We all have players that have a sentimental place in our hearts. A batter hits a walk-off home run to ship you all the money in DFS. A streamer pitches a gem to win your league. Maybe it’s just a player that takes the time to sign an autograph. Whatever the reason may be, everyone has at least one.
For me, there’s two. The first is James Loney. I went to Camelback Ranch when it opened back in 2009. Really cool place. Anyways, the fans are able to interact with the players and James Loney is signing autographs for the kids. I’ve always liked Loney for some reason. Played good defense and hit for a good average. He just had no pop. So, I approach Loney and say, “Hi Mr. Loney. Could you sign this?” First off, my friends still clown me that I addressed him as Mr. Loney. Whatever. I’m respectful like that. His response: “Only for the kids…only for the kids.” His presentation was smooth with a Barry White-esque voice. Plus, I respected where he was coming from. He will always have a special place in my heart.
The second is Gerardo Parra for some reason. It probably has something to do with the fact that he was the headline for my second-ever piece for Razzball baseball. For shits and giggles and a trip down nostalgia lane, check it out here. It’s so old that the picture doesn’t exist anymore. I’m sad now. Ok, back to Parra.
Since returning from the DL on July 7th, Parra is 11-for-24 with six runs scored, one home run, and 10 RBI. For the season, he’s batting a cool .337/.357/.512 with seven home runs, 29 runs scored, and 38 RBI in 185 plate appearances.
The walk rate of 3.2% sucks, but he’s only striking out 15.7% of the time. The ISO is .174. Not too shabby for a 5′ 11″ 210 pound Venezuelan. The swinging strike rate is at 9.4% and the contact rate in the zone is almost 90%, while the overall contact rate is 81%. I’ve always loved his approach, as he goes to all fields about a third of the time.
Now, for the bad. He’s always chased pitches outside the strike zone at an elevated rate. That number is at 34% this year. The BABIP is .362, so expect that .337 batting average to come in a bit. The most worrisome thing with Parra has to do with the zero stolen bases. He’s only attempted four stolen bases and been caught all four times. No bueno. My love for Parra has definitely subsided from the days when I thought he could be a 15/15 player. With that said, the love will always be there because…
Nothing more needs to be said. It’s like if I had to choose between two people for an eating contest. Do I pick the guy that lives on a vegan farm or the guy that lives at the Bellagio buffet in Vegas?
You asked about playing time? You didn’t ask? Well, you wanted to and I just did some Inception shit on your ass. It’s definitely crowded in Colorado. Ian Desmond returned from his own DL stint and there’s Raimel Tapia and Carlos Gonzalez vying for playing time in the outfield. Here’s the thing. CarGo sucks and Tapia will probably get sent down to Triple-A. In addition, Parra actually filled in at first base for Mark Reynolds the other day.
It looks like the Rockies are going to play Parra fairly consistently. I mentioned Coors Field earlier, but there’s also the fact that he’s been batting fourth, fifth, or sixth in the lineup. That’s prime real estate and I’ve heard that location, location, location is pretty important in that industry.
Is Parra going to go all Bellinger for your squad? No, but his skills coupled with situation will elevate him above everyone else on the waiver wire.
VERDICT
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