Bobby Parnell

Robert Allen Parnell (born September 8, 1984) is an American former baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Mets and Detroit Tigers. He was drafted by the Mets in the ninth round of the 2005 Major League Baseball draft after attending Charleston Southern University.

Bobby Parnell
Parnell with the New York Mets in 2009
Pitcher
Born: (1984-09-08) September 8, 1984
Salisbury, North Carolina
Batted: Right Threw: Right
MLB debut
September 15, 2008, for the New York Mets
Last MLB appearance
July 8, 2016, for the Detroit Tigers
MLB statistics
Win–loss record20–28
Earned run average3.82
Strikeouts297
Teams

Amateur career

Bobby Parnell was born on September 9, 1984 in Salisbury, North Carolina. His father, also named Robert, and his grandfather were both firefighters.[1] At East Rowan High School in Granite Quarry, North Carolina, Parnell was primarily a third baseman.[2] Parnell converted from shortstop to pitcher as a freshman with the Charleston Southern University Buccaneers.[3][4] In 2004, he played collegiate summer baseball with the Chatham A's of the Cape Cod Baseball League.[5] Despite still struggling to control his pitches even after three years of pitching in college, the New York Mets took the advice of Parnell's former American Legion coach and selected Parnell in the 9th round of the 2005 Major League Baseball draft with the 269th overall pick.[2]

Minor league career

Parnell worked as a starter for the minor league teams in the Mets organization, pitching for the Brooklyn Cyclones, St. Lucie Mets, Binghamton Mets, and New Orleans Zephyrs. In three different leagues, Parnell has been named a mid-season All-Star. He earned the honor in the New York–Penn League in 2005, the Florida State League in 2007, and the Eastern League in 2008.[6]

Major league career

New York Mets (2008–2015)

2008

Parnell earned Eastern League All-Star honors again in 2008.[6] Despite having a poor record since being promoted to the Triple-A New Orleans Zephyrs, Parnell was rewarded with a call-up to the New York Mets on September 1, 2008.[7] He made his major league debut on September 15.

2009

Parnell earned a spot in the Mets bullpen to start the 2009 season. He got his first win May 8, 2009 against the Pirates; he pitched a scoreless eighth inning. On August 5, he got his first major league hit in his first career at-bat, as he pitched three innings for his first career save.[8] After Mets pitcher Jon Niese suffered a season-ending injury in the same game, Parnell was tabbed to replace Niese in the rotation.[9] He made his first major league start on August 8 against the San Diego Padres. He earned his first major league win as a starter in his second start on August 14, pitching six innings, giving up only three hits, and striking out seven. On September 4, Parnell shut down the Cubs that battered him in his last start. Parnell pitched a career-high seven innings, shutting out the Cubs on five hits while striking out seven.[10]

2010

On June 29, 2010 Jenrry Mejía was sent back down to Double-A Binghamton and the Mets called up Parnell to take his spot in the Mets bullpen.[11]

Parnell, in his short major league career, has already developed a reputation for being a flamethrower. His fastballs consistently touch the high-90s, sometimes eclipsing 100 MPH. On August 18, 2010, in a game against the Houston Astros, Parnell hit 102.5 MPH on the radar gun, the fastest pitch in the major leagues in 2010 up to that point.[12] Cincinnati Reds rookie Aroldis Chapman set the new mark on August 31, 2010 at 103.9 MPH.

On September 21, Parnell was shut down for the remainder of the 2010 season with an inflamed plica in his right elbow.[13]

2011

On April 21, 2011, Parnell was placed on the DL due to a clot in his finger.[14]

On May 30, 2011 he returned to the club as José Reyes was placed on the Bereavement list due to the death of his grandmother.[15][16]

On June 29, 2011 he made a relief appearance against the Tigers. In an at bat against Miguel Cabrera, Parnell threw seven straight pitches over 100 mph.[12]

2012

To begin the year Parnell was used as a middle reliever, yet as injuries mounted he was tabbed to be the closer. On June 28, 2012, Parnell recorded his first save of the year against the Los Angeles Dodgers.[17]

2013

Parnell was named the Mets closer for the 2013 season due to an injury to Frank Francisco.[18][19][20] Parnell recorded 22 saves before being shut down for the rest of the season on July 30.[21]

2014

Parnell was named the Mets closer for the 2014 season. On opening day, he blew his first save opportunity. The next day, it was reported that Parnell tore his ulnar collateral ligament and he underwent Tommy John surgery shortly thereafter, ending his season.[22]

2015

On January 7, 2015, Parnell and the Mets agreed to a one-year deal worth $3.7 million, and avoided arbitration.[23] Parnell made his return to the major leagues in a June 13 win against the Atlanta Braves at Citi Field. Parnell pitched well in the relief appearance and said of his return, "It sent chills up my spine." However, Parnell's fastball velocity was noticeably lower than before his surgery and manager Terry Collins described Parnell as looking "rusty."[24]

On August 18, 2015, after pitching poorly in a weekend series against the Pittsburgh Pirates and taking two losses, (along with a 14.14 ERA in his last 10 appearances) he was placed on the 15-day disabled list with arm fatigue.

Detroit Tigers

On February 18, 2016, Parnell signed a minor league contract with the Detroit Tigers, and was invited to spring training.[25] On March 28, Parnell was released by the Tigers.[26] On March 30, the Tigers re-signed Parnell to a minor league contract.[27] On June 1, Parnell was recalled by the Tigers.[28] He was designated for assignment on August 18.[29] On August 21, 2016, the Tigers released Parnell.

Kansas City Royals

In December 2016, Parnell signed a minor league contract with the Kansas City Royals.[30] He exercised an opt out clause in his contract on June 2, 2017, and became a free agent.[31]

Chicago White Sox

On June 5, 2017, Parnell and the White Sox agreed to a minor league deal. He was released on July 20, 2017.

Pitching style

Parnell throws primarily a hard four-seam fastball in the mid-to-high 90s with strong tailing action. His secondary pitch and main breaking ball in 2011 was a high-80s slider, but in 2012 he dropped the pitch in favor of a mid-80s knuckle curve. He has also toyed in the past with a splitter, but he rarely uses it. For 2012, he also developed a two-seam fastball.[32]

Personal life

On January 29, 2010, Parnell proposed to his longtime girlfriend Maegan Walker in Charleston, South Carolina. The couple was married on November 11, 2011 at a Methodist church in Concord, North Carolina.[33] In 2010, Parnell and his then-fiancée adopted a golden retriever–yellow lab mix from North Shore Animal League which they named "Abby."[34][35] As of 2010, the couple was living in Parnell's hometown of Salisbury.[34] The couple in January 2016 welcomed twin daughters Ava and Caroline.

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References
  1. Ackert, Kristie (November 28, 2013). "Mets pitchers Dillon Gee and Bobby Parnell have special bond with FDNY families". New York Daily News. Retrieved 15 June 2015.
  2. London, Mike (June 8, 2005). "Baseball draft: Mets draft former East Rowan star Parnell". Salisbury Post. Retrieved 15 June 2015.
  3. Zuniga, Alejandro (June 19, 2013). "Bobby Parnell growing into closer role for Mets". USA Today. Retrieved 15 June 2015.
  4. Janish, Joe (October 17, 2009). "2009 ANALYSIS: BOBBY PARNELL". Mets Today. Retrieved 15 June 2015.
  5. "Major League Baseball Players From the Cape Cod League" (PDF). capecodbaseball.org. Retrieved January 9, 2020.
  6. LeBlanc, Jay (August 28, 2008). "Prospect Q&A – Bobby Parnell, Mets". The Washington Times. Archived from the original on June 6, 2009. Retrieved August 31, 2008.
  7. DiComo, Anthony (August 31, 2008). "Niese to make Mets debut Tuesday". MLB.com. Retrieved August 31, 2008.
  8. Botte, Peter (August 5, 2009). "Figueroa rescues Mets in 9-0 rout of Cards". NY Daily News. Retrieved 25 April 2017.
  9. Noble, Marty (August 5, 2009). "Parnell replaces Niese in Mets' rotation". mlb.com. Retrieved August 14, 2009.
  10. Britton, Tim (September 4, 2009). "Parnell, big eighth beat Cubs; Win displays best and worst of Mets' eventful season". MLB.com.
  11. Waldstein, David (June 20, 2010). "Mejia Gets Good News: He's Going to Minors". New York Times. Retrieved January 7, 2015.
  12. Waldstein, David (July 8, 2011). "A Natural Talent Who Reaches Unnatural Speeds". New York Times. Retrieved January 7, 2015.
  13. Martino, Andy (September 22, 2010). "Elbow inflammation ends Bobby Parnell's season; Mets eliminated from playoff contention with loss". New York Daily News. Retrieved January 7, 2015.
  14. Gleeman, Aaron (April 20, 2011). "Mets place Bobby Parnell on disabled list with numb finger". NBC Sports. Retrieved January 7, 2015.
  15. "Mets' Jose Reyes on bereavement list after grandmother's death". USA Today. Associated Press. May 31, 2011. Retrieved January 7, 2015.
  16. Mazzeo, Mike (May 30, 2011). "Jose Reyes goes on bereavement list". ESPN.com. Retrieved January 7, 2015.
  17. "Wright leads Mets past depleted Dodgers". Mets.com. Retrieved 29 June 2012.
  18. Rubin, Adam (February 13, 2013). "Bobby Parnell next in line at closer". ESPN.com. Retrieved January 7, 2015.
  19. Carig, Marc (February 13, 2013). "Mets turn to Bobby Parnell in absence of closer Frank Francisco". Newsday. Retrieved January 7, 2015.
  20. Castillo, Jorge (February 12, 2013). "Mets shut down Frank Francisco due to elbow inflammation, name Bobby Parnell the closer". The Star-Ledger. Retrieved January 7, 2015.
  21. Rubin, Adam (January 16, 2014). "Bobby Parnell: I'm still Mets' closer". ESPN.com. Retrieved January 7, 2015.
  22. Rubin, Adam (April 6, 2014). "Bobby Parnell to have surgery". ESPN.com. Retrieved January 7, 2015.
  23. "Mets and Parnell agree to 1-year, $3.7 million contract". ESPN.com. Associated Press. January 7, 2015. Retrieved January 7, 2015.
  24. Braziller, Zach (June 13, 2015). "'Chills up my spine': Bobby Parnell's long-awaited return". New York Post. Retrieved 15 June 2015.
  25. Beck, Jason (February 18, 2016). "Tigers add Parnell to bullpen competition". MLB.com. Retrieved February 18, 2016.
  26. Beck, Jason (March 28, 2016). "Tigers release Parnell, option Rondon to Minors". MLB.com. Retrieved March 28, 2016.
  27. Beck, Jason (March 30, 2016). "Tigers bring Parnell back on Minors deal". MLB.com. Retrieved March 30, 2016.
  28. Beck, Jason (June 1, 2016). "Tigers place Saupold on DL, recall Parnell". MLB.com. Retrieved June 1, 2016.
  29. Sipple, George (August 18, 2016). "Tigers call up OF Alex Presley from Toledo, designate Bobby Parnell". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved August 18, 2016.
  30. Eddy, Matt (December 24, 2016). "Minor League Transactions: Dec. 10-22". baseballamerica.com. Retrieved December 24, 2016.
  31. Adams, Steve (June 2, 2017). "Bobby Parnell Opts Out Of Royals Contract". mlbtraderumors.com. Retrieved June 2, 2017.
  32. "PITCHf/x Player Card: Bobby Parnell". BrooksBaseball.net. Retrieved 8 May 2012.
  33. "Maegan Walker and Bobby Parnell's Wedding Website". The Knot. Archived from the original on 17 June 2015. Retrieved 17 June 2015.
  34. Hirshon, Nicholas (November 16, 2010). "Gone to the dog: Mets pitcher Bobby Parnell falls for lovable pooch at Citi Field pet event". New York Daily News. Retrieved 17 June 2015.
  35. O'Neill, Natalie (March 15, 2015). "Mets' pups get some spring training of their own". New York Post. Retrieved 17 June 2015.
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