Jarrod Parker

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Athletics #1 prospect in 2012
  The Athletics have had one of the American League's best young pitching staffs in recent years. But the team wasn't on track to contend before those arms started getting expensive, so Oakland's front office took the long view after the 2011 season and sought to cash in on some of its coveted pitchers. In December, the A's traded homegrown all-star Trevor Cahill and Craig Breslow to the Diamondbacks for prospects Parker, Collin Cowgill and Ryan Cook. The ninth overall pick in the 2007 draft, Parker signed for $2.1 million. He breezed through the lower minors and reached Double-A as a 20-year-old in 2009. Elbow tightness sidelined him that July, shortly after he pitched in the Futures Game. After rest and rehab didn't solve the problem, Parker had Tommy John surgery in October 2009 and missed the entire 2010 season. He came back strong last year, making 26 starts in Double-A and ranking second in the Southern League in opponent average (.236) and fifth in ERA (3.79). He was excellent in the SL playoffs, allowing two runs in two starts as Mobile won the championship. Called up to Arizona in September, he made his major league debut with 52⁄3 scoreless innings against the Dodgers on Sept. 27. He also earned a spot on the Diamondbacks' postseason roster. Parker has streamlined mechanics that allow him to get excellent velocity out of a smaller frame. The ball jumps out of his hand and he was able to touch the upper 90s before his surgery. These days, he usually works in the mid-90s and peaks at 96 mph with his four-seam fastball. He developed his two-seamer into a real weapon in the second half of last season, operating in low 90s with good sink. Parker gets swings and misses with a slider and a changeup, both of which he throws at 81-86 mph. His slider rated as a well above-average offering with tilt and depth before he got hurt, though it's more of a plus pitch now. He has very good touch with his changeup, a solid offering with a chance to get better. He also can mix in an average curveball that's more of a show-me pitch. Parker is an outstanding athlete who regained his easy delivery after his elbow reconstruction. He works with a quick tempo, and scouts noticed he was more mature on the mound last season. Parker has true front-line starter potential and isn't far from reaching it. The A's aren't afraid to install talented youngsters in their big league rotation, and he'll get the opportunity to earn a starting job in spring training. If Oakland continues to deal more of their established arms, Parker and 2011 first-rounder Sonny Gray may headline their rotation of the future. In an ideal world, Parker and Gray will hit their stride as the A's move into a new ballpark, wherever and whenever that might happen.
• 
  Ranked Arizona Diamondbacks #1 prospect in 2011
  Parker has ranked No. 1 on this list for three straight years, but he almost didn't become a Diamondback. If the Royals had taken Josh Vitters with the second overall pick in the 2007 draft, the Cubs would have followed by selecting Parker. But Kansas City switched to Mike Moustakas on the day of the draft, Chicago went for Vitters and Arizona landed Parker with the ninth choice. He signed for $2.1 million at the Aug. 15 deadline, too late to make his pro debut, and then jumped on the fast track. He began his pro career at low Class A South Bend in 2008 and reached Double-A Mobile by May of the following year. Parker had no trouble handling Double-A hitters as a 20-year-old and ranked as the Southern League's top pitching prospect. Elbow tightness forced him to the sidelines in late July, however. After skipping planned stints with Team USA and in Arizona Fall League in an attempt to recover with rest, he had Tommy John surgery in October 2009 and sat out the entire 2010 season. After rehabbing at the Diamondbacks' Tucson complex early in the year, Parker spent the second half with Mobile, throwing side sessions and simulate games. He didn't pitch in a real game until instructional league. Parker appeared to be back to full strength during instructional league, with more confidence and better mechanics than he had before he blew out his elbow. His delivery was smooth before he got hurt, however, and wasn't blamed for his injury. Parker has a quick arm that easily generates above-average velocity. During instructional league, his fastball sat at 94-95 mph and touched 97. His streamlined mechanics give him good fastball command as well. Despite the quality of his fastball, his slider is his best pitch. He throws it in the low 80s with nice tilt and two-plane depth, making it a true swing-and-miss pitch. Parker also throws an 80-83 mph changeup that was on its way to becoming a plus pitch before he got hurt. He also has an effective mid-70s curveball he uses mostly as a show-me pitch. Parker has the stuff to become an ace. The track record for pitchers coming back from Tommy John is encouraging, and from all indications, he'll return as strong as before. Arizona hasn't ruled out the possibility that he could break camp in the big league rotation with an impressive spring training, and scouts who saw him in instructional league say he's ready to pitch in the majors. It's more likely that the Diamondbacks will be more cautious, having him start 2011 in Double-A and limiting him to 130-140 innings in his first year back. Regardless, Parker soon will be a key cog at the front of their rotation.
• 
  Ranked Arizona Diamondbacks #1 prospect in 2010
  If the Royals hadn't changed their minds on the day of the 2007 draft, they would have taken Josh Vitters second overall and the Cubs would have followed by selecting Parker. But Kansas City went with a different high school hitter, Mike Moustakas, so Vitters fell to Chicago and Parker fell to the Diamondbacks, who were thrilled to get him with the ninth overall pick. After signing late that summer for $2.1 million, Parker ranked as the low Class A Midwest League's No. 3 prospect in his 2008 pro debut. Parker needed just four starts at high Class A Visalia last April to earn a promotion to Double-A Mobile, and he rated as the Southern League's top pitching prospect despite being shut down for the season with elbow tightness in late July. He hoped rest and rehab would cure his elbow, and skipped planned stints with Team USA and in the Arizona Fall League. He started throwing side sessions again in September, but when his elbow didn't improve, he had Tommy John surgery in late October. Even if he misses all of 2010, Parker is still well ahead of the learning curve at age 21. His brother Justin, a third baseman, signed with Arizona as a sixth-round pick in 2008 and spent last season in low Class A. When healthy, Parker sits at 93-95 mph and touches 97 with his fastball. His size and the ease with which he generates velocity earn him comparisons to Tim Lincecum. Parker offers three quality secondary pitches to go along with his heater. His 80-84 mph slider, a swing-and-miss pitch with late tilt and two-plane depth, rates a 70 on the 20-80 scouting scale. His curveball has classic 12-to-6 break. His changeup came a long way last season, showing flashes of becoming a plus pitch. He trusts his stuff, shows command of all four pitches and has a presence on the mound. He's athletic and repeats his delivery well. Though Parker needed reconstructive surgery, there are no red flags in his mechanics. Scouts always have been impressed with Parker's smooth, clean arm action and compact, easy delivery. Outside of Parker's health, there's not much to quibble with. He'll miss all or most of the 2010 season, and may not regain his full stuff and command until mid-2011. He still needs to refine his overall feel for pitching, and he can get inconsistent with his location in the strike zone. He overthrows occasionally, leaving pitches up. His fastball doesn't have great late life and can get flat at times. Before his elbow injury, Parker was on the verge of becoming the third high school pitcher to race from the 2007 draft to the majors, following Tigers righthander Rick Porcello and Giants lefthander Madison Bumgarner. Though it's obviously a setback, Tommy John surgery shouldn't have a long-term effect on Parker's value as a prospect because of the track record of pitchers recovering from elbow reconstruction. He still should be a bona fide top-of-the-rotation starter, it's just that his timetable will be delayed. If all goes well in his recovery, he could join the Diamondbacks late in the 2011 season.
• 
  Ranked Arizona Diamondbacks #1 prospect in 2009
  Parker overpowered weak competition in the Indiana high school ranks as an amateur, and when he returned to the state last season to pitch for low Class A South Bend, he was nearly as dominant while ranking as the Midwest League's No. 3 prospect. He was about two hours from home, where he had emerged from obscurity to become the ninth overall pick in the 2007 draft. Parker earned his first widespread attention pitching for USA Baseball's junior national team in 2006, shocking scouts with his easy velocity from a relatively small frame. He didn't pitch for the Diamondbacks in 2007 after signing for $2.1 million, then piled up 129 innings between the regular season and playoffs in 2008. Arizona closely monitored his workload, keeping him on very limited pitch counts early in the season, and he worked into the seventh inning just once all season. He seemed to tire at midseason but rebounded to go 3-0, 1.91 in his final six regular-season starts. He also was one of the most impressive pitchers in Arizona's instructional league camp. From the first time scouts saw him, they have been impressed with the easy, high-90s velocity Parker generates from such a smooth arm action. He sits at 94 mph and touches 98 and looks like he could do it all day, drawing comparisons to Tim Lincecum. The Diamondbacks were also impressed with his feel for pitching and his aptitude in quickly improving his other three pitches. He developed better definition between his slider and curveball, with the slider the better pitch in Arizona's eyes. It's a true power breaker in the upper 80s. He seems more confident in the curveball, which also can be a plus pitch and is valuable for changing hitters' eye level. He never had to throw a changeup in high school but showed good feel for it. He was throwing it in hitter's counts and getting swings and misses by the end of the year. Parker is athletic and able to repeat his delivery, and he shows strong command of all four of his pitches. He's athletic and able to overcome his lack of height to get a good downhill plane on his pitches. Parker needs to be diligent about working to the bottom of the zone, because while young hitters will chase his fastball up, better hitters won't. His fastball command is good for his experience level, but he's still working on locating the ball to both sides of the plate with precision. He's also learning how to work through a game efficiently without piling up huge pitch counts. Arizona expected a great arm with the ninth overall pick, but Parker's polish has been a bonus, particularly with his limited amateur experience. His four legitimate pitches, command and polished delivery are a recipe for stability and success. He'll open 2009 at either high Class A Visalia or Double-A Mobile, depending on his spring, but either way he'll pitch at multiple levels this season--and one of those levels could be the big leagues.
• 
  Ranked Arizona Diamondbacks #2 prospect in 2008
  Parker drew his first widespread notice pitching for the U.S. junior national team in September 2006, and he continued to shoot up draft boards as a high school senior. He overmatched inferior high school competition in Indiana, going 7-0, 0.20 with 68 strikeouts in 34 innings. The Diamondbacks grabbed him with the ninth overall pick and signed him just before the Aug. 15 deadline for a $2.1 million bonus. Though he didn't pitch during the summer, Parker showed the Diamondbacks his stuff in instructional league, flashing the easy 93-97 mph fastball that so excited scouts. His hard curveball already rates as the best in the system, and he also has a mid-80s slider. He earns comparisons to Tim Lincecum and Scott Kazmir for his quick arm, smooth mechanics and small frame. The Diamondbacks also like his intelligence, attitude, athleticism and how easily he repeats his delivery. Parker is working on getting more separation between his curveball and slider. Though he has a feel for the strike zone and for throwing a changeup, he still needs to work on both. He hasn't thrown a professional pitch yet, but Arizona already believes Parker was worth the price it paid to sign him. He'll make his professional debut at low Class A South Bend.

Minor League Top Prospects

• 
  Ranked Southern League #5 prospect in 2011
  Parker reached Mobile as a 20-year-old in 2009, but Tommy John surgery after the season caused him to miss all of last season. He initially struggled upon his return to the mound this year, but he posted a 2.84 ERA in the second half to earn a September callup. He pitched 5 2/3 shutout innings against the Dodgers in his first big league start. A good athlete with a sound delivery, Parker ranges from 90-95 mph with his fastball. He has learned to pitch more off a two-seamer, getting plenty of grounders and improving his command. His slider was a plus-plus offering before he got hurt, and though he struggled to regain his feel for it early in 2011, it was an above-average pitch again by midseason. He started using his average curveball more frequently this year. He throws a changeup with deceptive arm speed, and it could become a consistent swing-and-miss pitch.
• 
  Ranked Southern League #5 prospect in 2009
  Parker has the stuff to be one of the top pitchers in baseball, but a late-season elbow injury kept him out for the season's final five weeks. He began throwing again in September and hopes to avoid surgery. When healthy, Parker was electric, with a fastball that sat at 93-95 mph and touched 97 mph late into his outings. He also drops his arm slot on occasion to get more sink and induce more grounders. His 80-84 mph slider is a swing-and-miss offering against both lefthanders and righthanders. It has hard, late tilt and two-plane depth, getting plus to plus-plus grades from scouts. His 81-84 mph changeup is inconsistent but also shows flashes of being an above-average pitch. He also mixes in an occasional 75-78 mph curveball as a fourth offering. Parker has smooth, fluid arm action, and his athleticism helps him repeat his compact, free-and-easy delivery. "The thing I liked about him was he's a very good athlete with a feel for pitching," Montgomery manager Billy Gardner Jr. said. "He was able to throw four pitches around the plate for strikes."
• 
  Ranked Midwest League #3 prospect in 2008
  The debate as to whether Feliz or Parker was the league's best pitching prospect was evenly split. Feliz's velocity, performance and size were more impressive, but Parker isn't lacking in those categories and he's more polished. Parker sat at 92-93 mph and topped out at 97, using good extension out front to creates good downward plane despite being just 6 feet tall. His secondary stuff and command are better than Feliz's, and Parker has a chance to have a plus slider, plus curveball and average changeup. He generates quality stuff with athleticism, arm speed and very little effort. "Like no other guy his size, he throws downhill and he does it easy," a National League scout said. "When you're 6 foot tall and you throw downhill with that velocity, that's special."

Top 100 Rankings

• Ranked Baseball America's #26 prospect in 2012
• Ranked Baseball America's #33 prospect in 2011
• Ranked Baseball America's #36 prospect in 2010
• Ranked Baseball America's #29 prospect in 2009
• Ranked Baseball America's #46 prospect in 2008

• December, 2011 Scouting Report
  Background: The Athletics have had one of the American League's best young pitching staffs in recent years. But the team wasn't on track to contend before those arms started getting expensive, so Oakland's front office took the long view after the 2011 season and sought to cash in on some of its coveted pitchers. In December, the A's traded homegrown all-star Trevor Cahill and Craig Breslow to the Diamondbacks for prospects Parker, Collin Cowgill and Ryan Cook. The ninth overall pick in the 2007 draft, Parker signed for $2.1 million. After not facing stiff competition in high school, he'd burst onto the radar in the summer of 2006, when he helped Team USA earn a sliver medal at the World Junior Championship. He breezed through the lower minors and reached Double-A as a 20-year-old early in his second pro season in 2009. Elbow tightness sidelined him that July, shortly after he pitched in the Futures Game. After rest and rehab didn't solve the problem, Parker had Tommy John surgery in October 2009 and missed the entire 2010 season. He came back strong last year, making 26 starts in Double-A and ranking second in the Southern League in opponent average (.236) and fifth in ERA (3.79). He was excellent in the SL playoffs, allowing two runs in two starts as Mobile won the championship. Called up to Arizona in September, he made his major league debut with 5 2/3 scoreless innings against the Dodgers on Sept. 27. He and earned a spot on the Diamondbacks' postseason roster and pitched one inning in the National League Division Series. Scouting Report: Parker has streamlined mechanics that allow him to get excellent velocity out of a smaller frame. The ball jumps out of his hand and he was able to touch the upper 90s before his surgery. These days, he usually works in the mid-90s and peaks at 96 mph with his four-seam fastball. He developed his two-seamer into a real weapon in the second half of last season, operating in the low 90s with good sink. Parker gets swings and misses with a slider and a changeup, both of which he throws at 81-86 mph. His slider rated as a well above-average offering with tilt and depth before he got hurt, though it's more of a plus pitch now. He has very good touch with his changeup, a solid offering with a chance to get better. He also can mix in an average curveball that's more of a show-me pitch. Parker is an outstanding athlete who regained his easy delivery after his elbow reconstruction. He works with a quick tempo, and scouts noticed he was more mature on the mound last season. The Future: Parker has true frontline-starter potential and isn't far away from reaching it. The A's aren't afraid to install talented youngsters in their big league rotation, and after getting through last season healthy, he'll get the opportunity to earn a starting job in spring training. If Oakland continues to deal more of their established arms, Parker and 2011 first-rounder Sonny Gray may headline their rotation of the future. In an ideal world, Parker and Gray will hit their stride as the A's move into a new ballpark, wherever and whenever that might happen.
• December, 2011 Scouting Report
  Background: Signed for $2.1 million as the ninth overall pick in the 2007 draft, Parker ranked No. 1 on this list for three years. His new status reflects the strength of the system rather than any decline on his part. He made a strong comeback after missing 2010 following Tommy John surgery, especially in the second half when he regained his command and added an effective two-seam fastball. He made his major league debut in late September and earned a spot on the postseason roster. Scouting Report: Parker has streamlined mechanics that allow him to get excellent velocity out of a smaller frame. He usually works in the mid-90s and has reached 100 mph with his four-seam fastball, and he operates in the low 90s with good sink on his two-seamer. He gets swings and misses with a slider and a changeup that he throws in the 81-86 mph range. His slider rated as a well above-average offering before he got hurt, though it's more of a plus pitch now. Parker also mixes in an average curveball. His easy delivery returned after his elbow reconstruction and scouts noticed a more mature pitcher on the mound. The Future: Parker has a good chance of securing a rotation job in spring training. He's yet another Diamondbacks pitching prospect with frontline potential.
• December, 2010 Scouting Report
  Background: Parker has ranked No. 1 on this list for three straight years, but he almost didn't become a Diamondback. If the Royals had taken Josh Vitters with the second overall pick in the 2007 draft, the Cubs would have followed by selecting Parker. But Kansas City switched to Mike Moustakas on the day of the draft, Chicago went for Vitters and Arizona landed Parker with the ninth choice. He signed for $2.1 million at the Aug. 15 deadline, too late to make his pro debut, and then jumped on the fast track. He began his pro career at low Class A South Bend in 2008 and reached Double-A Mobile by May of the following year. Parker had no trouble handling Double-A hitters as a 20-year old and ranked as the Southern League's top pitching prospect. Elbow tightness forced him to the sidelines in late July, however. After skipping planned stints with Team USA and the Arizona Fall League in an attempt to recover with rest, he had Tommy John surgery in October 2009 and sat out the entire 2010 season. After rehabbing at the Diamondbacks' Tucson complex early in the year, Parker spent the second half with Mobile, throwing side sessions and simulate games. While he was champing at the bit to get back on the mound, he didn't pitch in a real game until instructional league. Scouting Report: Parker appeared to be back to full strength during instructional league, with more confidence and better mechanics than he had before he blew out his elbow. His delivery was smooth before he got hurt, however, and wasn't blamed for his injury. Though he's just 6-foot-1, Parker has a quick arm that easily generates above-average velocity. During instructional league, his fastball sat at 94-95 mph and touched 97. His streamlined mechanics give him good fastball command as well. Despite the quality of his fastball, his slider is actually his best pitch. He throws it in the low 80s with nice tilt and two-plane depth, making it a true swing-and-miss pitch. Parker also throws an 80-83 mph changeup that was on its way to becoming a plus pitch before he got hurt. He also has an effective mid-70s curveball he uses mostly as a show-me pitch. He showed more consistency with his offspeed pitches in instructional league than he did before his injury. The Future: Parker has the stuff to become an ace. The track record for pitchers coming back from Tommy John is encouraging, and from all indications, he'll return as strong, if not stronger, than before. Arizona hasn't ruled out the possibility that he could break camp in the big league rotation with an impressive spring training, and scouts who saw him in instructional league say he's ready to pitch in the majors. It's more likely that the Diamondbacks will be more cautious, having him start 2011 in Double-A and limiting him to 130-140 innings in his first year back. Regardless, Parker soon will be a key cog at the front of their rotation. With Dan Haren traded to the Angels last year and former Cy Young Award winner Brandon Webb unlikely to return after missing almost all of the last two seasons with shoulder problems, Arizona doesn't have a starting pitcher with close to Parker's upside.