Mitchell James Parker (born September 27, 1999) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Washington Nationals of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2024.

Amateur

Parker grew up in

Albuquerque, New Mexico Albuquerque ( ; ), ; kee, Arawageeki; tow, Vakêêke; zun, Alo:ke:k'ya; apj, Gołgéeki'yé. abbreviated ABQ, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico. Its nicknames, The Duke City and Burque, both reference its founding in ...

and attended

Manzano High School Manzano High School is a public high school located in northeast Albuquerque, New Mexico. It is part of the Albuquerque Public Schools system. The current principal is Rachel Vigil. History While still sophomores, Manzano's first senior class ...

. Parker was selected in the 28th round of the

2018 Major League Baseball draft The 2018 Major League Baseball (MLB) First-Year Player Draft began on June 4, 2018. The draft assigned amateur baseball players to MLB teams. The draft order was determined based on the reverse order of the 2017 MLB season final standings. In a ...

by the

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is located ...

, but opted not to sign with the team. Parker played junior college baseball at San Jacinto College. He posted a 6–0 record with 111 strikeouts and a 1.54 ERA in innings over 13 starts in his freshman season. Parker was selected in the 27th round of the

2019 Major League Baseball draft The 2019 Major League Baseball (MLB) First-Year Player Draft was held from June 3 to 5, 2019. The draft assigned amateur baseball players to MLB teams. The draft order was set based on the reverse order of the 2018 MLB season standings. In additi ...

by the Tampa Bay Rays, but decided to return to San Jacinto for a second season. In his sophomore season, Parker went 5–0 with a 1.19 ERA and 64 strikeouts in innings pitched over six starts before the season was cut short due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Professional career

The Washington Nationals selected Parker in the fifth round of the

2020 Major League Baseball draft The 2020 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft took place on June 10 and 11, 2020. The draft assigned amateur baseball players to Major League Baseball (MLB) teams. The draft order was set based on the reverse order of the 2019 MLB season ...

. He signed with the team on June 23, 2020, and received a $100,000

signing bonus A signing bonus or sign-on bonus is a sum of money paid to a new employee (including a professional sports person) by a company as an incentive to join that company. They are often given as a way of making a compensation package more attractive ...

. Parker was assigned to the Fredericksburg Nationals of Low-A East to start the 2021 season. He was promoted to the High-A Wilmington Blue Rocks on July 13, 2021, after going 3–7 with a 4.08 ERA and 85 strikeouts over innings pitched with Fredericksburg. Parker finished the season with a 4–12 record and a 4.87 ERA with 144 strikeouts in innings pitched. On November 14, 2023, the Nationals added Parker to their

40-man roster A Major League Baseball roster is a list of players who are allowed, by league agreement, to play for a Major League Baseball (MLB) team. Each MLB team maintains two rosters: an active roster of players eligible to participate in an MLB game, and ...

to protect him from the Rule 5 draft. He was optioned to the Triple–A

Rochester Red Wings The Rochester Red Wings are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals. They are located in Rochester, New York, and play their home games at Innovative Field ...

to begin the 2024 season. On April 15, 2024, the Nationals promoted Parker to the major leagues for the first time, optioning Amos Willingham to Triple-A to making room for the former on the active roster. Parker was named the starting pitcher against the Dodgers on

Jackie Robinson Day Jackie Robinson Day is a traditional event which occurs annually on April 15 in Major League Baseball (MLB), commemorating and honoring the day Jackie Robinson made his major league debut. Celebrated at MLB ballparks, on that one day, all player ...

in his debut. He logged 5 innings, three strikeouts, and recorded the win. In his second-career outing, Parker started a home game against the Astros. He pitched for 7 innings, recorded 8 strikeouts, and did not let up a single run.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Parker, Mitchell 1999 births Living people Baseball players from Albuquerque, New Mexico Fredericksburg Nationals players Harrisburg Senators players Major League Baseball pitchers Rochester Red Wings players San Jacinto Central Ravens baseball players Washington Nationals players Wilmington Blue Rocks players