Kyle Parker
Encyclopedia
Kyle James Parker is an outfielder
in the Colorado Rockies
organization.
After spending the 2009 season as the starting quarterback for the Clemson Tigers
, Parker was drafted by the Colorado Rockies
as the 26th overall pick in the 2010 Major League Baseball Draft
. He currently plays for the Asheville Tourists
, the Rockies' Class A affiliate.
in St. Johns County
, Florida
. He played both baseball and football and was a highly regarded recruit in both sports. He came out of high school as the #34 overall player in the country and #4 quarterback in the country according to ESPN. While he was the #13 quarterback by Scout. Parker first started at quarterback the last five games of his sophomore season where he threw for 870 yards and rushed for 450. In his junior year he threw for 1,850 yards and rushed for 700 while accounting for 27 touchdowns. He was also invited to the Under Armour All-American game, where he threw the game winning touchdown pass. In baseball he was a first team all state and county selection his junior season. He did not play his senior season due to him enrolling at Clemson in January 2008 of his senior year.
and a first-team freshman All-ACC
by Sporting News. He guided Clemson to nine wins his freshman year with those numbers. One of those wins was against a top ten team on the road in Florida State where he threw four touchdowns. He led the Tigers to 34 points in seven different games. Against N.C. State, Wake Forest and, Middle Tennessee State he was named the team's offensive player of the week. In the game against Miami he threw for 326 yards which is the second best ever for a Clemson quarterback and also threw four touchdowns in a game which is tied for the record. Also had a streak with at least one touchdown pass in seven straight games. He ended up throwing for over 200 yards in five games and had over 200 yards of total offense in seven. He ended the season in seventh in both passing yards and ratings at 180.4 and 124.4 respectively. In Clemson's bowl game he threw for 141 yards and a touchdown in a bowl win over Kentucky. He was the first freshman quarterback to take his team to a conference championship game. He was also the first Clemson freshman to start in a bowl win.
after he hit .303 with 14 home runs and 50 runs batted in in 57 games.He was also a first-team All-ACC selection his freshman year. He led his team in home runs and was second in slugging percentage at .559 and, walks at thirty two. In ACC play he batted .336 with ten home runs, thirty four RBI's and a .441 on-base percentage in 29 ACC games. He was tied for second in home runs, was second in RBI's, and fifth in slugging percentage. He had a streak in May where he had an RBI in nine straight games. Parker was name ACC player of the week on April 28. He had five games in that stretch where he batted .375 while scoring six runs, having two doubles, three home runs and twelve RBI's. As a junior in 2009, Parker hit .255 with 12 home runs and 52 RBI's in 63 games. He started sixty games. Forty nine were in right field and eleven as the designated hitter. In ACC play Parker hit .295 with seven home runs and 23 RBI's in 27 games. He also hit a team-high seven times. In the Clemson and South Carolina series he was given the Bob Bradley Award for being Clemson's MVP. He batted .400 with a home run, seven RBI's, four runs, and a walk. He was named ACC player of the week again on April 13 for batting .444 with two home runs, eleven RBI's, four runs, and three walks. During the season he had a streak of seven straight hits - one shy of the school record. Parker also had an amazing day on April 11 where he went 3-for-7 with two home runs, five RBI's, and three runs in a doubleheader. Earlier that day he played quarterback for the Tigers in the spring football game where he threw 171 yards and a touchdown. Parker was also chosen to the All-ACC preseason team and was ranked as the #32 player in the country. He is also the first Division I athlete ever to throw twenty touchdown passes and hit twenty home runs in the same academic year.
Outfielder
Outfielder is a generic term applied to each of the people playing in the three defensive positions in baseball farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder...
in the Colorado Rockies
Colorado Rockies
The Colorado Rockies are a Major League Baseball team based in Denver, Colorado. Established in 1991, they started play in 1993 and are in the West Division of the National League. The team is named after the Rocky Mountains...
organization.
After spending the 2009 season as the starting quarterback for the Clemson Tigers
Clemson Tigers football
The Clemson Tigers football team is an American football team from Clemson University in South Carolina. It competes in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision and the Atlantic Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference...
, Parker was drafted by the Colorado Rockies
Colorado Rockies
The Colorado Rockies are a Major League Baseball team based in Denver, Colorado. Established in 1991, they started play in 1993 and are in the West Division of the National League. The team is named after the Rocky Mountains...
as the 26th overall pick in the 2010 Major League Baseball Draft
2010 Major League Baseball Draft
The 2010 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft was held on June 7–9, 2010 at the MLB Network Studios in New York City.-First-round selections:The draft order was determined based on the 2009 MLB standings, with the worst team picking first.Key...
. He currently plays for the Asheville Tourists
Asheville Tourists
The Asheville Tourists are a minor league baseball team based in Asheville, North Carolina, USA. They play in the Class A South Atlantic League and have been a farm team of the Colorado Rockies since 1994....
, the Rockies' Class A affiliate.
Early years
Parker attended Bartram Trail High SchoolBartram Trail High School
Bartram Trail High School is a public high school in the St. Johns County School District, located in northwest St. Johns County, Florida that opened in 2000...
in St. Johns County
St. Johns County, Florida
St. Johns County is a county located in northeastern Florida. As of the 2010 census, the population was 190,039. The county seat is St. Augustine. Due to the inclusion of Ponte Vedra Beach, it is one of the highest-income counties in the United States....
, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
. He played both baseball and football and was a highly regarded recruit in both sports. He came out of high school as the #34 overall player in the country and #4 quarterback in the country according to ESPN. While he was the #13 quarterback by Scout. Parker first started at quarterback the last five games of his sophomore season where he threw for 870 yards and rushed for 450. In his junior year he threw for 1,850 yards and rushed for 700 while accounting for 27 touchdowns. He was also invited to the Under Armour All-American game, where he threw the game winning touchdown pass. In baseball he was a first team all state and county selection his junior season. He did not play his senior season due to him enrolling at Clemson in January 2008 of his senior year.
Football
After spending 2008 as a redshirt freshman, Parker started all 14 of the Tigers games at quarterback. He finished the season completing 205 of 369 passes for 2,526 yards with 20 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. The pass completions, passing yards and touchdowns were all Clemson freshman records. He was named a second-team freshman All-American by College Football NewsCollege Football News
College Football News is a magazine and website published by College Football News, Inc., headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. News coverage includes scores, statistics, rankings, and reports on college football games. Analysis includes comparisons between teams, predictions of game outcomes and...
and a first-team freshman All-ACC
Atlantic Coast Conference
The Atlantic Coast Conference is a collegiate athletic league in the United States. Founded in 1953 in Greensboro, North Carolina, the ACC sanctions competition in twenty-five sports in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association for its twelve member universities...
by Sporting News. He guided Clemson to nine wins his freshman year with those numbers. One of those wins was against a top ten team on the road in Florida State where he threw four touchdowns. He led the Tigers to 34 points in seven different games. Against N.C. State, Wake Forest and, Middle Tennessee State he was named the team's offensive player of the week. In the game against Miami he threw for 326 yards which is the second best ever for a Clemson quarterback and also threw four touchdowns in a game which is tied for the record. Also had a streak with at least one touchdown pass in seven straight games. He ended up throwing for over 200 yards in five games and had over 200 yards of total offense in seven. He ended the season in seventh in both passing yards and ratings at 180.4 and 124.4 respectively. In Clemson's bowl game he threw for 141 yards and a touchdown in a bowl win over Kentucky. He was the first freshman quarterback to take his team to a conference championship game. He was also the first Clemson freshman to start in a bowl win.
Baseball
As a freshman in 2008, Parker was a first-team freshman All-American by Baseball AmericaBaseball America
Baseball America is a magazine which covers baseball at every level, with a particular focus on up-and-coming players in high school, college, Japan, and the minor leagues. It is currently published in the form of a bi-weekly newspaper, five annual reference book titles, a weekly podcast, and a...
after he hit .303 with 14 home runs and 50 runs batted in in 57 games.He was also a first-team All-ACC selection his freshman year. He led his team in home runs and was second in slugging percentage at .559 and, walks at thirty two. In ACC play he batted .336 with ten home runs, thirty four RBI's and a .441 on-base percentage in 29 ACC games. He was tied for second in home runs, was second in RBI's, and fifth in slugging percentage. He had a streak in May where he had an RBI in nine straight games. Parker was name ACC player of the week on April 28. He had five games in that stretch where he batted .375 while scoring six runs, having two doubles, three home runs and twelve RBI's. As a junior in 2009, Parker hit .255 with 12 home runs and 52 RBI's in 63 games. He started sixty games. Forty nine were in right field and eleven as the designated hitter. In ACC play Parker hit .295 with seven home runs and 23 RBI's in 27 games. He also hit a team-high seven times. In the Clemson and South Carolina series he was given the Bob Bradley Award for being Clemson's MVP. He batted .400 with a home run, seven RBI's, four runs, and a walk. He was named ACC player of the week again on April 13 for batting .444 with two home runs, eleven RBI's, four runs, and three walks. During the season he had a streak of seven straight hits - one shy of the school record. Parker also had an amazing day on April 11 where he went 3-for-7 with two home runs, five RBI's, and three runs in a doubleheader. Earlier that day he played quarterback for the Tigers in the spring football game where he threw 171 yards and a touchdown. Parker was also chosen to the All-ACC preseason team and was ranked as the #32 player in the country. He is also the first Division I athlete ever to throw twenty touchdown passes and hit twenty home runs in the same academic year.