Jarrod

Parker

Parker, 22, was the ninth overall selection in the 2007 MLB Amateur Draft and has been situated near the top of prospect ranking sheets since beginning his professional career. A 6-foot-1 right-hander, he registered a 3.79 ERA and 112/55 K/BB ratio in 26 starts this season with Double-A Mobile. He’ll pitch out of the ‘pen in Arizona.

Fully recovered from Tommy John surgery, the 2007 first-round pick posted a 3.79 ERA and 112/59 K/BB ratio in 130 2/3 innings over 26 starts with Double-A Mobile this season. The Diamondbacks will likely limit him to a couple of relief appearances down the stretch, but the 22-year-old right-hander could make an impact in fantasy leagues next season.

Parker held a 3.79 ERA and 112/59 K/BB ratio in 130 2/3 innings over 26 starts with Double-A Mobile this season in his first year back from Tommy John surgery. The top prospect won’t be on the postseason roster but should compete for a rotation spot next season and is a must-own in keeper leagues.

Diamondbacks manager Kirk Gibson acknowledged Saturday that he might want to give the young right-hander a look at home against the Dodgers. While Parker won’t be an attractive fantasy option in his major league debut, he’s a promising 22-year-old starter and a valuable piece in keeper formats.

The D’Backs traveled 30 players to Milwaukee, but they obviously can carry only 25 on the roster against the Brewers. Parker admitted to being “a little bit” surprised that he was asked to travel with the team, “but I’m not mad about it,” he added. If the top prospect, who threw 5 2/3 innings in his major league debut Tuesday, makes the roster, it will almost surely be as a reliever. Manager Kirk Gibson has yet to announce his rotation beyond Ian Kennedy and Daniel Hudson, but Joe Saunders and Josh Collmenter should be locks for the final two spots.

The top prospect will be used as a reliever, though we can’t dismiss the possibility of him getting a start somewhere down the line. Parker has made just one major league appearance, but it was a dandy, as he hurled 5 2/3 shutout innings Tuesday against the Dodgers. It’s a surprise decision, but one we applaud manager Kirk Gibson for. Parker should be a weapon out of the pen.

The A’s don’t need a fifth starter for the first time until April 17th because of scheduled off-days early in the season, so the plan is for Parker to stay back and work in Arizona for now. The 23-year-old right-hander walked seven over 3 2/3 innings on Monday against the Diamondbacks and had a 9/13 K/BB ratio over 11 innings during Cactus League play, so he’ll have to make progress pretty quickly. Even if the A’s ultimately opt to go with Tyson Ross and Graham Godfrey in the final two rotation spots, Parker would be an obvious alternative if either pitcher struggles.

Parker was sent down following a rough start Monday against the Diamondbacks in which he walked seven batters over 3 2/3 innings. The 23-year-old right-hander posted a 3.27 ERA across four Cactus League outings, but he also had an ugly 9/13 K/BB ratio over 11 innings. While he could use some more seasoning in the minors, our guess is he’ll have a home in the A’s rotation by midseason at the latest. Tyson Ross and Graham Godfrey should have spots in the interim.

It was the second major league start for Parker, who made one appearance for the Diamondbacks last September. The mystery today was why the A’s sent him back out for the seventh when it looked like he was done after six scoreless. He got the first out, but he then gave up a single and an RBI double before being lifted. He was still in line for the win at that point, but he took a no-decision after Paul Konerko’s game-tying homer off Grant Balfour in the ninth.

Parker struck out five, walked four and gave up six hits. This comes on the heels of a five-walk outing against the Blue Jays last time out. Still, control has not been an issue throughout Parker’s minor league career and this looks like a blip on the radar against a couple of tough lineups. He’ll get a plus matchup in San Francisco next time out.