Future Redbirds

Lboros at VEB said yesterday that he found it interesting that the organization saw it fit to advance Mike Parisi over former 2004 #1 draft pick Chris Lambert. He wasn’t alone thinking that the plan was to give Lambert the sink-or-swim treatment this year, but Lambert didn’t do anything to prove he was ready for AAA out of camp. While Parisi hasn’t really done anything eye-popping, he hasn’t done anything poorly either. (With the exception of a miserable time in the Arizona Fall League.)

A 9th round pick of the 2004 draft out of Manhattan, Parisi has been moving up the ladder at the expected rate. He hasn’t repeated any levels without being advanced later mid season, and last year was the only time he didn’t receive an in-season promotion. (Though you could count being sent to the AFL as some sort of recognition.) AA was not very kind to him, his WHIP ballooned, his walk rate jumped up over a batter an inning from his career averages and his strikeout rate declined to the lowest point of his career. Still, he wasn’t awful by Texas League standards, if anything he was plum average. Parisi doesn’t have a dominant out pitch, but he has a workable sinker that he throws in the 86-92 MPH range and he has 3 variations of a curveball he can throw for strikes. His change-up is still a work in progress, but it’s coming around. (You can virtually say that about every pitcher in the game right now, like being able to throw a change-up is in your genes or it isn’t.) Command is an issue right now. Like the majority of pitchers in the system, he profiles either as a 5th starter or a middle reliever. It’s good to see him in Memphis now along with Hawksworth and Narveson to swing the balance away from the journeymen and over to the homegrowners.

(For more on Parisi, LBoros has an interview with him in the VEB archives. Credit due, that’s where I learned of his repertoire.)