Manzano’s Parker plans to succeed
Left-hander plots a course along the lines of Trevor Rogers
The parallels are, in many ways, inevitable.
Big, strong left-hander. A lively fastball in the low- to mid-90s. Athletic. Upside to burn.
What Carlsbad’s Trevor Rogers experienced from August 2016 through June 2017, Mitchell Parker of Manzano may now get a taste of himself.
The Monarchs’ rising senior next month will attend the Area Code Games in Long Beach, Calif. — the very same event where Rogers, now a multimillionaire, blew up nationally last summer.
Rogers’ story ended prosperously.
Parker’s story is just beginning. But he gets the comparison.
“That’s exactly how I’m thinking of it,” Parker said Monday, talking about Rogers’ arc. “Here’s an opportunity to be in front of all these professional scouts, show them what I’ve been doing all year. And hopefully prove to them that I can be drafted, like Trevor.”
This year’s Area Code Games run Aug. 5-10. It’s generally regarded as the top high school showcase event of the summer.
The 6-foot-2, 195-pound Parker, 17, will play for the Reds in Long Beach. The Reds are one of eight teams on display. Over 220 players from the Classes of 2018, 2019 and 2020 will participate, and
In tonight’s game, he’s set to bat third for the American League.
Sano beat Kansas City’s Mike Moustakas 11-10 in the opening round, reaching 470 feet, and the Yankees’ Gary Sanchez hit 17 that included a drive off the glass measured at 483 feet.
Stanton, who got home at about 5 a.m. after a game in San Francisco, started slowly against pitcher Pat Shine, hitting three liners before a 429-foot drive to center. Stanton began to find his grove and hit a 496-foot shot off the glass behind the left-field seats, then started spraying impressive drives. He had 15 when his 30-second bonus road started but added just one more. The crowd groaned when his last fell short.
Cody Bellinger earned bonus time as four minutes expired with his 13th drive, into the right-field upper deck, then with five seconds remaining knocked out Charlie Blackmon 15-14.
Bour excited the hometown fans with 19 homers in four minutes and then added three in bonus time.
Judge had 22 through four minutes, according to the scoreboard, and when he hit one in bonus time he walked away. But the scoreboard reverted to 22 — apparently the roof shot was subtracted — and Judge added another with a few seconds left.
Seeming tired, Sanchez opened the second round with 10 and Sano needed just 3:10 to hit 11, the longest at 491 feet. In a matchup of the leading candidates for rookies of the year, Bellinger hit 12 and Judge topped him with a minute to spare, including a 513-foot shot high off the window, a drive that left his bat at 119 mph.