Jarrod Parker

Jarrod Parker (born November 24, 1988) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Oakland Athletics of Major League Baseball (MLB). He was drafted by the Arizona Diamondbacks as the 9th overall pick in the 2007 Major League Baseball Draft. He was drafted straight out of high school from Norwell High School in Ossian, Indiana.

Professional career

Arizona Diamondbacks

Parker was drafted by the Arizona Diamondbacks with the 9th overall pick of the 2007 amateur draft and signed with the Diamondbacks on August 15, 2007 for $2.1M. Parker was the first high school arm taken in the draft. It took Parker up until just a few hours prior to the deadline for draftees to sign, as he was weighing his options and had Georgia Tech as his fallback plan.

After signing late, he missed out on pro-ball in the 2007 season, but he jumped right into Single-A in 2008 and held his own as a 19-year-old, pitching for the South Bend Silver Hawks. He had a 12–5 record with a 3.44 ERA, fanning 177 in 117 innings. After starting 2009 at high-A Visalia, he was promoted in April to the Diamondbacks Double-A affiliate, the Mobile BayBears. During a start on July 30, Parker injured his right elbow. He did not pitch again that season and ended up requiring Tommy John surgery, which took place on October 28, 2009 and thus and missed the entire 2010 season.