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Big numbers
Parker's 97-mph fastball could bring him millions of dollars in draft
By Michael Pointer
[email protected]
June 7, 2007
OSSIAN, Ind. It has become a regular sight in this town about 20 miles south of Fort Wayne.
Norwell pitcher Jarrod Parker heads to the bullpen to warm up, and nearly a dozen major league scouts follow, huddling along the left field line with notebooks in hand.
They sit in the bleachers behind the backstop during the game, radar guns extended. Local fans peek over their shoulders, seeing where the hard-throwing right-hander's next pitch might register.
Sometimes, it reads 97 mph -- the best high school fastball in the country.
"All the kids around here say, 'Man, you're going to be on TV someday,' " Parker said.
Perhaps as soon as today.
For the first time, baseball's annual draft will be televised. Parker declined an invitation to attend the draft show in Orlando, Fla., but he figures to get some airtime nonetheless. He might become the second-highest pick directly from an Indiana high school. Former Kokomo High School left-hander Pat Underwood was the second player selected in 1976. Parker is projected as a first-round pick, and analysts said his name could be one of the first 10 called.
Not that he's overly concerned.
"I just try to focus on one day at a time and not concentrate on that fact," he said recently. "It (playing in the major leagues) is going to happen sooner or later, whether I go to college or sign. I'm just doing everything I can to stay healthy between starts."
Parker is 10-0 with a 0.13 ERA and 101 strikeouts. Norwell, which plays Saturday in the semistates, is 32-0 and ranked No. 1 in Class 3A.
The key number, however, figures to be between $1.5 million and $2 million. That's the signing bonus he figures to receive if he is selected in the middle of the first round. Baseball America has him ranked as the 19th-best prospect in the nation.
"It may have even been modest in that because of his arm strength and he has shown a feel for two secondary pitches," said associate editor Alan Matthews, who covers high schools and the draft for Baseball America. "He's not a grip-it and rip-it type pitcher. He's got a good breaking ball."
Parker has signed with Georgia Tech, but dollars like that -- or perhaps higher -- likely will send him to the professional ranks instead.
"Is he signable? Absolutely he's signable," said Brent Parker, Jarrod's father. "He wants to go pro and he wants to do it out of high school, if everything is right."
Matthews said Parker was considered a top-five round prospect last summer after a series of strong performances, including a stint with USA Baseball's junior national team that finished second in the World Junior Championship.
The fact he was throwing so hard early this high school season pushed him well into the first round. Matthews said that is rare for a high school pitcher, especially one from a northern school.
Parker doesn't look like a power pitcher. He is listed at 6-1 and 175 pounds, though he said he has added strength in the weight room and now weighs 183.
"God gave him a great arm," Norwell coach Kelby Weybright said. "He understands mechanics. He's very fluid. But at the end of the day, it comes down to arm speed."
Parker has been compared to Atlanta's Tim Hudson and Houston's Roy Oswalt, both slightly-built, hard-throwing right-handers.
Parker grew up in a baseball-playing family. Older brother Justin was a 43rd-round draft pick in 2005 and now plays shortstop at Wright State. The two were teammates at Fort Wayne Wayne High School. After Justin graduated, Jarrod transferred.
People close to Jarrod said a turning point came two summers ago, when he excelled at the Area Code Baseball Games, a prospect-laden, invitation-only event in Long Beach, Calif.
"He started believing in himself," said Mark DeLaGarza, Parker's manager with the Fort Wayne-based Summit City Sluggers summer team and a part-time scout for the Minnesota Twins. "He came back from that a much more focused and confident kid."
Parker expects to spend part of today at practice, then watch the draft at home with a few friends while his mother makes cookies.
"You never know what's going to happen," Parker said. "I want to go early, but I really just want to play ball."
Draft revision
Today, Norwell pitcher Jarrod Parker could become the second highest drafted high school baseball player in Indiana history. Following is a list of Hoosiers selected in the first round. It does not include college players, including two former No. 1 overall picks: Andy Benes (1988, Evansville) and Bryan Bullington (2002, Ball State).
Pick Player (high school) Year MLB team
2 Pat Underwood (Kokomo) 1976 Tigers
14 Tim Maki (Carroll) 1980 Rangers
16 Jeff Wehmeier (Brebeuf Jesuit) 1971 Cubs
19 Larry Hutton (Greenfield) 1966 Dodgers
21 Gary Thurman (North Central) 1983 Royals
22 Tony Moretto (Evansville Harrison) 1975 Reds
23 Steve Reed (Fort Wayne Wayne) 1974 Reds
24 Andy Brown (Richmond) 1998 Yankees
27 A.J. Zapp (Center Grove) 1996 Braves
31* Preston Mattingly (Evansville Central) 2006 Dodgers
37* Ben VanRyn (East Noble) 1990 Expos
38* Kelcey Mucker (Lawrenceburg) 1993 Twins
* pick made between the first and second round.
Source: Baseball America, Star research
