Kyle Parker

Kyle James Parker

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 1", Weight 200 lb.
• School Clemson University
• High School Bartram Trail High School
• Debut June 16, 2014
• Final Game October 4, 2015
• Born September 30, 1989 in Fort Thomas, KY USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Kyle Parker was selected in the first round of the 2010 amateur draft and made his major league debut in 2014.

Parker is the son of former NFL player Carl Parker [1]. As a high school junior, he was All-State. He graduated early, enrolling at Clemson University. At the time, ESPN.com rated him the #4 quarterback prospect in the nation; he had thrown for over 2,500 yards and ran for over 1,000 as a high school senior. He would sometimes play both baseball and football the same day while in college.

Kyle hit .303/.400/.559 as a freshman outfielder. He was one of two freshmen picked All-Atlantic Coast Conference, being chosen at DH; other frosh was Chris Hernandez. He was picked as the freshman All-American DH by Baseball America. As a sophomore in 2009, Parker fell to .255/.349/.442. In the 2009 football season, he was a redshirt freshman and set Clemson freshman records in touchdowns (20), completions (205) and yards passing (2,526) at quarterback. CollegeFootballNews.com named him second-team Freshman All-American. He helped Clemson win a bowl game.

Parker was hitting .356/.484/.694 after 60 games in 2010, with 63 RBI, 78 runs, 50 walks and 20 homers. He became the first player in NCAA Division I history to hit 20 home runs and throw for 20 touchdowns in the same academic year. He was named All-ACC for the second time.

Scouted by Jay Matthews, the Colorado Rockies picked Parker 26th overall in the 2010 amateur draft. He turned down a $2.2 million offer which stipulated he give up football. He instead signed at the August 15 deadline for $1.4 million and played his final season at quarterback for Clemson. He made his pro debut for the Asheville Tourists in 2011.

Related Sites

• Kyle Parker on mlb.com
• CF reference page