-80

81-90

91-100

101-110

111-120

121+

1-10

11-20

21-30

31-40

41-50

51-60

61-70

71-80

81-90

91-100

101-110

111-120

121+

What part of the game does James Kaprielian generally pitch?

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

5th

6th

7th

8th

9th

Extra

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

5th

6th

7th

8th

9th

Extra

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

5th

6th

7th

8th

9th

Extra

% Games Reaching Innings Threshold

% Games By Number of Innings Pitched

Left/Right Pitching Splits

Since 2021

-9%

BAA vs RHP

2023

-1%

BAA vs RHP

2022

-2%

BAA vs LHP

2021

-24%

BAA vs RHP

	BAA	Batters	K	BB	H	2B	3B	HR
Since 2021vs Left	.255	681	118	68	152	35	6	24
Since 2021vs Right	.233	678	160	62	140	32	5	20
2023vs Left	.275	128	22	15	30	7	0	6
2023vs Right	.273	152	35	16	36	9	0	3
2022vs Left	.237	295	43	22	63	13	4	7
2022vs Right	.241	282	55	36	58	14	3	9
2021vs Left	.266	258	53	31	59	15	2	11
2021vs Right	.201	244	70	10	46	9	2	8
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Home/Away Pitching Splits

Since 2021

-1%

ERA on Road

2023

-14%

ERA at Home

2022

-28%

ERA on Road

2021

-32%

ERA at Home

	ERA	WHIP	IP	W	L	SV	K/9	BB/9	HR/9
Since 2021Home	4.61	1.35	148.1	7	12	0	8.3	3.9	1.2
Since 2021Away	4.55	1.34	166.0	8	8	0	7.7	3.6	1.3
2023Home	5.97	1.49	37.2	1	4	0	8.1	3.8	1.2
2023Away	6.94	1.76	23.1	1	2	0	8.9	5.8	1.5
2022Home	5.09	1.45	53.0	1	5	0	6.8	4.9	1.4
2022Away	3.67	1.26	81.0	4	4	0	6.4	3.2	0.9
2021Home	3.28	1.16	57.2	5	3	0	9.7	3.0	1.1
2021Away	4.82	1.28	61.2	3	2	0	8.9	3.2	1.8
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Stat Review

How does James Kaprielian compare to other starting pitchers?

This section compares his stats with all starting pitcher seasons from the previous three seasons (minimum 120 innings)*. The bar represents the player's percentile rank. For example, if the bar is halfway across, then the player falls into the 50th percentile for that stat and it would be considered average.

* Exit Velocity, Barrels/BBE %, Balls Hit 95+ MPH %, and Spin Rate are benchmarked against 2019 data (min 120 IP). See here for more exit velocity/barrels stats plus an explanation of current limitations with that data set.

K/BB

1.84

K/9

8.4

BB/9

4.6

HR/9

1.3

Fastball

92.2 mph

ERA

6.34

WHIP

1.59

BABIP

.331

GB/FB

0.70

Left On Base

61.6%

Exit Velocity

82.2 mph

Barrels/BBE

4.0%

Spin Rate

2023 rpm

Balls Hit 95+ MPH

23.7%

Swinging Strike

11.8%

Prospect Rankings History

Advanced Pitching Stats

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Defensive Stats

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Stats Vs Today's Lineup

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Past Fantasy Outlooks

2022

2021

2020

2018

2017

2016

Kaprielean ran with the opportunity when a pair of injuries opened up a rotation spot for him in May. The right-hander was excellent through mid-July, at which point he possessed a 2.65 ERA across 68 innings. He showed obvious signs of fatigue thereafter, recording just two quality starts between August and September as his ERA ballooned to 4.07 by season's end. Those late-season struggles were far from unexpected, however, as the former Tommy John surgery patient totaled 119.1 frames after never reaching the 40-inning mark in his previous four professional seasons. Despite possessing a low-90s fastball, Kaprielian was still able to strike out batters at a 24.5% clip by keeping hitters off balance with a five-pitch mix. The 27-year-old's limited professional track record makes it hard to project him going forward, but he proved last season that he's capable of getting big-league hitters out. That alone should slot him into Oakland's starting rotation to begin 2022.

Kaprielian was particularly stung by the lack of a 2020 minor-league season after the former top-tier prospect finally returned to good health in 2019. The right-hander missed the prior two seasons due to Tommy John surgery but pitched well enough in his return campaign (3.18 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, 75:16 K:BB over 68 innings across three levels) to earn a spot in Oakland's 60-man player pool last season. He bounced between the alternate training site and the majors, where he logged two appearances covering 3.2 innings and gave up three earned runs. Despite the small workload, there were some positives to take away, including a 14.1 SwStr% and 23.5 K%. Most significantly, Kaprielian's fastball averaged 95.1 mph, suggesting that the elbow surgery hasn't sapped his velocity. Kaprielian will be 27 years old come Opening Day, so Oakland is likely to give him a shot early, though not necessarily in a starting role.

Already 25 years old and set to turn 26 in March, Kaprielian had pitched just 29.1 professional innings prior to 2019 due to a variety of elbow and shoulder injuries. He made up for lost time, logging a 3.18 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 75:16 K:BB in 68 innings across stops at High-A, Double-A and Triple-A. He was even better as the rust came off, posting a 1.26 ERA, 0.84 WHIP and 29:5 K:BB in 28.2 innings over his last seven starts, including a four-inning outing where he gave up one run and struck out six in his Triple-A debut Sept. 1. Kaprielian, who throws four quality pitches, reportedly touched 96 mph and was sitting at 94 mph with his fastball late in the year, so it seems like his stuff is close to where it was at the peak of his prospect hype (consensus top-100 prospect prior to 2017). He is on the 40-man roster and should figure prominently into the big-league rotation plans for 2020.

Concerns over Kaprielian's high-effort delivery have proven justified. He missed nearly the entire 2016 season with a flexor tendon strain and then underwent Tommy John surgery in April of 2017. In his limited professional action (29.1 innings), the right-hander has shown an enticing combination of strikeout ability (11.0 K/9) and control (2.1 BB/9) along with a heavy groundball skew (3.00 GO/AO). All four of his pitches (fastball, slider, curveball, changeup) have flashed plus potential, but there's always a chance the stuff will be diminished after reconstructive elbow surgery, and the injury concerns are going to follow him throughout his career. The A's took a chance on Kaprielian, acquiring him as part of the Sonny Gray return. Those in dynasty leagues can't be blamed for moving on.

A first-round pick in the 2015 draft, the 6-foot-4, 200-pound Kaprielian got off to a blistering start in 2016. Skipping Low-A altogether, he posted a 1.50 ERA and 22:3 K:BB in three contests for High-A Tampa. The positivity was short-lived, as he was placed on the disabled list at the end of April and never returned to the mound. Ultimately diagnosed with inflammation and a flexor tendon strain in his right elbow, the Bronx Bombers decided to be cautious with their prized young arm. Thankfully, it does not appear that he will need Tommy John surgery. Kaprielian returned to the mound and looked excellent in the Arizona Fall League. He has the potential for three pitches that grade out as plus or better, and his command has always been seen as a strength. The key will be for him to put to rest some of the questions about his durability. If he can avoid further arm injuries, he has the tools to establish himself as one of the top pitching prospects in the game.

Chosen as the Yankees' first-round pick in 2015, Kaprielian made three starts at the short-season level, working to a 2.00 ERA with 12 strikeouts in nine innings and a .229 batting average against. The righty has a four-pitch arsenal, leading with a fastball (sitting in the 89-92 mph range) and mixing in a slider, changeup, and curveball -- the latter two being his best pitches. He pitched to a career 2.04 ERA as the staff ace at UCLA, and at 22 years old entering the 2016 season, he has the potential to move up the organizational ranks relatively quickly. The majors will likely have to wait until 2017 at the very earliest, but he could progress to some of the higher levels of the minors this season.

More Fantasy News

Transferred to 60-day IL

POakland Athletics

Shoulder

August 21, 2023

Kaprielian (shoulder) was transferred to the 60-day injured list Monday.

ANALYSIS
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Undergoes shoulder surgery

POakland Athletics

Shoulder

August 2, 2023

Kaprielian underwent arthroscopic surgery Wednesday to repair the posterior labrum in his right shoulder, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.

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Visits specialist for shoulder

POakland Athletics

Shoulder

July 30, 2023

Kaprielian visited with Dr. Neal ElAttrache in Los Angeles earlier this week for an evaluation on his right shoulder and remains shut down from all throwing, the team's official site reports.

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Completes bullpen session

POakland Athletics

Shoulder

July 23, 2023

Kaprielian (shoulder) completed a bullpen session Saturday as expected, the Associated Press reports.

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Bullpen session scheduled

POakland Athletics

Shoulder

July 20, 2023

Kaprielian (shoulder) will throw a bullpen session Saturday, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.

ANALYSIS
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