James Michael Marvel (born September 17, 1993) is an American

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Mod ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...

for the

Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters The are a Japanese professional baseball team based in Kitahiroshima, Hokkaidō. They compete in the Pacific League of Nippon Professional Baseball, playing the majority of their home games at ES CON Field Hokkaido. The Fighters also host a ...

Nippon Professional Baseball or NPB is the highest level of baseball in Japan. Locally, it is often called , meaning ''Professional Baseball''. Outside Japan, it is often just referred to as "Japanese baseball". The roots of the league can be traced back to the formation ...

(NPB). He has played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

(MLB) for the

Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Founded as part of the American Associati ...

Amateur career

Marvel attended

Campolindo High School Campolindo High School is a public high school located in Moraga, California, United States, and is in the Acalanes Union High School District. In 2019, Campolindo was ranked 30th in California (and 239th nationally) by '' U.S. News & World Rep ...

Moraga, California Moraga is a town in Contra Costa County, California, in the San Francisco Bay Area. The town is named in honor of Joaquín Moraga, member of the famed Californio family. As of 2020, Moraga had a total population of 16,870 people. Moraga is ...

, where he played baseball. In 2012, his senior year, he went 5–2 with a 1.33 ERA along with batting .456 with three home runs, earning All-State honors. He was selected by the

Minnesota Twins The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central Division. The team is named after the Twin Cities area w ...

in the 37th round of the

2012 Major League Baseball draft The 2012 Major League Baseball First-Year Player 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 R ...

, but did not sign and instead enrolled at

Duke University Duke University is a private research university in Durham, North Carolina. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present-day city of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco and electric power industrialist James ...

where he played

college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education. In comparison to football and basketball, college competition in the United States plays a smaller role in developing professional pl ...

for the Blue Devils. In 2013, Marvel's freshman year at Duke, he appeared in ten games (eight starts) in which he went 4–2 with a 3.64 ERA in 42 innings. In 2014, he appeared in only four games due to an elbow injury, and in 2015, he did not play at all. Despite this, he was still drafted by the

in the 36th round of the

2015 Major League Baseball draft The 2015 Major League Baseball (MLB) First-Year Player 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 ...

Professional career

Pittsburgh Pirates

Marvel signed with the Pirates and made his professional debut with the

West Virginia Black Bears The West Virginia Black Bears are a collegiate summer baseball team of the MLB Draft League. They are located in Granville, West Virginia, and play their home games at Monongalia County Ballpark, which is across the Monongahela River from Morganto ...

, going 4–6 with a 4.43 ERA in 13 starts. In 2017, he began the season with the

West Virginia Power The Charleston Dirty Birds are an American professional baseball team based in Charleston, West Virginia. They are a member of the South Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, a partner league of Major League Baseball. The Dir ...

before being promoted to the

Bradenton Marauders The Bradenton Marauders are a Minor League Baseball team of the Florida State League and the Single-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates. They are located in Bradenton, Florida, and play their home games at LECOM Park, which also serves as th ...

in August; in 24 starts between the two clubs, Marvel went 7–8 with a 3.49 ERA, striking out 91 batters in innings. In 2018, he pitched for both Bradenton and the

Altoona Curve The Altoona Curve are a Minor League Baseball team based in Altoona, Pennsylvania, named after nearby Horseshoe Curve (but also alluding to the curveball, a type of pitch). The team plays in the Eastern League and is the Double-A affiliate of the ...

, compiling a 12–7 record and 3.55 ERA in 27 games (26 starts), and in 2019, he began the year with Altoona (with whom he was named an Eastern League All-Star) before being promoted to the

Indianapolis Indians The Indianapolis Indians are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates. They are located in Indianapolis, Indiana, and play their home games at Victory Field, which open ...

in July. Over 28 starts between the two clubs during the 2019 season, Marvel went 16–5 with a 2.94 ERA, striking out 136 over innings. His 16 wins and two shutouts both led the minor leagues in 2019. On September 8, 2019, the Pirates selected Marvel's contract and promoted him to the major leagues. He made his major league debut that day versus the

St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals hav ...

, allowing two runs over five innings pitched. Marvel did not appear in a game in 2020, and spent all of the 2021 season with the Indians, going 7-7 with a 5.26 ERA and 98 strikeouts over innings. He elected free agency on November 7, 2021.

Philadelphia Phillies

On March 8, 2022, Marvel signed a minor league contract with the

Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. Since 2004, the team's home sta ...

. Marvel made 35 appearances (9 starts) for the Triple-A

Lehigh Valley IronPigs The Lehigh Valley IronPigs are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies. They are located in Allentown, Pennsylvania, and are named in reference to pig iron, used in the ...

, registering a 6-7 record and 6.05 ERA with 62 strikeouts in 93.2 innings pitched. He elected free agency following the season on November 10.

High Point Rockers

On April 28, 2023, Marvel signed with the

High Point Rockers The High Point Rockers are an American professional baseball team based at Truist Point ballpark in High Point, North Carolina, which is part of the Piedmont Triad region. They are members of the South Division of the Atlantic League of Profession ...

of the

Atlantic League of Professional Baseball The Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB) is a professional independent baseball league based in the United States. It is an official MLB Partner League based in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern United States. The Atlantic League's ...

. He made 1 start for the team, allowing 3 runs on 4 hits and 1 walk with 3 strikeouts in 5.0 innings pitched.

Texas Rangers

On May 7, 2023, Marvel signed a minor league contract with the Texas Rangers organization. In 6 starts for the Triple–A

Round Rock Express The Round Rock Express are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers. They are located in Round Rock, Texas, and play their home games at the Dell Diamond. The team is named ...

, he struggled to a 7.88 ERA with 15 strikeouts in 24.0 innings pitched. Marvel was released by the Rangers on June 11.

Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters

On June 19, 2023, Marvel signed with the

(NPB).

References

External links

Duke Blue Devils bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Marvel, James 1993 births Living people Baseball players from San Francisco Major League Baseball pitchers Pittsburgh Pirates players Duke Blue Devils baseball players West Virginia Black Bears players West Virginia Power players Bradenton Marauders players Altoona Curve players Indianapolis Indians players Lehigh Valley IronPigs players High Point Rockers players Round Rock Express players