Mets may never get to see Jarrett Parker, but Syracuse should enjoy his power

Veteran outfielder Jarrett Parker signed a minor league deal with the New York Mets this offseason. While we may never see him in the big leagues, the Triple-A fans in Syracuse should get to see plenty of home runs from his bat.

In addition to the major league signings by the New York Mets this offseason, the club has made some minor league moves to add to their depth. One of those moves was the addition of outfielder Jarrett Parker to the organization.

If you aren’t familiar with Parker’s work, don’t feel ashamed. Most of his MLB career took place with the San Francisco Giants where he often fell into a platoon or part-time role. With 397 appearances against big league pitchers, he’s a guy who doesn’t bring much experience to the Mets.

Something Parker has shown is plenty of power. In 807 minor league games, he has swatted 127 long balls. These aren’t Pete Alonso numbers. Even so, he has a track record of rounding the bases. Syracuse Mets fans, get excited.

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Last year with the Salt Lake City Bees in the Pacific Coast League, Parker hit 24 home runs for the Los Angeles Angels’ Triple-A affiliate. He did so with a .266/.394/.535 batting line in 424 plate appearances.

A year like this has been typical for Parker throughout his professional career. Lifetime, he’s a .261/.368/.464 hitter in the minor leagues. From this, we can gather he’s someone who knows how to draw a walk and punish pitchers with a home run when they do make a mistake.

Parker should be one of the first in line to get promoted to the Mets in 2020 if they need an outfielder. He’s primarily a left fielder but should be able to log innings in right field when needed. Likely, his tenure with the Mets in 2020 will include a promotion at some point followed by a DFA.

To put it another way, he’s next year’s Carlos Gomez.

And as we saw with Gomez in 2019, Parker may get his moment at some point. Journeymen like him with success at the highest level of the minor leagues often do get their opportunity. Many even cash in.

Considering the Mets lack an outfield prospect near a promotion, there’s a very good chance we get a few weeks where Parker rides the bench and gets an occasional start in Flushing.

By no means a later-bloomer we can expect to blossom next year in New York, I’m still hopeful we get a big pinch-hit from him sometime in the summer. Moments like those make baseball such a wonderful game.

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Until then, this CAA client should dazzle fans in Syracuse with some big home runs on a regular basis.