What separates Archbishop Spalding senior Parker Thomas as a top pitching prospect is not the 8-0 record or microscopic ERA (0.36) in leading the Cavaliers to the MIAA A Conference championship in 2022.
It’s not that he watches his diet and makes sure to get close to eight hours of sleep every night at the age of 18 or that he regularly goes to a physical therapist and has a personal trainer.
It’s not even that the 6-foot-3, 205-pound right hander has a meticulously mapped-out routine that he follows prior to each one of his starts.
What separates Thomas as an elite pitching prospect is that he has the discipline and the desire to stick with that routine as he chases his dream of becoming a professional baseball player.
“I think a lot of kids might get sick of doing it and stop. But he does not,” Spalding coach Joseph Palumbo said of Thomas. “It’s his routine and he will not stray from it.”
Thomas was introduced to the benefits of physical therapy after he injured his shoulder at age 12 playing for his travel ball team in Cooperstown, N.Y.
Once a week leading into his starts for Spalding, which are typically made on a Thursday or Friday, Thomas goes to 4 Oaks Physical Therapy in Glen Burnie, where he is stretched, foam rolled and cupped to stay in top physical form.
“They give me exercises to do every day consistently to make sure I can limit the soreness and make sure I am mobile and flexible enough throughout the year,” he said.
He also works throughout the year with former University of Maryland pitcher Taylor Bloom at his company, East Coast Baseball Development in Millersville, on his strength and conditioning, nutrition, rest and recovery.
“It’s actually pretty impressive to watch,” Palumbo said. “He is very meticulous in the way he prepares himself. … That’s the way he has been for a couple of years now. He is really not letting any outside influences get in the way and distract him.”
If Thomas wanted to achieve his dream of pitching on an elite level, he felt this was the type of commitment he had to make.
“I am not incredibly physically gifted,” he said. “I have to take everything I can, an extra step and extra edge, to be on top of my game as best I can.
“Just being disciplined [helps] in all aspects of life. I have really improved academically over the last two years. Just everything it impacts.”
Thomas is on track to pitch in college at East Carolina University, but scouts from Major League Baseball teams show up regularly at Spalding to watch him pitch. If he puts together another tremendous season for the Cavaliers, there is a chance he could be drafted in July.
“He is a very, very polished high school pitcher,” Palumbo said. “He throws four pitches, including a sinker, a very hard power sinker. He’s a fastball, sinker, changeup, slider guy.
“He’s pretty dominant. He is low 90s with his fastball. His slider is a swing-and-miss pitch that even good hitters in our league really have a hard time handling.”
Palumbo said Thomas can throw all four of his pitches in any count, which the coach said “is kind of key to being a dominant pitcher in high school.”
“You might get down 2-0 to a really good hitter, and you might break off a slider for a strike,” Palumbo said. “That’s one of the things that separates him and makes him an elite high school pitcher and someone that’s going to play at the next level for sure.”
Thomas said he is fully committed to and excited about pitching at East Carolina, and it would take a pretty extravagant offer by a major league team to get him to sign right out of high school. He indicated even that might not be enough.
“It’s pretty cool. You get a lot of attention,” he said. “At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter. I am trying to go out there and be myself and be the best I can be for my team always. That’s the most important thing.”
Photo Credit: Natalie Robinson