James Russell

James Clayton Russell (born January 8, 1986) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played college baseball at Navarro College and the University of Texas at Austin and was drafted by the Chicago Cubs in the 14th round of the 2007 Major League Baseball draft. Russell made his Major League Baseball (MLB) debut on April 5, 2010 and also played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Atlanta Braves and Philadelphia Phillies. High School career Russell attended Colleyville Heritage High School, where he was a member of the school's baseball team. After his senior year, he was drafted by the Seattle Mariners in the 37th round of the 2004 Major League Baseball draft, but did not sign, instead deciding to attend Navarro College. College career Russell was drafted again by the Seattle Mariners in the 17th round of the 2005 Major League Baseball draft, but he did not sign. Russell later attended the University of Texas at Austin, where he was a starting pitcher for the Texas Longhorns baseball team for one season after transferring from Navarro College. In his only season pitching for the Longhorns, Russell was named to the second team All-Big 12, while posting an 8–4 win–loss record and a 3.86 earned run average (ERA).