Parker Frazier

Organization Prospect Rankings

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  Ranked Colorado Rockies #30 prospect in 2013
  Frazier pitched at Tulsa, his hometown, in 2012 and led the Texas League with 167 innings, which tied for fifth in the minors. He also led the TL in losses and home runs allowed. He has a very good idea of what he's doing with each hitter, a cerebral approach to pitching that isn't surprising because his father George is a former reliever in the majors and a current Rockies television analyst. Parker's fastball, slider and changeup all improved in 2012. He's a strike-thrower who doesn't have fine command but controls the zone with a sinker that sits at 90-91 mph, gets up to 93 and induces a lot of grounders. He's tough, competitive and aggressive, sometimes to the point where he overthrows and leaves his fastball up in the zone. His arm speed on his changeup has gotten better, along with his ability to stay on top of the pitch and keep it down, and his slider gotten a little tighter. Frazier profiles as a middle reliever or swingman. Though he wasn't added to the 40-man roster in the offseason, he has a chance to get his first major league callup this year after getting some time in Triple-A.
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  Ranked Colorado Rockies #28 prospect in 2012
  Frazier required Tommy John surgery in September 2009, but his arm was in such good shape at the time that he was able to return in nine months and become Tri-City's Opening Night pitcher in June 2010. He moved up to Modesto within a month and spent the entire 2011 season there. He's the son of former major league reliever and current Rockies television analyst George Frazier, so it's no surprise that Parker has good feel for pitching. He consistently throws strikes and relies on an 88-92 mph sinker. His slider is an average pitch at times, but it's often slurvy and he falls in love with it too much. His changeup is a below-average offering and won't improve unless he uses it more often. Frazier is a good competitor but can be his own worst enemy, sometimes overthrowing his fastball and leaving it up in the zone. There's a lot of effort in his delivery, which contributed to his elbow injury. Frazier will begin 2012 in Tulsa, his hometown. He has a ceiling as a fifth starter but profiles more as a middle reliever.
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  Ranked Colorado Rockies #24 prospect in 2011
  Frazier's 2010 season was all about him getting back on the mound and showing that he is healthy. Frazier was back pitching nine months after having Tommy John surgery. The son of former big league reliever and current Rockies television analyst George Frazier, Parker is a strike thrower, which is why he figures to benefit from reaching higher levels in the minors, as he gets more consistent umpires. He did fairly well anyway after he settled in against high Class A hitters, throwing strikes and getting the movement he needs on his fastball. He yielded only one homer in 46 innings in the hitter-friendly California League. Frazier features a hard, heavy sinker that sits in the low 90s when he's at his best and induces plenty of ground balls. He uses a hard slider as his best secondary pitch but needs to refine his changeup if he's going to stay in the rotation. While Frazier rushed back from elbow surgery, Colorado won't rush him in 2011, and he'll likely open the season back at Modesto.
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  Ranked Colorado Rockies #21 prospect in 2010
  The son of former big leaguer and current Rockies broadcaster George Frazier, Parker was on the verge of jumping to high Class A as a 20-year-old last season before developing elbow problems. Following Tommy John surgery, he's expected to miss at least the first half of the 2010 season, though his rehab is progressing ahead of schedule over thanks to his conditioning and dedication to his rehab. Frazier operates primarily with two pitches, a low-90s sinker with late movement and a hard slider. He throws strikes and thrives off pitching to contact, generating plenty of grounders. His numbers should improve as he moves up the minor league ladder because he'll have better defenses behind him. Colorado will err on the side of caution with Frazier as he comes back from elbow surgery. But if he returns to form quickly, it's possible he could reach Double-A by the end of the season.
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  Ranked Colorado Rockies #15 prospect in 2009
  The son of former big league pitcher and current Rockies television analyst George Frazier, Parker had a lot of interest from colleges when he came out of high school. But his focus has always been on professional baseball and he never gave schools such as Arkansas and Oral Roberts serious consideration. Early indications are it was a wise decision. He has started to get stronger and fill out, and as a result his late-sinking fastball has clicked from the upper 80s to a consistent 92-93 mph. That helped him have success last year after an ugly pro debut at Casper. He has a hard slider and quality changeup to go with the heat. Most important, Frazier throws quality strikes. He has walked just 38 batters in 132 professional innings. He doesn't get many strikeouts but makes up for it with ground balls, posting a 1.99 groundout/airout ratio at short-season Tri-City. The Rockies have been cautious with Frazier, who has yet to pitch in a full-season league. Now he is ready to move quicker, and could jump up to Modesto.