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By Alden Gonzalez / MLB.com
05/19/09 1:35 AM ET
MIAMI -- For four of the last five games -- one of them unofficial -- the top of the Diamondbacks' order has started to look a bit better.
Those are the times rookie outfielder Gerardo Parra has gotten a crack at a Major League lineup. And though it's still a very small sample size, his emergence as a formidable No. 2 hitter -- between leadoff man Felipe Lopez (.317 average) and No. 3 batter Justin Upton (.310) -- has been a bright spot for an otherwise gloomy Arizona lineup thus far.
Parra, 22, was in that No. 2 spot and starting in left field for Monday's game against the Marlins. He went 1-for-2 with a single before rain postponed a D-backs contest for the second straight day.
Through his first three games (not counting Monday), Parra is hitting .385 (5-for-13) with one home run (in his first at-bat), five RBIs, two triples and, perhaps best of all, no strikeouts since being called up from Double-A Mobile on Wednesday.
"He manages his at-bats very well -- as well as a lot of guys," Diamondbacks manager A.J. Hinch said. "It's the same thing he's done in the Minors. Part of his appeal is that he's very well-rounded in a lot of areas. He can play defense, he has a good arm and he's got enough speed on the bases to do things.
Said Lopez: "He knows what he's doing. He looks like a veteran out there because he knows what he's working on; he knows what he's doing. He knows what to look for."
Parra is taking the spot of Conor Jackson, who has been on the disabled list since last Tuesday with a "general illness."
For now, Hinch said the D-backs will continue to rotate their four outfielders -- a list that also includes Chris Young, Eric Byrnes and Upton. And when Jackson returns, it will bring a whole new set of questions for Hinch -- questions that are becoming more difficult as Parra continues to swing a hot bat.
"We'll find times to rotate it through," Hinch said about his current situation. "All those guys need days off in the outfield, including Parra. But, again, we're trying to win games here, and he's one of the better guys who's been contributing and helping us win. He deserves a look in the lineup every day.
"It's a tricky environment because it's three guys for four spots, but I'm very proud of the work Parra has done since he's come up so far."
Parra, undrafted out of high school in Venezuela, split time between High Class A and Double-A last year and came into this season as the No. 2-ranked prospect in the Diamondbacks organization by Baseball America. After batting .329 in the Venezuelan Winter League during the past offseason, he continued to increase his stock when he hit .361 with three home runs, 12 RBIs and seven stolen bases in his first 29 games for the BayBears this season.
And though there still are uncertainties about how often he'll find his name on the lineup card -- regardless of his recent surge -- Parra focuses on only what he can control.
"I'm focused on doing my job, and that's it," Parra said through a translator. "Hopefully I'll be here all year, but you never know. In reality, I'm just going to focus on what I'm doing. And I just want to be happy with the job I'm doing -- just do my job and try to do the good work I've always done."
If he continues on this pace he will be in contention for Rookie of the Month.
05/19/09 1:35 AM ET
MIAMI -- For four of the last five games -- one of them unofficial -- the top of the Diamondbacks' order has started to look a bit better.
Those are the times rookie outfielder Gerardo Parra has gotten a crack at a Major League lineup. And though it's still a very small sample size, his emergence as a formidable No. 2 hitter -- between leadoff man Felipe Lopez (.317 average) and No. 3 batter Justin Upton (.310) -- has been a bright spot for an otherwise gloomy Arizona lineup thus far.
Parra, 22, was in that No. 2 spot and starting in left field for Monday's game against the Marlins. He went 1-for-2 with a single before rain postponed a D-backs contest for the second straight day.
Through his first three games (not counting Monday), Parra is hitting .385 (5-for-13) with one home run (in his first at-bat), five RBIs, two triples and, perhaps best of all, no strikeouts since being called up from Double-A Mobile on Wednesday.
"He manages his at-bats very well -- as well as a lot of guys," Diamondbacks manager A.J. Hinch said. "It's the same thing he's done in the Minors. Part of his appeal is that he's very well-rounded in a lot of areas. He can play defense, he has a good arm and he's got enough speed on the bases to do things.
Said Lopez: "He knows what he's doing. He looks like a veteran out there because he knows what he's working on; he knows what he's doing. He knows what to look for."
Parra is taking the spot of Conor Jackson, who has been on the disabled list since last Tuesday with a "general illness."
For now, Hinch said the D-backs will continue to rotate their four outfielders -- a list that also includes Chris Young, Eric Byrnes and Upton. And when Jackson returns, it will bring a whole new set of questions for Hinch -- questions that are becoming more difficult as Parra continues to swing a hot bat.
"We'll find times to rotate it through," Hinch said about his current situation. "All those guys need days off in the outfield, including Parra. But, again, we're trying to win games here, and he's one of the better guys who's been contributing and helping us win. He deserves a look in the lineup every day.
"It's a tricky environment because it's three guys for four spots, but I'm very proud of the work Parra has done since he's come up so far."
Parra, undrafted out of high school in Venezuela, split time between High Class A and Double-A last year and came into this season as the No. 2-ranked prospect in the Diamondbacks organization by Baseball America. After batting .329 in the Venezuelan Winter League during the past offseason, he continued to increase his stock when he hit .361 with three home runs, 12 RBIs and seven stolen bases in his first 29 games for the BayBears this season.
And though there still are uncertainties about how often he'll find his name on the lineup card -- regardless of his recent surge -- Parra focuses on only what he can control.
"I'm focused on doing my job, and that's it," Parra said through a translator. "Hopefully I'll be here all year, but you never know. In reality, I'm just going to focus on what I'm doing. And I just want to be happy with the job I'm doing -- just do my job and try to do the good work I've always done."
If he continues on this pace he will be in contention for Rookie of the Month.
