Jarrett Paul Parker (born January 1, 1989) is an American former
professional baseball
Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world.
Mod ...
outfielder
An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to cat ...
. He played in
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...
(MLB) for the
San Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco, California. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1883 as the New Yor ...
and
Los Angeles Angels
The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. Since 1966, the team ha ...
.
Amateur career
Born in
Fort Belvoir, Virginia
A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...
, Parker attended
Colonial Forge High School
Colonial Forge High School is a public high school in Stafford, Virginia serving students in grades nine through twelve in the central portion of Stafford County, Virginia.
Location and demographics
Colonial Forge is located on Courthouse Road, ...
in
Stafford, Virginia
Stafford is a census-designated place (listed as Stafford Courthouse) in and the county seat of Stafford County in the northern part of the U.S. Commonwealth of Virginia. The population of Stafford County as of the 2010 United States Census w ...
. Parker later attended the
University of Virginia
The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, the university is ranked among the top academic institutions in the United S ...
from 2008 to 2010. After struggling as a freshman, Parker led his team to the College World Series as a sophomore in 2009, hitting .355 with 16 home runs. In the summer of 2009, he played for the
Brewster Whitecaps
The Brewster Whitecaps are a collegiate summer baseball team based in Brewster, Massachusetts. The team is a member of the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL) and plays in the league's East Division. The Whitecaps play their home games at Stony Brook ...
of the
Cape Cod Baseball League
The Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL or Cape League) is a collegiate summer baseball wooden bat league located on Cape Cod in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. One of the nation's premier collegiate summer leagues, the league boasts over one thousan ...
. As a junior, Parker hit .333 with ten home runs.
Professional career
San Francisco Giants
Parker was drafted by the
San Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco, California. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1883 as the New Yor ...
in the second round (74th overall) of the
2010 Major League Baseball Draft
The 2010 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft was held on June 7–9, 2010 at the MLB Network Studios in Secaucus, New Jersey.
First-round selections
The draft order was determined based on the 2009 MLB standings, with the worst team pic ...
. Parker spent 2011 and 2012 with the Single-A
San Jose Giants
The San Jose Giants are a Minor League Baseball team of the California League and the Single-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants. Located in San Jose, California, the Giants play their home games at Excite Ballpark.
Games
San Jose Giants ga ...
and was promoted to the Double-A
Richmond Flying Squirrels
The Richmond Flying Squirrels are a Minor League Baseball team based in Richmond, Virginia. The team, which is a part of the Eastern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants major league club, and plays at The Diamond. Th ...
for 2013 and 2014.
The Giants promoted Parker to the major leagues for one day in August 2014, but he did not appear in a game before being optioned to Triple-A
Fresno
Fresno () is a major city in the San Joaquin Valley of California, United States. It is the county seat of Fresno County and the largest city in the greater Central Valley region. It covers about and had a population of 542,107 in 2020, maki ...
. Because he was on the Major League roster for part of the season, Parker received a
2014 World Series
The 2014 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 2014 season. The 110th edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff between the National League (NL) champion San Francisco Giants and the Ameri ...
ring, even though he did not play in the majors. In his first four minor league seasons, Parker hit 61 home runs and stole 73 bases, hitting .255 and striking out over 100 times each season.
2015
Parker was promoted for the second time on June 10, 2015, and made his major league debut on June 13, 2015, playing right field and batting 0-for-3 with two strikeouts. On June 14, 2015, Parker got his first major league hit with a single against
Rubby De La Rosa
Rubby Nick De La Rosa Corporan (born March 4, 1989) is a Dominican professional baseball pitcher for the Yomiuri Giants of Nippon Professional Baseball. He previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Boston Red ...
of the Arizona Diamondbacks. In four games, Parker batted .111 (1-for-9) with five strikeouts. He was optioned back to Triple-A
Sacramento
)
, image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg
, mapsize = 250x200px
, map_caption = Location within Sacramento ...
when
Gregor Blanco
Gregor Miguel Blanco Pedraza (born December 24, 1983) is a Venezuelan former professional baseball outfielder who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Atlanta Braves, the Kansas City Royals, San Francisco Giants, Washington Nationals, ...
returned from the disabled list on June 19.
Parker was recalled on September 11, 2015, and hit his first RBI that night against the
San Diego Padres
The San Diego Padres are an American professional baseball team based in San Diego. The Padres compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1969, the club has won two NL penna ...
. On September 25, Parker hit a home run into the center field seats at the
Oakland Coliseum
Oakland Coliseum, currently branded as RingCentral Coliseum, is a stadium in Oakland, California. It is part of the Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Complex, with the adjacent Oakland Arena, near Interstate 880. The Coliseum is the home b ...
estimated at . On September 26, in a 14–10 Giants victory over the Oakland A's, Parker became the first rookie in Giants franchise history to hit three home runs in one game, and the first Giant with three homers and seven RBIs since
Willie Mays
Willie Howard Mays Jr. (born May 6, 1931), nicknamed "the Say Hey Kid" and "Buck", is a former center fielder in Major League Baseball (MLB). Regarded as one of the greatest players ever, Mays ranks second behind only Babe Ruth on most all-tim ...
in 1961.
Over three games, Parker hit five home runs (including 1 grand slam) in nine at-bats.
2016
Parker opened the 2016 season with Triple-A Sacramento. He was called up to the Giants on May 9, but was sent back down a few days later. He was recalled again on May 24 following an injury to
Ángel Pagán
Ángel Manuel Pagán (born July 2, 1981) is a Puerto Rican former professional baseball outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball for the Chicago Cubs, New York Mets, and San Francisco Giants.
Pagán's original contract in Major League Base ...
. Parker was optioned again on July 29 to clear a roster spot for
Eduardo Nunez
Eduardo is the Spanish and Portuguese form of the male given name Edward. Another version is Duarte. It may refer to:
Association football
* Eduardo Bonvallet, Chilean football player and sports commentator
* Eduardo Carvalho, Portuguese footb ...
. Parker was activated again on August 28. For the season, Parker appeared in 63 games, batting .236 with 5 home runs and 14 RBIs.
2017
Parker was expected to compete with
Mac Williamson
Johnathan Mackensey Williamson (born July 15, 1990) is an American former professional baseball outfielder. He played in the Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Francisco Giants and Seattle Mariners, and in the KBO League for the Samsung Lio ...
for the starting left field job in 2017. He was named to the opening day 25-man roster for the first time in his career, platooning with
Chris Marrero
Christopher Marrero (born July 2, 1988) is a Cuban-American former professional baseball outfielder and first baseman. He played for the Washington Nationals and the San Francisco Giants in Major League Baseball (MLB) and for the Orix Buffaloes of ...
. On April 15, Parker suffered a broken right collarbone after making a running catch against the outfield wall.
He was released by the Giants on March 30, 2018.
Los Angeles Angels
On December 6, 2018, Parker signed a minor-league deal with the
Los Angeles Angels
The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. Since 1966, the team ha ...
. He opened the 2019 season with the
Salt Lake Bees
The Salt Lake Bees are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Angels. They are located in Salt Lake City, Utah, and play their home games at Smith's Ballpark. The ballpark op ...
. On July 3, the Angels selected his contract and promoted him to the major leagues. On July 13, he was designated for assignment. He became a free agent following the 2019 season.
New York Mets
On December 5, 2019, Parker signed a minor league contract with the
New York Mets
The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major league ...
.
He became a free agent on November 2, 2020.
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Parker, Jarrett
1989 births
Living people
People from Stafford County, Virginia
Baseball players from Virginia
Major League Baseball right fielders
San Francisco Giants players
Los Angeles Angels players
Virginia Cavaliers baseball players
Brewster Whitecaps players
San Jose Giants players
Richmond Flying Squirrels players
Scottsdale Scorpions players
Fresno Grizzlies players
Sacramento River Cats players
Salt Lake Bees players
Águilas Cibaeñas players
American expatriate baseball players in the Dominican Republic
Sportspeople from Fairfax County, Virginia
People from Fort Belvoir, Virginia