Baseball in Fort Wayne

There is a nice article over at MiLB.com about the Arizona Instructional League. If focuses on Norwell standout and first round selection Jarrod Parker.

With Parker scheduled to make his professional debut, the team appears to be very excited with their new hurler who chose the professional route over playing for Georgia Tech. It will be his first professional work.

From the article:

“It’s his first true professional action, so that’s probably the most exciting story for us,” Arizona’s director of player development A.J. Hinch said. “He signed late and didn’t play at all over the summer, so just to get him on the field, at 18, pitching against wood bats, playing and throwing every day is exciting.

“It’s so different from what he did in high school. With his caliber of talent, it’s always fun to deal with for a man in my position and my staff because he brings a lot to the table. He’s got a hunger to improve and get better and be a professional. And this is a good first step. It’s a controlled environment, and it’s laid back as opposed to being in the thick of things next year when everything is going 100 miles an hour.”

There is no preset plan for where he’ll begin next season but the natural assumption is that Parker would begin in a Short-Season league.

“He’s got every opportunity to make the South Bend (Class A Midwest League) team,” Hinch said. “It depends on how quickly he adapts to the pro game. I would anticipate giving him an opportunity to make the South Bend team and see where that takes him. If he can match up in readiness and terms of talent, we’ll give him the opportunity.”

If Parker were to join the South Bend squad, that would position him to face the Wizards, who are Midwest League rivals. [note: Photo shamelessly lifted from the MiLB website - Linda Woodward/Journal Gazette]

[tags]Jarod Parker, Arizona Instructional League[/tags]