THE WORLD'S LARGEST AND MOST COMPREHENSIVE SCOUTING ORGANIZATION
| 2,384 MLB PLAYERS | 15,801 MLB DRAFT SELECTIONS
2,384 MLB PLAYERS | 15,801 MLB DRAFT SELECTIONS
Create Account
Sign in Create Account
Showcase  | Story | 5/14/2018

N.M.'s Parker eyes MLB Draft

Jeff Dahn
Photo: Mitchell Parker (Perfect Game)

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa – Not everyone would think traveling nearly 950 miles from Albuquerque, N.M., to Eastern Iowa just to throw a maximum of two innings at a Perfect Game showcase event would be worth the cost in both time and money, but Mitchell Parker isn’t like everyone else.

A 6-foot-4, 190-pound left-handed pitcher and a recent graduate of Albuquerque Manzano High School, Parker was at the Mount Mercy University athletic complex on Monday morning looking forward to performing at the PG National Pre-Draft Showcase.

It had rained very early in the morning and the sky remained overcast until the sun finally broke through early afternoon, but even by mid-morning there just didn’t seem to be anywhere else he would rather be.

“I’m really just here for the baseball,” Parker told PG from the first base dugout on one side of Mount Mercy’s all-turf field. “I wanted to come up here and play and just kind of kickoff the summer and then see how the summer goes. … I thought it was important for me to be here.”

At University of Tennessee signee, Parker arrived here as the No. 106-ranked overall prospect in the national class of 2018 and as the No. 14-ranked left-hander. PG also ranks him the No. 286 overall (college, juco, high school) prospect in the upcoming MLB June Amateur Draft.

Tom Parker, Mitchell’s dad, was here with his son Monday and agreed that they both felt the trip was one they probably needed to make.

“We thought it was important because we just don’t think coming from Albuquerque that he gets as much exposure as kids from some of the other states,” Tom said. “All we’re ever hearing about is everybody from Arizona, Georgia, Florida, Texas and California. … His adviser said it would probably be a good idea for us to be up here, so we decided to do it.”

There were, in fact, 40 players here from all over the country, including a handful from a couple of the states Tom Parker mentioned. Mitchell Parker was actually one of two prospects from New Mexico in attendance with the other being 2018 right-hander Tristin Lively out of Las Cruces.

Parker has been a regular on the PG circuit for the last two years, mostly performing at WWBA tournaments. Hemade his PG tournament debut at the 2016 17u PG WWBA National Championship in Emerson, Ga., playing with Team DeMarini Elite; he was named to the all-tournament team at the 2016 17u PG World Series in Arizona playing with Mountain West ‘17.

He again earned all-tournament recognition at the 2016 PG Underclass World Championship in Fort Myers, Fla., while pitching for Next Level Baseball 2018, and added yet another all-tournament team selection to his resume at the 2017 PG West MLK Underclass Championship, playing with Sticks Baseball Academy.

The 2017 PG National Showcase in Fort Myers was next up for Parker, and he earned Top Prospect Team recognition at what was his only showcase appearance before Monday. Following the PG National, he hooked up with Jeff Petty and the nationally recognized Canes Baseball organization, with whom he garnered all-tournament honors at both the 2017 17u PG WWBA National Championship and the PG WWBA World Championship in Jupiter, Fla.; he was all-tournament at the 2017 17u PGWS while pitching for the Dark Knights.

Parker was absolutely lights-out dominant at both the 2017 17u PG WWBA National Championship and the 2017 PG WWBA Championship. He threw eight one-hit, 13 strikeout, three walk innings in Emerson, and then, in Jupiter, he threw five two-hit innings, fanning 15 and walking two.

“Playing with the Canes was, honestly, something super crazy,” Parker said. “Nothing else really compares to it, with all the people I got to meet and all the different places we got to play and all that. … Just being able to face all the best (players) from all around, it was really special and really good.”

Tom Parker coached his son in the early years, starting with T-ball at age 4, but stepped away once Mitchell got into high school. Tom actually used to suit up and catch Mitchell before his son started throwing too hard for the old man to handle.

Parker pitched three seasons on the varsity level at Manzano HS, going 9-9 with a 1.91 ERA and 314 strikeouts in 162 1/3 inning during his career, according to statistics published on the MaxPreps website. This year’s Monarchs team finished 12-13 after a loss in the first round of the New Mexico Class 6A state tournament.

“I said it before, Mitchell is a once in a lifetime kind of athlete,” Manzano head coach Tim Campos to JP Murrieta of the New Mexico Activities Association late last month.

Throughout his career to date, Parker has felt comfortable throwing mostly a fastball and curveball but has started working on a slider here lately.

“It’s been really great to see him progress through this and see some of the attention he’s received,” Tom said. “We do try to keep it in check … but he just lets it roll off his back. He’s just like, ‘Whatever’ and we don’t want to get too hyped up about it because you don’t know what’s going to happen or when it’s going to happen.”

Parker originally committed to the University of New Mexico but later changed that commitment to Tennessee. He had had conversations with the Volunteers’ head coach Tony Vitello when Vitello was coaching at Arkansas and when Vitello took the Tennessee job things sort of came full circle – Tom Parker now lives in Nashville.

Mitchell Parker said he is also looking forward to working with Vols’ pitching coach Frank Anderson for the next three or four years if June’s draft doesn’t work out.

“It’s a process, and sometimes I’d even call it an ordeal,” Tom Parker said when asked about the whole college recruitment end of things. “It could be stressful at times … so once the college recruiting thing was done, it was definitely a weight off the shoulders to get that out of the way and say, ‘Hey, we’re done with that part.’ …

“But the experience was fun, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything,” he continued. “I’ve been lucky enough to have the experience as a dad.”

With the college recruitment process in the rearview mirror, the MLB Draft is now front and center. Scouts love Parker’s deep arm action that produces a low 90s fastball and mid-70s curveball, along with his overall athleticism that makes the total package even more appealing.

“Honestly, right now, I haven’t throught too much about it,” Parker said of the draft. “Obviously, it’s always there and we’ll just have to see how it goes. … I try not to pay too much attention (to the prospect rankings). It’s nice to be there but I don’t really pay much attention to it.”

Other people are paying attention, and Parker is certainly deserving of it. Tom Parker said he tries to convey to his son the message that now that he is a high school graduate it’s doubtful that things are going get easier moving forward. It’s going to take an enormous amount of hard work if Mitchell ever expects to realize his dream of one day pitching in the major leagues.

The MLB Draft – just like the college recruiting process – is an entity that simply has to play itself out. The family is gathering as much information as they possibly can regarding the draft, and Mitchell has an adviser that is helping them sort through the details.

“I’ve talked to him about it, and even though I’ve never been drafted, I told him that getting drafted is probably the easiest part of becoming a Major League Baseball player,” Tom said. “Once you’re in a system, getting to The Show is going to be the hard part.”

Parker was struck by a batted ball early in his Pre-Draft Showcase outing Monday, and although he wasn’t seriously injured he cut the outing short. The dozens of scouts that were in attendance didn’t get to see a very big sample size on this particular day, but they have a lot to look at on Parker’s detailed PG Player Profile page from previous tournaments and showcases.

There’s another side to these events, anyway, and Parker did get to experience that side of it to the fullest. It’s the social aspect of the showcase that is also a big draw to these fast-rising prospects.

“I know from going to the other Perfect Game events and tournaments, he makes new friends everywhere he goes, so it’s kind of cool,” Tom said. “You want to see your friends succeed, so there’s that kind of camaraderie and they all know each other. It gets them used to being in front a lot of eyes and (radar) guns and everything else, and that really doesn’t faze him anymore.”

And just as the showcase was getting underway, Parker took a look around at his brothers in arms and stated: “I just want to see where I’m at see how everything’s going right now. I’m just trying to compete with everyone else out here.”
Give us your feedback
Showcase | Story | 1/6/2026

PG Leaderboard: Class of 2027
Jheremy Brown
Article Image
Complete PG Leaderboard Database PG Leaderboard: Class of 2026 To think this group still has another two years of high school is a scary thought given what some of the category leaders already are. Samir Mohammed up to 97 mph on the mound, Bryce Fontenot with a max exit velocity of 103 mph and a 6.22 60-yard out of Dylan Seward are all otherworldly numbers that you'd expect to find on a college campus, much less a junior in high school.  Below we check in on several categories for the Class of 2027 and will continue to do so through the week, taking in the top 10 for each, from both Perfect Game showcases and tournaments.  Top Fastball Velocity Rk Player FB Event Commitment School Hometown 1 Samir Mohammed 97 2025 PG WWBA World Championship Louisiana State Tampa Jesuit Trinity, FL 2 Connor Salerno 96 2025 PG WWBA World Championship Mississippi State Sun Valley Indian Trail, NC...
Read More
College | Recruiting | 1/6/2026

Recruiting Notebook: January 6

Michael Albee
Article Image
Griffin Boesen (‘27, IA) shoots this one backside down the line. Adds his second hit of the day. Picked up a base knock. Physical LH bat w/ an ability to drive the baseball here. @IowaPG @PG_Uncommitted @CanesMidwest #WWBAWorlds https://t.co/pmpIzaAbLz pic.twitter.com/Qz0CHiS3P1 — Perfect Game Scout (@PG_Scouting) October 13, 2025 Griffin Boesen, Class of 2027 Commitment: Duke Another top 100 prospect is off the board as the Corey Muscara led Duke Blue Devils picked up a physical two-way prospect in Boesen out of Florida recently. At 6-foot-5, 205 pounds, Boesen looks the part of a middle of the order type slugger and he's just that, showing lots of looseness and bat speed in his left-handed stroke and is coming off a Jupiter where he hit .700 (!!) as an underclassman while driving in 10 runs. The bat-to-ball skills are obvious as he simply hit at all the big stops in 2025,...
Read More
Tournaments | All-Tournament Team | 1/5/2026

12u All-Tourney Standout Performers

John McAdams
Article Image
The bar continues to rise each and every year, as the Perfect Game tournament platform adds new exciting locations, events and even refines existing ones. This year was no different, as players played in events hosted all over the country. Now, let’s get to the players as they also continue to up the ante every year with outstanding performances that leave many people in complete awe. Please note that due to age of these players, we have decided to focus primarily on the statistics amassed in Perfect Game tournaments. Let’s talk about the numbers, as not one single player on the first team (Hitters) was below a .464 average, while that group hit an astounding 515 homers as a whole. Offensive Player of The Year Aaron Kim led the way with 31 All-Tournament selections with William Goodrich Jr. a close second with 30. In totality, a total of nine selections made the...
Read More
Tournaments | Story | 1/2/2026

PG Leaderboard: Class of 2026

Jheremy Brown
Article Image
Complete PG Leaderboard Database With the Main Event Showcase in the rearview mirror, let's take a peak back at some of the standout performances from across the country, both at PG showcases and tournaments. Want to make the list for top fastball? You better have hit at least 97 mph. How about speed? The "slowest" 60-yard to make the table is a 6.30. A 101 mph throws from across the infield courtesy of Matt Ponataski, a few 100s in the outfield from Brady Harris, Matthew Kelley and Juriel Collazo and a top heater of 100 mph from Savion Sims all lead the way in their respective categories. Get ready for the future right now as you'll be hearing plenty about these names in the coming months, leading up to the 2026 MLB Draft.  Top Fastball Velocity Rk Player FB Event Commitment School Hometown 1 Savion Sims 100 2025 PG National Showcase Oklahoma Prestonwood Christian Academy...
Read More
Draft | Story | 1/1/2026

2026 MLB Draft Preview & Superlatives

Tyler Kotila
Article Image
As we look ahead to the 2026 calendar year, we take a step closer to the 2026 MLB Draft. While we recently dropped our Top 300 College Prospects for the 2026 group, there is still a lot to sort out throughout this year. High school ball is right around the corner and the college season is on the horizon. Many players are going to see their stock improve as games start to get played and players pitch/hit their way up or down the board. We’ll see some breakout candidates, collegiate performers, and high school arms that pop throughout the 2026 spring and summer. In this article, we are going to talk through some of the narratives/storylines shaping up for this 2026 draft class. We’ll also talk through a couple of players who fit the build of some pre-season superlatives. Battle for 1:1 It’s still really early in the race for things, but with the Draft Lottery done with,...
Read More
Tournaments | Story | 12/29/2025

PG Expands Presence in Pacific Rim

Perfect Game Staff
Article Image
    667 Progress Way | Sanford, FL 32771 | 319-298-2923  www.perfectgame.org | facebook.com/perfectgameusa | @PerfectGameUSA      FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE    PERFECT GAME EXPANDS PRESENCE IN PACIFIC RIM, STRENGTHENING YOUTH BASEBALL DEVELOPMENT    Sanford, Florida (Monday, December 29, 2025) - Perfect Game, the world’s largest youth baseball and softball platform and scouting service, today announced a significant expansion of its presence across the Asia-Pacific Zone, with a strategic focus on the 10-15 year-old age group. The initiative will be led in partnership with longtime Japanese youth baseball executive and coach Takaharu Nasu, as Perfect Game continues to grow its global footprint and strengthen pathways for elite youth...
Read More
Showcase | Story | 12/27/2025

Main Event Invades Fort Myers

Perfect Game Staff
Article Image
    667 Progress Way | Sanford, FL 32771 | 319-298-2923  www.perfectgame.org | facebook.com/perfectgameusa | @PerfectGameUSA      FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE    PERFECT GAME CLOSES OUT 2025 WITH MAIN EVENT SHOWCASE  AT JETBLUE PARK IN FT. MYERS, FLORIDA    Nearly 1,000 players expected at largest showcase of the year  that has produced over 1,000 MLB Draft picks    Ft. Myers, Florida (Saturday, December 27, 2025) - Perfect Game, the world’s largest youth baseball and softball platform and scouting service, will host its 2025 Main Event Showcase from December 28–31 at JetBlue Park, the spring training home of the Boston Red Sox, in the Fort Myers area.    The Main Event is the largest showcase Perfect Game holds annually,...
Read More
Draft | Rankings | 12/26/2025

2026 MLB Draft Board Update

Vincent Cervino
Article Image
The calendar is just days away from being flipped over to 2026, and while the players may be on break, it’s clear that they are just itching to get back on the field and compete once again, with another season of college baseball right around the corner. For prep players (especially in warm-weather states), the season’s right around the corner, and players will be back on the ball fields sooner than later. With that said, the PG Draft Team came together and got to work on a 2026 MLB Draft Board update. A little pre-season shake-up and expansion as we took our board from the Top 150 names to the Top 300 names, in preparation for the 2026 college and prep seasons to begin. The 2025 MLB Draft Lottery occurred earlier in December and shed some light on what the draft order will look like in 2026, with the Chicago White Sox taking home the first overall pick, followed by the Tampa...
Read More
PG Select Baseball Festival | General | 12/26/2025

2025 Year in Review: PGAAC, ASG, Festivals

Jheremy Brown
Article Image
All-Star Game Continues To Thrive We’re only a couple of years into having the PG All-Star Game around, an underclass event attached to the All-American weekend, this year played in Petco two days before the Classic. The talent that is a part of it continues to grow to significant levels, and this year was a mix of young guys and some newer names that left lasting impressions. The two hardest throwing guys in the game were the only 2028s in attendance, Striker Pence and Dexter McCleon Jr who both were upper-90s as guys who just started their sophomore year, while the loudest moment of the day came when Kinon Bastian obliterated a pitch into the top deck of the famous Western Supply building in left field, something that we’ll remember for a long time. Extra Swings In The All-American Derby One of the best events every All-American weekend is getting to see these guys with...
Read More
College | Story | 12/25/2025

2025 Year in Review: College

Craig Cozart
Article Image
The LSU Tigers Win It All Again For the second time in the last three years, the LSU Tigers, led by head coach Jay Johnson secured the national title. The national championship was the eight in LUS program history as they swept Coastal Carolina in the MCWS championship series. As a result, Johnson was virtually a unanimous choice for National Coach of the Year on media outlets and is the fastest coach to win multiple CWS championships at a single school. The tournament’s Most Outstanding Player was Tigers’ lefthanded ace and Perfect Game First-Team All-American, Kade Anderson highlighted by his complete-game shutout in Game 1 of the CWS Finals. The roster was a tremendous blend of offensive firepower, frontline pitching and elite defense, leaving opponents with very few avenues to victory. PG Second-Team All-American, Jared Jones was the heart of the lineup with his 20...
Read More
Loading more articles...
About Perfect Game :: Contact us :: Terms of Use :: Privacy Policy :: Testimonials :: Job Opportunities
Copyright 1994-2026 by Perfect Game. All rights reserved. No portion of this information may be reprinted or reproduced without the written consent of Perfect Game.