Former Phillies prospect Jiwan James never made the majors. But he helped ‘fuel’ Quinyon Mitchell’s Super Bowl path.

NEW ORLEANS — Jiwan James had a dorm room at the University of Florida and was set to start classes in the summer of 2007 when he walked out of his freshman orientation and decided instead to sign with the Phillies and chase his professional baseball dream.

He played eight years in the minor leagues, and his journey took him to Reading and Lakewood, but never Philadelphia. James last played in 2015 and returned to his tiny Florida hometown without reaching the majors.

It was hard — James dealt with a series of injuries and even had surgery to address Crohn’s disease — but he knew it was time to walk away. What James did not know then was how his professional career would help a kid from his small town one day reach the Super Bowl.

“Jiwan always inspired me,” said Eagles rookie cornerback Quinyon Mitchell, who lived so close to James growing up that he could throw a baseball to his house. “I looked up to him growing up. Man, he just gave me the energy, the fuel, and the wisdom to be here today.”

James said the Phillies told him they were targeting him in the fourth round of the 2007 draft, but he said he wanted to go to college. He had a baseball scholarship to Florida and had a chance to also play football. He loved the coaches who recruited him out of Williston, Fla.

The Phillies didn’t draft him in the fourth round, so James took a nap, set on going to college. A scout woke him up after the Phillies drafted him in the 22nd round. James said thanks, but he was still going to school. Florida then fired the coaching staff that recruited him.

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James already made his choice and felt as if he had to go.

“I cried over that decision,” said James, now 35. “I cried a couple times.”

Something didn’t feel right at that orientation. James called the Phillies scout and said he wanted to sign. He drove to Clearwater, Fla., and began his career as a right-handed pitcher. His first minor-league season was a struggle as he dealt with a throbbing arm. James was diagnosed a year later with a stress reaction in his humerus, the bone in the upper arm.

“It lingered, and I was fed up with sitting on the sidelines,” James said. “So I asked the Phillies if I could play the outfield. They said, ‘Be ready for the next spring training.’”

James spent the next seven seasons as a minor league outfielder, flashing the skills that made him a prospect. He was just as fast in center field as he was patrolling the football field as a defensive back in high school.

James joined the Phillies system three months before the major league team finally returned to the playoffs and watched from home as they won the 2008 World Series. He became friendly with the stars of that team, guys who James said carried themselves like regular people despite being heroes.

“It made you want to be one of the guys,” James said.

There were times when it was easy to imagine James being one of those guys. In July 2012, he made a catch in Reading that ended up on SportsCenter. James climbed the wall to nab a would-be home run but missed the ball with his glove before he fell to the dirt.

“I was mad about it,” James said. “But once I hit the ground, the ball was in my hand. I don’t know how. I got up, showed it to the ump, and they called him out.”

It was like an illusion, and it’s still hard to figure out on replays how James caught it with his bare hand. There was no denying James’ talent in the outfield, but his bat seemed to lag behind. The injuries kept coming, too. For James, it always felt like something.

He had knee surgery before the 2013 season and then stomach surgery after the season to address Crohn’s disease, a chronic disease that causes inflammation in the digestive tract. James lost 30 pounds and still wasn’t recovered by the time spring training started in 2014.

“It was rough,” he said.

Soon, it was time to go. James started a youth baseball program and now coaches a high school team in Florida. He used to help coach his old high school team during the offseason when he was a pro. Now, it’s his passion.

“It’s my way to give back,” James said.

James said his hometown is the type of place where everyone knows everyone. The teachers don’t just know your parents. They know your grandparents, too. There are grocery stores but no supermarkets. And it was a big deal when they added a third stop light.

“The third one used to be just a flashing caution light,” James said.

So it’s the type of place where when someone makes it, everyone feels like they made it. James never reached the majors, but he had a chance to play for a major college program and then became a professional athlete. It’s easy to see how that inspired a kid who lived in the neighborhood.

“A lot of the kids looked up to him,” Mitchell said. “It was great for us. He told me to be respectful, do your job, and be aware of your surroundings. Even today, he gives me pointers and good advice.”

James looked into flying to New Orleans for the Super Bowl, but Monday is the season opener for Union County High School, the baseball team he coaches. It could be a challenge to get back for the game. James tells his team everything about his career — the good and the bad — as he says, it’s his job to pass on the lessons people passed on to him. That’s what he did for Mitchell. On Monday, he can tell his high schoolers about the kid from his small town who carried that inspiration all the way to football’s biggest stage.

“Everyone is pulling for him,” James said. “It gives hope. It gives hope to the younger kids watching it now, letting them know that they can make it. It’s huge to see him have the success he had. Once you show that you can do it, coming from a small town, you’re showing the kids that it’s possible. That’s what it’s all about.

“He’s giving the whole city hope right now. There’s a lot of young kids watching. It’s like, ‘If he can do it, then I want to be the next Quinyon Mitchell.’”