James Douglas Kaprielian (; born March 2, 1994) is an American professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("Pitch (baseball), pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, ...

who is a free agent. He has previously played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

(MLB) for the

Oakland Athletics The Oakland Athletics (frequently referred to as the Oakland A's) were an American Major League Baseball (MLB) team based in Oakland, California from 1968 to 2024. The Athletics were a member club of the American League (AL) American League We ...

. He attended the

University of California, Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school the ...

(UCLA), where he played

college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played by Student athlete, student-athletes at institutions of higher education. In the United States, college baseball is sanctioned mainly by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA); in Japan, ...

for the

UCLA Bruins The UCLA Bruins are the athletic teams that represent the University of California, Los Angeles. The Bruin men's and women's teams participate in NCAA Division I as part of the Big Ten Conference and the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF ...

, and was drafted by the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Am ...

with the 16th pick in the first round of the

2015 MLB draft The 2015 Major League Baseball draft was held from June 8 through June 10, 2015, to assign amateur baseball players to MLB teams. The draft order is the reverse order of the 2014 MLB season standings. As the Diamondbacks finished the 2014 season ...

Amateur career

Kaprielian attended

Arnold O. Beckman High School Arnold O. Beckman High School is a public school in Irvine, California, Irvine, California, United States, serving 3,013 students from grades 9 through 12. The $94 million facility was opened on August 30, 2004. The World Languages Building ...

Irvine, California Irvine () is a Planned community, planned city in central Orange County, California, United States, in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. It was named in 1888 for the landowner James Irvine. The Irvine Company started developing the area in the ...

. During his career he went 33–3 with a 0.96

earned run average In baseball statistics, earned run average (ERA) is the average of earned runs allowed by a pitcher per nine innings pitched (i.e. the traditional length of a game). It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number ...

(ERA) and 250

strikeout In baseball or softball, a strikeout (or strike-out) occurs when a batter accumulates three strikes during a time at bat. It means the batter is out, unless the third strike is not caught by the catcher and the batter reaches first base safe ...

s. He was drafted by the

Seattle Mariners The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. The Mariners compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. The team joined the American ...

in the 40th round of the

2012 MLB draft The 2012 Major League Baseball draft was held from June 4 through June 6, 2012, from Studio 42 of the MLB Network in Secaucus, New Jersey. The Houston Astros, with the first overall pick, selected Carlos Correa from the Puerto Rico Baseball Ac ...

. He did not sign with the Mariners and enrolled at the

(UCLA) to play

for the

. As a freshman in 2013, Kaprielian appeared in 34 games as a relief pitcher, recording a 1.55 ERA with 53 strikeouts. In 2013, he played

collegiate summer baseball Collegiate summer baseball leagues are amateur baseball leagues in the United States and Canada featuring players who have attended at least one year of college and have at least one year of athletic eligibility remaining. Generally, they operat ...

in the

Cape Cod Baseball League The Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL or Cape League) is a collegiate summer baseball wooden bat league located on Cape Cod in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. One of the nation's premier collegiate summer leagues, the league boasts over 1,000 forme ...

for the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox, and was named a league all-star. As a sophomore, he was converted into a starter. He started 15 games, going 7–6 with a 2.29 ERA and 108 strikeouts. On May 15, 2015, Kaprielian combined with

David Berg David Brandt Berg (February 18, 1919 – October 1, 1994), also known as King David, Mo, Moses David, Father David, Dad, or Grandpa to followers, was the founder and leader of the cult generally known as the Children of God and subsequently as ...

for the first

no-hitter In baseball, a no-hitter or no-hit game is a game in which a team does not record a hit (baseball), hit through conventional methods. Major League Baseball (MLB) officially defines a no-hitter as a completed game in which a team that batted in ...

in UCLA history. Kaprielian pitched the first nine innings and Berg pitched the tenth inning to complete the no-hitter.

Professional career

New York Yankees

Kaprielian was considered one of the top prospects for the

, and was selected by the

in the first round, with the 16th overall selection. He signed with the Yankees, receiving a $2.65 million

signing bonus A signing bonus or sign-on bonus is a sum of money paid to a new employee (including a professional sports person) by a company as an incentive to join that company. They are often given as a way of making a compensation package more attractive ...

, and spent his first professional season with both the

GCL Yankees The Florida Complex League Yankees are a Rookie-level affiliate of the New York Yankees, competing in the Florida Complex League of Minor League Baseball. The team is composed mainly of players who are in their first year of professional baseball ...

and

Staten Island Yankees The Staten Island Yankees were a minor league baseball team located in the New York City borough of Staten Island from 1999 to 2020. Nicknamed the "Baby Bombers", the Yankees were the Class A Short Season affiliate of the New York Yankees and pl ...

, posting a combined 0–1 record and 3.97 ERA in total innings between both teams. Kaprielian received a non-roster invitation to

spring training Spring training, also called spring camp, is the preseason of the Summer Professional Baseball Leagues, such as Major League Baseball (MLB), and it is a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spri ...

in 2016. He began the season with the

Tampa Yankees Tampa ( ) is a city on the Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. Tampa's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and the county seat of Hillsborough C ...

, but only played in three games due to an injured flexor tendon in his right elbow. Heading into the 2017 season, Kaprielian was considered the 58th best prospect in MLB. His elbow discomfort persisted, and he began the season on the disabled list. On April 18, 2017, he underwent

Tommy John surgery Ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction, sometimes referred to as Tommy John surgery is a surgical graft procedure where the ulnar collateral ligament in the medial elbow is replaced with either a tendon from elsewhere in the patient's body, ...

to repair a torn

ulnar collateral ligament Ulnar collateral ligament (or UCL) may refer to: * Ulnar carpal collateral ligament * Ulnar collateral ligament of elbow joint The ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) or internal lateral ligament is a thick triangular ligament at the medial aspec ...

, ending his season.

Oakland Athletics

On July 31, 2017, the Yankees traded Kaprielian to the

, along with fellow prospects

Jorge Mateo Jorge Luis Mateo (born June 23, 1995) is a Dominican professional baseball shortstop for the Baltimore Orioles of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the San Diego Padres. He made his MLB debut in 2020. Career New Y ...

and Dustin Fowler, in exchange for

Sonny Gray Sonny Douglas Gray (born November 7, 1989) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Oakland Athletics, New York Yankees, Cincinnati Reds, and ...

. He did not appear for the organization during the 2017 or 2018 seasons. On November 20, 2018, the Athletics added Kaprielian to their

40-man roster A Major League Baseball roster is a list of players who are allowed, by league agreement, to play for a Major League Baseball (MLB) team. Each MLB team maintains two rosters: an active roster of players eligible to participate in an MLB game, an ...

to protect him from the

Rule 5 draft The Rule 5 draft is a Major League Baseball (MLB) player draft that occurs each year in December, at the annual Winter Meeting of general managers. The Rule 5 draft aims to prevent teams from stockpiling too many young players on their minor lea ...

. Kaprielian made his debut with the High-A

Stockton Ports The Stockton Ports are a Minor League Baseball team of the California League and the Single-A affiliate of the Athletics. They are located in Stockton, California, and are named for the city's seaport. The team plays its home games at Banner I ...

on May 19, 2019. He accumulated a 4.46 ERA in innings with a 43:8 K-to-BB ratio before the Athletics promoted him to the Double-A

Midland RockHounds The Midland RockHounds are a Minor League Baseball team based in Midland, Texas. The team, which plays in the Texas League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Athletics major league club. The RockHounds play in Momentum Bank Ballpark, which ope ...

on July 23. He was promoted again to Triple-A at the end of August. On August 16, 2020, Kaprielian made his MLB debut with two innings against the

San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Div ...

. He allowed a home run to the first batter he faced,

Brandon Crawford Brandon Michael Crawford (born January 21, 1987) is an American former professional baseball shortstop. He spent 14 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB), playing all but his last season for the San Francisco Giants. Crawford played college base ...

, and struck out one. He spent most of the season at the Athletics' alternate training site in San Jose and only pitched in two games of mop-up duty with the Athletics, allowing three runs in innings of work. On May 12, 2021, injuries in the rotation led to Kaprielian receiving a call-up to make his first MLB start at

Fenway Park Fenway Park is a ballpark located in Boston, Massachusetts, less than one mile from Kenmore Square. Since 1912, it has been the home field of Major League Baseball's (MLB) Boston Red Sox. While the stadium was built in 1912, it was substantia ...

against the

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Founded in as one of the Ameri ...

. With his father and uncle in attendance, Kaprielian was rewarded with the win, allowing one run in five innings with six strikeouts in a 4–1 victory for the Athletics. On July 27, Kaprielian collected his first career base hit, notching a single against

San Diego Padres The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Division. ...

pitcher

Chris Paddack Christopher Joseph Paddack (born January 8, 1996) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Minnesota Twins of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the San Diego Padres. Career Amateur career Paddack attend ...

. Kaprielian finished the 2021 season with an 8–5 record, a 4.07 ERA and 123 strikeouts in innings. Kaprielian started the 2022 season in the Injured List because of irritation in the AC joint of his shoulder. He made his season debut on May 1, 2022, against the

Cleveland Guardians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central Division. Since , the team has played its home gam ...

. Following the season, on December 5, Kaprielian underwent surgery to repair his right

AC joint The acromioclavicular joint, or AC joint, is a joint at the top of the shoulder. It is the junction between the acromion (part of the scapula that forms the highest point of the shoulder) and the clavicle. It is a plane synovial joint. Structure ...

. After allowing 23 runs in 16 innings to start the 2023 season, Kaprielian was demoted to Triple-A. He returned on May 13. Overall, he made 14 appearances (11 starts) for Oakland, and struggled to a 2–6 record and 6.34 ERA with 57 strikeouts across 61.0 innings of work. He hit the Injured List on June 30 with a shoulder strain. On August 2, 2023, it was announced that Kaprielian would miss the remainder of the season after undergoing right shoulder

arthroscopic Arthroscopy (also called arthroscopic or keyhole surgery) is a minimally invasive surgical procedure on a joint in which an examination and sometimes treatment of damage is performed using an arthroscope, an endoscope that is inserted into the j ...

surgery to repair a labrum tear. On October 12, Kaprielian was removed from the 40–man roster and sent outright to Triple-A Las Vegas. He elected free agency on November 6.

Toronto Blue Jays

On June 18, 2024, Kaprielian signed a minor league contract with the

Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Since 1989, the team has p ...

. On November 6, he elected free agency.

Personal life

Kaprielian's mother, Barbara Kaprielian, died of breast cancer in 2014 after her 14-year battle. Kaprielian is of

Armenian Armenian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia * Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent ** Armenian diaspora, Armenian communities around the ...

descent.

References

External links

UCLA Bruins bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kaprielian, James 1994 births Living people American sportspeople of Armenian descent Sportspeople of Armenian descent Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players Dunedin Blue Jays players Gulf Coast Yankees players Las Vegas Aviators players Major League Baseball pitchers Midland RockHounds players Oakland Athletics players Sportspeople from Laguna Hills, California Baseball players from Orange County, California Scottsdale Scorpions players Staten Island Yankees players Stockton Ports players Tampa Yankees players UCLA Bruins baseball players Yarmouth–Dennis Red Sox players Ethnic Armenian sportspeople