James Paxton: After a Controversial Career at UK, Paxton Back on Baseball Grid

James Paxton was a highly touted lefty coming out of Kentucky.  His numbers during his junior year were not truly indicative of his talent (5.86 ERA), but 115 strikeouts in 78 Division I innings will indeed get you noticed.

So it wasn’t a big surprise when the Toronto Blue Jays drafted him 37th overall in the 2009 MLB draft. 

What could have been a feel-good story for Canadian baseball turned out to become a complete nightmare. 

Amid allegations that the Jays were in discussions with Paxton’s agent, the University took a hard stance, declaring Paxton ineligible for his senior season, causing a chain reaction of events that led to Paxton suing the school, “charging that athletic officials threatened to bar him from playing if he did not agree to meet with NCAA investigators, even though he was not told what rules he was accused of violating.”

No longer able to compete, Paxton went down to Grand Prairie Texas to play for the AirHogs of the Independent American Association. 

Paxton’s journey to Texas was short-lived. He was again drafted, this time by the Seattle Mariners in the fourth round of the 2010 MLB Amateur Draft. 

Many felt that the inactivity since the 2010 draft could hurt Paxton in the long run, but his agent, Scott Boras, has some pretty decent facilities where he was working out until details of the contract could be worked out.

According to the Seattle Times, Paxton was thrilled to finally have the details finalized before the end of spring training.

“It was tough," Paxton said of the almost two-year wait to gets his career started. "There were definitely some tough times. But I am real glad to be here.” 

Added to the spring training roster as non-roster invitee, Paxton was ultimately assigned to the Clinton LumberKings, the Single-A affiliate of the Mariners. 

Standing 6’4” and weighing 220 pounds, Paxton has all the tools to move his way up the rungs of the organization. If his first two starts are any indication, this hard-throwing lefty from BC could see a Double-A promotion by the time the season is finished. 

In two starts, Paxton is 0-1 with a 3.27 ERA. Nine strikeouts in 11 innings is true to form, but so are the high number of walks: eight. Keep in mind, a 90-plus mph fastball and three off-speed pitches will only get better in time. 

All in all, it’s pretty good for someone that has been on absolute roller coaster for the past two years.  Despite all the adversity, Paxton is still doing what he wanted to from the beginning: playing baseball. 

To stay current with Paxton’s progress, follow the LumberKings here.

Devon is the founder of The GM’s Perspective.

Devon is a former professional baseball player with the River City Rascals and Gateway Grizzlies, and is now an independent scout.

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