The following information and footage was gathered during Parker's April 26th, 2009 start against Modesto. While we've offered up some basic information, this is your chance to scout Jarrod Parker! Let our Video and Photo forum be your medium to express your scouting thoughts. We'll listen and maybe even publish quality observations.
Important Note:
Our initial seats were at a vantage point that nearly eclipsed Parker when lefties were hitting. We moved up to a higher elevation after the first inning.
The Basics:
Fastball: Parker's four-seam fastball sat at 94-97, and touched 98 once. His two-seam fastball was 89-92 -- he primarily used this pitch in the first inning. His two-seamer has a decent amount of movement. Parker did not locate his four-seam fastball particularly well. When he struck hitters out with it, he was overpowering them more than getting them with good location.
Curveball: He threw a total of two breaking balls that were in the mid-70s and from an over-the-top arm slot toward the begining of the game. This pitch had more break than his other breaking ball, which sat 80-83. I was calling his mid-70s offering his curve and low-80s offering his slider during the game, but if someone only saw his slider, they may call it a curve. While Parker only struck one batter out with a breaking ball -- the final batter in the fourth inning -- he showed the ability to throw it for strikes and it had a lot of movement.
Changeup: His changeup was 80-84 and had excellent, downward movement as it approached the plate. He struck three hitters out with the pitch -- one to finish the second inning (looking), one to record the first out of the third inning (swinging), and one to record his final out in the fifth inning (swinging).
Box Score Breakdown:
5.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 8 K, 0 HR, 1 WP (19 TBF)
Parker nearly worked his way out of a leadoff double in the second inning -- lone XBH. But a wild pitch and passed ball combination allowed the runner to advance to third base and then score.
Overall Observations:
We'll post our overall observations in our Video and Photo forum.