Former Schaumburg Boomer James Keller has been named the Bullpen Catcher for the Cincinnati Reds for the 2025 season. He was promoted to the Major League coaching staff in Terry Francona’s first season with the Reds.

James arrived in Schaumburg in 2016 after a very successful career at the University of Mary Washington. During his time with the Boomers from 2016-2018, Keller was a consistent and reliable catcher for the team. James was a part of the record-setting 2017 Boomers, who won the Frontier League Championship with a total record of 72-32.

After his career with the Boomers ended, James became a coach with the Lake Erie Crushers and teamed up with former Boomers player and coach, Cam Roth. After spending a season with the Erie Seawolves and the Detroit Tigers, Keller and Roth teamed up again in 2021 with the Gateway Grizzlies. James made the jump back to the MLB coaching ranks in 2023 when he joined the Los Angeles Dodgers Dominican Summer League team as a Development Assistant. He then joined the Cincinnati Reds DSL team this past season.

James is the second former Boomer to be on an MLB coaching staff for the 2025 season, joining Pat O'Sullivan, who is currently the Assistant Hitting Coach with the San Diego Padres.