Blue Jays Fire Scouting Director, National Crosschecker

The Blue Jays fired scouting director Brian Parker and national crosschecker Blake Davis, two sources with the organization confirmed Wednesday.

Parker has served as the Jays’ scouting director since June 2012, overseeing drafts that all have started with righthanders: unsigned Phil Bickford (2013), Jeff Hoffman (2014, since traded to the Rockies), Jon Harris (2015) and T.J. Zeuch (2016).

His 2013 class also produced current big leaguers Matt Boyd (sixth round) and Kendall Graveman (eighth), both traded in deals that brought David Price and Josh Donaldson to Toronto and helped the Blue Jays win the American League East last year for the first time since 1993. The ’13 draft also produced lefty Chad Girodo, who has reached the majors.

Parker started working for the Jays in 2009 as a pro scout and previously worked for the Nationals/Expos franchise for seven years.

Davis previously scouted for the Royals and Athletics and signed Huston Street and Dallas Braden among others in his Houston tenure.

The two helped the Jays keep the farm system relatively well-stocked considering the aggressive trades of former general manager Alex Anthopoulos, who had worked with Parker in the Expos system. Righties Conner Greene and Sean Reid-Foley are in Double-A and both ready to help the big league club soon, while 2015 draftee Justin Maese could hop on the fast track next year. Max Pentecost, drafted in the first round in 2014 as a catcher out of Kennesaw State, has struggled with injuries but has been able to DH this season, and the Jays are encouraged by slugging first baseman Rowdy Tellez, another 2013 draft pick.

However, when Anthopoulos left the organization after team president Mark Shapiro came aboard at the end of the 2015 season, it was natural to expect changes could be possible. Shapiro brought in GM Ross Atkins from his old Cleveland stomping grounds while hiring farm director Gil Kim from the Rangers organization.

Now Shapiro will choose a new scouting director as well.