Jarrod Parker is a pitcher who was drafted by the Arizona Diamondbacks of Major League Baseball 9th overall in the 2007 Major League Baseball Draft.^[1][2] He was drafted straight out of high school from Norwell High School in Ossian, Indiana. On October 28th 2009, Parker underwent successful Tommy John surgery and is expected to miss the entire 2010 season. ^[3] He is the Diamondbacks top prospect despite the injury.

Contents 1 Professional 1.1 Draft 1.2 Minor leagues 1.3 Pitching Repertoire 2 References

[edit] Professional

[edit] Draft

Parker was drafted by the Arizona Diamondbacks with the 9th overall pick of the 2007 amateur draft and signed with the Diamondbacks on August 15, 2007 for $2.1M. Parker was the first high school arm taken in the draft. It took Parker up until just a few hours prior to the deadline for draftees to sign, as he was weighing his options and had Georgia Tech as his fallback plan.

[edit] Minor leagues

After signing late, he missed out on pro-ball in the 2007 season, but he jumped right into Single-A in 2008 and held his own as a 19-year-old, pitching for the South Bend SilverHawks. He had a 12-5 record with a 3.44 ERA, fanning 177 in 117 innings. After starting 2009 at high A Visalia, he was promoted in April to the Diamondbacks Double A affiliate, the Mobile BayBears. During a start on July 30th, Parker injured his right elbow. He did not pitch again that season and ended up requiring Tommy John surgery. He is expected to be ready for the start of the 2011 season.

[edit] Pitching Repertoire

Parker's main pitch is his 96-MPH fast ball. He has also mixed a modest slider, curve, and change into his arsenal. His curveball and slider both hit 78-MPH but don't have much movement. Much like his breaking pitches, he doesn't use his changeup often either (which is around 82-MPH). He has the command to throw any of his pitches for strikes, which does make them very effective. ^[4]

[edit] References

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