Manny Parra

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Milwaukee Brewers #2 prospect in 2008
  The highest-priced draft-and-follow in club history at $1.55 million, Parra got sidetracked by surgery to repair a torn rotator cuff in August 2005. He re-established himself in 2007, tossing a perfect game in his second Triple-A start and reaching the big leagues. He broke his left thumb trying to bunt in his second start with the Brewers. Parra has regained his arm strength and is back throwing his fastball in the low- to mid-90s on a regular basis. He mixes in a changeup and curveball to keep hitters off balance and pounds the strike zone. His return to health restored his confidence and he pitched with a purpose. Parra mainly needs to show he can stay healthy, and his 137 innings was two shy of his career best. He pitched tentatively at times in the majors; he's at his best when he pitches aggressively off his fastball. Parra will get the chance to crack Milwaukee's rotation in spring training. If he can't find a spot, he could shift to the bullpen or return to Triple-A. He eventually should settle in as a No. 3 starter.
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  Ranked Milwaukee Brewers #18 prospect in 2007
  Once considered one of the top pitching prospects in the organization, Parra has suffered ongoing shoulder problems that eventually led to surgery in 2005. He did a better job of staying on the mound last season but is now behind in his development, spending most of 2006 in high Class A after pitching in Double-A two years ago. When healthy, he has excellent stuff, beginning with a two-seam fastball at 88-92 mph. He works up in the zone with a four-seamer that tops out at 94-95 mph and has an average splitter and curveball. Parra is still working on controlling his changeup, which would make him a lot tougher to hit. The Brewers have worked with Parra on smoothing out his delivery and taking pressure off his shoulder. The rust showed last year, as Parra was more erratic with his control, but he still finished with more than a strikeout per inning and returned to Double-A by the end of the season. His control, once a strong suit, has regressed. Before his injuries, the Brewers figured Parra might make it to the majors at some point in 2006. That didn't happen, but he's still a lefty with a quality arm and will pitch in Triple-A this year at age 24.
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  Ranked Milwaukee Brewers #13 prospect in 2006
  In many ways, Parra and Dana Eveland are similar, but Eveland gets the edge as a prospect because of his better health track record, better command and reaching the majors first despite being a year younger than Parra. The Brewers still have significant hopes for Parra, whom they gave a $1.55 million bonus as a draft-and-follow in 2003. His delivery evokes a smaller version of Mark Mulder, but Parra hasn't thrown with the command that helped earn him those Mulder comparisons earlier in his career. He still has excellent stuff when healthy, starting with a darting 88-90 mph two-seam fastball that touches 93. Parra can bump his four-seamer up to 95 mph and work high in the zone with it, then attack hitters with a solid-average splitter or curveball. At times he struggles to control his changeup and two-seamer, throwing fat strikes and leaving him far more hittable than his stuff should allow. Parra also has failed to remain healthy for an entire season as he continues to over-rotate in his delivery, slowing his arm down and leading to nagging injuries. In 2005, he felt it in the back of his shoulder, and while he didn't require surgery, he didn't pitch after June 30. A healthy Parra projects as a No. 3 starter, as does Eveland. Milwaukee thinks Eveland's quick rise has challenged Parra to try to match it. He'll probably open the year in Triple-A.
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  Ranked Milwaukee Brewers #11 prospect in 2005
  After signing for $1.55 million as a draft-and-follow in 2002, Parra blossomed in his first full season and was poised to move quickly in 2004. That didn't happen, because he experienced shoulder problems that cost him all of April, six months late in the season and an assignment to the Arizona Fall League. When healthy, Parra features an exciting combination of power pitching and control. His fastball sits in the low 90s and touches 95 with good movement, and his curveball can be devastating at times. He has improved his changeup. He aggressively attacks the strike zone, getting ahead of hitters and making them swing at his pitches. However, health has become an issue. Parra missed time in 2003 with a strained pectoral muscle before he began feeling weakness in his shoulder during last spring training. He must refine his mechanics to take stress off his arm and avoid future breakdowns. If Parra proves he's 100 percent in spring training, he'll be sent to Double-A. He can still move fast and has considerable upside as a starter--if he can stay healthy.
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  Ranked Milwaukee Brewers #4 prospect in 2004
  Parra is a poster boy for the draft-and-follow system. After he went back to junior college for the 2002 season, he improved so much that the Brewers gave him first-round money ($1.55 million). He blossomed in 2003, when he was considered one of the top pitchers in the Midwest League. Parra features a rare combination of stuff and control, especially for a lefthander. He throws his fastball consistently in the 90-93 mph range, and he has a good curveball and an improving changeup. Parra keeps hitters off balance with two-seamers, four-seamers and cutters. He attacks the strike zone, usually working in good pitcher's counts. He's also a competitor who drives himself to be better. Parra needs to improve command of his curve and changeup. He strained a pectoral muscle near the end of the season and must stay on top of his mechanics to avoid future breakdowns. Parra has all the ingredients to move steadily through the system, perhaps skipping a step or two along the way. He likely will open 2004 at high Class A High Desert and could reach Double-A by the end of the year.
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  Ranked Milwaukee Brewers #8 prospect in 2003
  The idea of the budget-conscious Brewers signing a 26th-round pick for $1.55 million may seem far-fetched. Parra, however, represented an exceptional case. In his second junior college season, he blossomed into the premium draft-and-follow prospect from the 2001 draft and might have been a first-rounder had he gone back into the draft pool. By working diligently with weights, Parra boosted his fastball from the upper 80s in 2001 to a high of 95 mph last year. He throws three different varieties of the pitch: a two-seamer, a four-seamer and a cutter that often is mistaken for a slider. He has plus command of his five-pitch repertoire and a competitive streak that impressed Rookie-level Ogden manager Tim Blackwell. Milwaukee officials praise Parra's lanky body, smooth delivery and unflappable mound demeanor. The Brewers want Parra to work the inner half of the plate more often, and his reluctance to do so will likely disappear as he gets used to facing hitters with wood bats. His secondary pitches, a curveball and changeup, need refinement. Once Parra makes the necessary adjustments, he should move quickly through the system. He'll probably start 2003 in low Class A.

Minor League Top Prospects

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  Ranked Southern League #8 prospect in 2007
  Just as Parra was ready to run for mayor in Huntsville--where he had pitched parts of the 2004, '05 and '06 seasons--everything clicked. He cruised through 13 starts, tossed a perfect game in his first Triple-A outing and assumed a key role in Milwaukee as the Brewers contended for a division title. He has above-average control of a versatile assortment of pitches, and his stuff was as crisp as it had been since his 2005 shoulder surgery. Parra's fastball sat at 93 mph and touched 95, and his 79-80 mph curveball with 1-to-7 tilt overmatched minor league hitters. Parra's two-seamer, changeup and splitter are effective offerings he uses selectively. Huntsville pitching coach Rich Sauveur, who had worked with Parra since 2003, praised him for his poise, as well as his improved execution of each pitch. "The pitches themselves are what separate him from everybody else," Sauveur said. "What he did the best though was mentally. He started beating everybody down this year. He just went out there on the mound and he put everything together."
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  Ranked California League #8 prospect in 2004
  Limited to just 67 innings because of shoulder inflammation, Parra nonetheless made a strong impression. No lefty in the league had better pure stuff. Signed as a draft-and-follow in 2002 to a $1.55 million bonus, he already shows three plus pitches at times. Parra has a 91-94 mph fastball that he can sink or cut, as well as a sharp-breaking curveball and deceptive change. He throws strikes with all three pitches and is able to keep his pitch counts down. While his shoulder problems were troublesome, no structural damage was found and he pitched very well in Double-A after five weeks off. "He's very polished, well beyond his years," a scout said. "It's rare to find a lefty with both his stuff and command."
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  Ranked Midwest League #4 prospect in 2003
  Parra edged Hawksworth as the most coveted draft-and-follow in 2002, signing for $1.55 million. They have similar stuff, control and builds, with Hawksworth rating a slight edge across the board. Parra's season also ended prematurely, as he didn't pitch after mid-August because of tightness in a pectoral muscle. Parra gets good run on an 88-92 mph fastball. His curveball projects as a plus pitch, while his changeup is average. As the season went on, he improved his feel for pitching and did a better job of sharpening his curve and throwing it for strikes. He repeats his delivery well but it's a little stiff, so Parra tends to pitch up in the strike zone. He'll have to address that flaw at higher levels as well as work inside more often against lefthanders, who batted .355 against him.
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  Ranked Pioneer League #3 prospect in 2002
  A 26th-round pick in 2001, Parra signed with the Brewers as a draft-and-follow for $1.55 million just before this year's draft. Some managers rated him as the best pitcher in the league, owing to his tremendous poise and command. "He's cool, calm and collected on the mound, but he still brings intensity," Ogden manager Tim Blackwell said. "At this point, he doesn't realize how good he can be. He's got a lot going for him. No. 1, he's a competitor. No. 2, he's lefthanded. And No. 3, he's got great stuff." Parra works with an easy, fluid motion and throws three fastballs: an 89-93 mph four-seamer, a lively two-seamer and a cutter. He also features promising secondary pitches in a curveball and changeup that he can throw for strikes. He's still learning to pitch against hitters using wood bats, so he's a bit leery of working inside as much as he should.

Top 100 Rankings

• Ranked Baseball America's #72 prospect in 2008
• Ranked Baseball America's #69 prospect in 2004

• December, 2002 Scouting Report
  The idea of the budget-conscious Brewers signing a 26th-round pick for $1.55 million may seem far-fetched. Parra, however, represented an exceptional case. In his second junior college season, he blossomed into the premium draft-and-follow prospect from the 2001 draft and might have been a first-rounder had he gone back into the draft pool. By working diligently with weights, Parra boosted his fastball from the upper 80s in 2001 to a high of 95 mph last year. He throws three different varieties of the pitch: a two-seamer, a four-seamer and a cutter that often is mistaken for a slider. He has plus command of his five-pitch repertoire and a competitive streak that impressed Rookie-level Ogden manager Tim Blackwell. Milwaukee officials praise Parra's lanky body, smooth delivery and unflappable mound demeanor. The Brewers want Parra to work the inner half of the plate more often, and his reluctance to do so will likely disappear as he gets used to facing hitters with wood bats. His secondary pitches, a curveball and changeup, need refinement. Once Parra makes the necessary adjustments, he should move quickly through the system. He'll probably start 2003 in low Class A.