J. A. Happ

Infobox MLB player

---

width = 275
name=J. A. Happ
position=Starting pitcher
team=Philadelphia Phillies
number=43
bats=Left
throws=Left
birthdate=birth date and age|1982|10|19
debutdate=June 30
debutyear=2007
debutteam=Philadelphia Phillies
statyear=September 26, 2008
stat1label=Win-Loss
stat1value=1–1
stat2label=Earned run average
stat2value=4.76
stat3label=Strikeouts
stat3value=28
formerteams=
*Philadelphia Phillies (by|2007-present)

James Anthony "J. A." Happ (born October 19, 1982 in Spring Valley, Illinois) is a Major League Baseball starting pitcher in the Philadelphia Phillies organization. He is a six-foot-six left-hander. Though his name is James Anthony and is spelled "J. A.", his name is pronounced "Jay."

Early life and amateur career

Happ was born in Spring Valley, Illinois and raised in nearby Peru, Illinois. He attended high school at St. Bede Academy, where he was a four-year letterwinner in baseball and basketball. He was named Bureau County Athlete of the Year during his senior season.

After graduating high school in 2002, Happ enrolled in Northwestern University, where he majored in history. He was named to the All-Big Ten First Team in his freshman, sophomore, and junior seasons, during which he compiled a 16–11 won-loss record, an ERA of 2.88, and a 251/90 strikeout-to-walk ratio over 228.1 innings pitched. [cite web|title=Player Bio: J.A. Happ :: Baseball|url=http://nusports.cstv.com/sports/m-basebl/mtt/happ_ja00.html|publisher=Northwestern University Athletics|accessdate=2008-09-17] Happ chose to forego his senior season and entered Major League Baseball's 2004 First-Year Player Draft, where he was selected in the third round (92nd overall) by the Philadelphia Phillies. [cite web|title="From Cold Weather to Clearwater: J.A. Happ left NU early to pursue pro baseball"|url=http://www.dailynorthwestern.com/home/index.cfm?event=displayArticlePrinterFriendly&uStory_id=de047833-26cd-4b22-8aa0-69413901dbab|last=Rakov|first=Abraham|date=2005-04-06|publisher="The Daily Northwestern"|date=2008-09-17]

Professional career

Minor leagues

Immediately after agreeing to terms with the Phillies on June 16, mlby|2004, Happ was assigned to the Batavia Muckdogs of the short-season A-level New York-Penn League, where he posted a 2.02 ERA in eleven starts, averaging more than one strikeout per inning pitched. Happ again impressed in mlby|2005 with the low-A Lakewood BlueClaws. While Happ played for only half of the season, he compiled a 2.36 ERA in 72⅓ innings. He was promoted to AA for a single game at the end of the season, in which he gave up only one earned run in six innings and struck out eight.

In mlby|2006, Happ began the season for the Clearwater Threshers of the high-A Florida State League, but earned a promotion to the AA Reading Phillies at midseason. He also pitched one game at the end of the season for the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons, then the Phillies' AAA affiliate. Combined for the year, Happ went 10–9, with an ERA of 2.69, 162 strikeouts, and 49 walks in 160⅔ innings. He was rewarded, during the following offseason, with his first appearance in "Baseball America's" "Top Ten Prospects" list for the Phillies organization, in which he was ranked eighth. (Prior to this, Happ had rarely been identified as a prospect despite his impressive performances in 2004 and 2005 due to his average pitch velocity.)

After pitching in the Arizona Fall League in the fall of 2006, Happ moved with the Red Barons to Ottawa for the 2007 season.

Major league debut and return to AAA

On June 30, mlby|2007, while suffering from a spate of injuries to their starting rotation, the Phillies purchased Happ's contract from the Lynx. At the time, Happ's record in AAA was 1–2 with a 4.02 ERA. Happ made his major league debut against the New York Mets and allowed five runs, three earned, in four innings. He was then returned to the Lynx and did not pitch at the major league level again that season, thus ending the year with a 11.25 major league ERA.

Happ struggled upon his return to Ottawa. Despite striking out 36 batters over five starts in the months of July and August, [cite web|title=Biography and Career Highlights: 2007|url=http://philadelphia.phillies.mlb.com/team/player_career.jsp?player_id=457918&y=2007|publisher=Philadelphia Phillies|accessdate=2008-07-10] Happ's ERA ballooned to 5.02 by the end of the season. It was later revealed that he had been pitching that season with elbow fatigue. As a result, Happ did not participate in any fall or winter leagues during the following offseason.

2008

Happ began the mlby|2008 season with the Phillies' new AAA affiliate in Allentown, Pennsylvania, the Lehigh Valley IronPigs. He went 5–6 with a 3.54 ERA in his first seventeen starts, striking out 104 batters in 101⅔ innings.

On July 4, 2008, Happ was called up to take the place of Brett Myers in the Phillies' starting rotation, after the struggling Myers went to the minors in an effort to regain his form. That same night, Happ made his 2008 debut against Johan Santana and the Mets. He fared better in his second major league start, pitching 4⅔ innings, giving up three hits, two earned runs, four walks while striking out three. He earned a no-decision as the Phillies went on to win the game, 3–2. Happ's was also awarded a no-decision in his third career start (second of the season), in which he pitched 6⅓ innings and gave up only two runs, but the Phillies went on to defeat the Cardinals by a 4–2 score. He was then optioned back to Lehigh Valley, as the Phillies would not need a fifth starter for two weeks. [cite web|title=Phillies option Hall of Triple-A|url=http://philadelphia.phillies.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20080710&content_id=3106193&vkey=news_phi&fext=.jsp&c_id=phi|publisher=Philadelphia Phillies|accessdate=2008-07-10] Myers regained his place in the rotation on July 23.

Happ was recalled to the major leagues on July 29 when the struggling Adam Eaton was demoted to Lakewood. [cite web|url=http://philadelphia.phillies.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20080729&content_id=3218750&vkey=news_phi&fext=.jsp&c_id=phi|title=Phillies recall lefty Happ from Triple-A|last=Mandel|first=Ken|date=2008-07-29|publisher=Philadelphia Phillies|accessdate=2008-08-01] However, Happ never took Eaton's spot in the rotation, as the Phillies had already acquired starter Joe Blanton from the Oakland Athletics on July 17. Happ instead pitched out of the bullpen, appearing in two games (in which he struggled), and was then sent to AAA once again. He ended the AAA season at 8–7, with a 3.60 ERA. He led all International League pitchers with 151 strikeouts in 135 innings. He walked 48 batters.

Happ joined the Phillies for the third time in 2008 on September 1 when the rosters expanded. On September 16, Phillies manager Charlie Manuel announced that Happ would start on the following night against the Atlanta Braves, replacing the struggling Kyle Kendrick. Happ pitched six shutout innings in the game, earning his first major league win in a 6–1 Phillies victory.

References