The bat making the most noise at TD Ballpark belongs to a 19-year-old shortstop, and the rest of baseball is starting to notice.
JoJo Parker, the Toronto Blue Jays' No. 1 prospect and the eighth overall pick in the 2025 MLB Draft, drilled a 101 mph fastball off the top of the right-field wall for an RBI double in the seventh inning of the All-Star Futures Game on Sunday, July 13, at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia. He came around to score two batters later on a single by Ralphy Velazquez as the American League beat the National League 6-1.
Parker finished 1 for 2 with a run scored and an RBI, according to MLB.com's game recap.
June surge fueled Parker's rise
The performance put an exclamation point on a June surge that transformed Parker's first full professional season in Dunedin.
Since June 17, Parker has slashed .333/.489/.944 with five home runs and 11 walks in 10 games, according to MLB.com's Futures Game roster breakdown published Wednesday, July 8. Through the first half of the season at Single-A Dunedin, Parker has nine home runs, 21 stolen bases, according to the Patch AM newsletter published Wednesday, July 16, and an .845 OPS.
His month-by-month batting averages tell the story of a hitter finding his footing: .219 in April, .241 in May and .296 in June, according to Forbes reporting published Thursday, July 3.
Blue Jays see advanced approach
"He's our most advanced teenager since Bo (Bichette) and Vladdy (Guerrero Jr.)," Blue Jays director of player development Joe Sclafani said in a Forbes report published Wednesday, July 9. "In my 10 years here, I just haven't seen anybody who's that locked in and knows themselves that well."
MLB Pipeline ranks Parker among the top 30 prospects in baseball, according to the July 8 Futures Game roster announcement. MLB.com noted he is a candidate for promotion to High-A before his 20th birthday in August.
Blue Jays return home
Parker and the Dunedin Blue Jays return home to TD Ballpark for a three-game series against the Clearwater Threshers from Friday, July 18, through Sunday, July 20.
Friday's first pitch is at 6:30 p.m. and includes a Fireworks Night promotion. Saturday's gates open at 5 p.m., and Sunday's finale begins at noon with the club's Sunday Funday promotion.
