Gerardo Parra, Outfield

Date of Birth: 5/6/1987
Birthplace: Santa Barbara, Venezuela

Gerardo Parra, outfielder, started his professional baseball career in the Arizona Diamondbacks' minor league system in 2006. He made his first appearance with the Diamondbacks in 2009, playing in 120 games with them. That season, he batted .290 with 132 hits, 21 doubles, and a career high 60 RBIs.

Parra had a good 2011 season, both offensively and defensively. He batted .292 with 130 hits, 20 doubles, and 15 stolen bases in 141 games. He won his first Gold Glove award that year for his defensive skills in left field. In 125 games, he made 267 putouts and just 2 errors with a fielding percentage of .993.

In 2013, Parra batted .268 with career highs in hits (161) and doubles (43). He won his second Gold Glove, this time for his defensive play in right field.

On July 31, 2014, Parra was traded to the Milwaukee Brewers. He finished the 2014 season with 138 hits, 22 doubles, and a .261 batting average in 104 games with the Diamondbacks and 46 games with the Brewers.

Parra was traded to the Baltimore Orioles on July 31, 2015. He finished the season with 159 hits, 36 doubles, 14 home runs, 51 RBIs, and a .291 batting average in 100 games with the Brewers and 55 games with the Orioles. Defensively, he played 53 games in left field, 41 games in center field, and 63 games in right field.

Parra signed with the Colorado Rockies on January 20, 2016. He finished the 2016 season with 93 hits, 27 doubles, and a .253 batting average in 102 games. Defensively, he played 19 games at first base, 60 games in left field, 11 games in center field, and 16 games in right field.

In 2017, Parra batted a career high .309 in 115 games. He had 121 hits, 24 doubles, a career high 71 RBIs, and 67 strikeouts to 20 walks. Defensively, he played 6 games at first base, 82 games in left field, 1 game in center field, and 22 games in right field. In the Wild Card game, he had 2 hits and 1 RBI in 4 at-bats.

Parra finished the 2018 season with 114 hits, 17 doubles, 53 RBIs, 75 strikeouts to 32 walks, and a .284 batting average in 142 games. Defensively, as the Rockies' left fielder in 111 games, he made 170 putouts and 4 errors. In the postseason, he had 4 hits in 8 at-bats in 3 games. He struck out once and walked once.

Parra became a free agent on October 30, 2018. He signed a minor league contract with the San Francisco Giants on February 14, 2019. After being designated for assignment on May 3rd, Parra elected free agency on May 7th. He signed a one-year contract with the Washington Nationals on May 9th. He finished the 2019 season with 64 hits, 48 RBIs, and a .234 batting average in 30 games with the Giants and 89 games with the Nationals. Defensively, he played all infield and outfield postions except for shortstop. He also pitched in one game. In the postseason, he batted .167 with 1 hit and 2 strikeouts and 1 walk in 6 at-bats in 7 games.

Parra became a free agent on October 31, 2019. He didn't play professional baseball in 2020.

Parra returned to the Nationals on a minor league contract on February 17, 2021. He spent time on the IL in 2021, playing in just 53 games with the Nationals. He had 23 hits and a .237 batting average.

Parra became a free agent on November 3, 2021. He rejoined the Nationals on a minor league contract on March 14, 2022. He was released on May 1st.

Career batting statistics for Parra through 2021 include:

• 1,519 games played
• 1,335 hits
• 269 doubles
• 90 home runs
• 532 RBIs
• 920 strikeouts to 318 walks
• .275 batting average

Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Gerardo Parra
ESPN - Gerardo Parra