Astros' Josh James: Named org's pitcher of year

James was named the Minor League Pitcher of the Year for the Houston organization, Reid Laymance of the Houston Chronicle reports.

The 25-year-old James came out of nowhere, riding a breakout campaign at Double-A Corpus Christi and Triple-A Fresno into an impact role in the Astros bullpen. He limited opponents to a .191 batting average and posted a 3.23 ERA with a gaudy 171 strikeouts over 114.1 innings. His work in the majors -- 2.81 ERA, 24 strikeouts, 16 innings -- puts him in the mix for a spot on the postseason roster as a reliever.