LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- As the beat reporters filed out of Braves manager Bobby Cox's office in the visitors' clubhouse at Citizens Bank Park on Sept. 15 of last year, they could clearly see some bare-chested kid with a shaved head talking to Anthony Lerew.

Immediate thoughts were this must be the teenage son of one of the club's coaches. Surely it couldn't be another Minor Leaguer who had gotten his call to the show. The Braves had already used 17 rookies, and this was an odd time for a player to receive a September promotion.

If it were yet another member of the organization's fruitful farm system, there's no way this was that Chuck James kid, whose dominant Minor League numbers had created an expectation that he'd be a much more imposing figure.

Yet, when pleasantries were exchanged and the adolescent figure introduced himself as being Chuck James, three reporters realized a shock similar to one those Minor League opponents felt when they found out the little dude definitely knows how to pitch.

"If he was 6-feet-3, everybody would be going crazy about him," Cox said of James, who has an outside chance of making Atlanta's starting rotation this year.

James, a 24-year-old southpaw, is generously listed in the Braves' media guide as being 6-foot-0 and weighing 170 pounds. It hasn't been determined how many of those media guides he was standing on when that measurement was made.

Throughout his professional career, James, who seems to be closer to 5-foot-10, has heard numerous comments about his size. Some fans have simply assumed he must be some pint-sized middle infielder.

With every such comment, he's been further motivated to prove the doubters wrong.

"That keeps me going a lot, knowing that I'm not the prototypical pitcher and everything," James said. "It keeps me mad, keeps me going, gives me a little extra."

Small in size and monstrous in terms of aggression, James has produced dazzling results throughout his Minor League career. During his three years in the Braves' farm system, he's posted a 2.04 ERA and held opponents to an unbelievable .184 batting average.

"He's got a nice delivery," Cox said. "Everybody has tried to figure out Chuckie all these years. When you watch him throw, you see how sneaky quick he is."

When James began last year at Class A Myrtle Beach, he had no idea how close he was to getting his call to the Majors. He quickly earned promotions to both Double-A Mississippi and Triple-A Richmond.

But it wasn't until the Braves realized they needed another arm to provide insurance down the stretch that they brought him to the Majors. It was almost two weeks after Richmond's season had concluded, and he was about to start helping his friend make home improvements.

"Last year definitely happened quick," James said.

When James thinks about it, it really wasn't too long ago that he broke both of his wrists while attempting to jump off a roof into a swimming pool. That accident occurred just before the 2002 draft. Most teams quickly turned away and ended his hopes of being selected in the first three rounds.

But the Braves took a chance and opted to take him in the 20th round. It was a dream come true for James, a country boy who grew up just 15 minutes west of Turner Field. He was being granted a chance to prove he could rebound by the team that he'd followed throughout his childhood.

"I didn't even know any other team existed, hardly," James said. "That was definitely awesome, being able to play with them. I ain't never been on too much of a winning team. This would be the first time."

James got a chance to pitch in front of the hometown fans on Sept .28, when he tossed two innings of relief in his Major League debut against the Rockies, allowing a run on one hit. But more importantly, he caught the attention of Cox, who complimented the aggression he saw from the young hurler that evening.

For Cox and the fans, it was an opportunity to see what all of James' Minor League teammates had seen the past few years. Brian McCann, who served as the southpaw's catcher at Double-A Mississippi last year, has seen many opposing hitters walk away from at-bats baffled with what they had just seen -- or, perhaps more accurately, hadn't seen.

"He hides it better than anybody I've ever seen," McCann said. "He keeps it back behind his back, brings it over his head and hitters can't see that. He's got that hard backspin. It's almost like the ball rises a little bit. He's going to be the real deal."

McCann wouldn't receive too many arguments from those people who have seen James work his craft. He finished last season ranked near the top of many statistical categories for Minor League pitchers. His .179 batting average allowed ranked first. His 2.12 ERA ranked third, and the 193 strikeouts he recorded in 161 1/3 innings ranked fourth.

Left-handed hitters batted just .130 (20-for-154) against James last year. While he was at Myrtle Beach, they recorded just two hits in 48 at-bats against him.

These credentials have obviously pushed James to the forefront of the Braves' pitching prospects. With Atlanta's starting rotation seemingly set with veterans, the young lefty may have to begin this season back in Richmond.

Going back to the Minors wouldn't bother James, who made just six starts at Richmond last year. He understands he must wait for his time to come, but he also can't ignore the fact that it's coming very soon.

"I try not to think about it," James said. "I don't want to get too excited about it or anything. I am close. But I'm just as far away as anybody else. I could always go out and throw my arm out tomorrow, and it's all over. So I just try to go out there, have fun and do what I can."