TORONTO — While John Schneider hasn't had a chance to speak with JoJo Parker yet, the Toronto Blue Jays manager is vaguely familiar with his backstory.
When the organization selected Parker with the eighth-overall pick in last month's MLB Draft, the reviews that Schneider received on him were glowing.
"I've heard nothing but great things,” Schneider said on Wednesday before the Blue Jays fell to the Chicago Cubs, 4-1, at Rogers Centre. “Everyone that I know in the amateur world was raving about him when we got him. I know he's a good player. I know he's kind of self-made."
Parker, a 19-year-old shortstop out of Purvis High School in Mississippi, is unlike some of his peers. It's common for elite high-school players to work with independent instructors to advance their development ahead of the draft, however, that wasn't the case for Parker.
"I've never had a hitting coach, I've never had a fielding coach. So, I'm really excited to get involved with the coaches here," Parker said from Dunedin, Fla., on Wednesday during a Zoom call with media. "I am excited to deal with professionals and have coaches that know what they're doing and prepare me for the coming weeks and months and years."
The six-foot-two, 200-lb. left-handed hitter impressed Blue Jays' decision makers leading up to the draft with his advanced swing, plate discipline, contact ability and power potential. Parker earned Gatorade Mississippi Baseball Player of the Year honours after his senior season of high school and agreed to a $6.2-million bonus with the Blue Jays just days after being selected in the first round.
Accomplishing all that without professional guidance is impressive and it has the Blue Jays "anxious to see how he uses everything we have to offer to kind of keep elevating his game," said Schneider.
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Parker's twin brother Jacob was drafted in the 19th round (573 overall) by the Arizona Diamondbacks but declined to sign with the organization and will instead play at Mississippi State University. Parker says the two have continually pushed each other to grow with the help of their father, Joseph.
"I think it honestly came natural to me but me and my brother always competed with each other," said Parker. "I think that's why I made it as far as I am today, because me and [Jacob] literally competed with each other every single day and made each other better. And then my dad's really, really smart on the baseball side.
"Us three [were] working together, swinging in the cages every single day," he added. "They both know my swing better than I do."
Parker decided to forgo his commitment to Mississippi State to join the Blue Jays and is now settling into professional life at the club's player development complex in Dunedin. He says his main focus is to get bigger, stronger and faster while also improving his defensive footwork.
He’s arrived at this point after what he says was a long period of anticipation ahead of the July draft.
“It was a year-long process of stress and everything in between, but when I heard my name called, it [brought] relief. I could breathe a little bit,” said Parker. “It was definitely a lifelong dream of mine to hear my name called. It was a really cool experience just to see my family and friends behind me and all their emotions.”
Asked to describe himself, Parker said, "I'm a team player. I do what's best for the team." He picked that up from following the career of his favourite player, Hall-of-Fame shortstop Derek Jeter.
"Just the captain mentality he has," said Parker of what he admires about the New York Yankees icon. "I want to be the captain on the field and that leader."
Growing up in the small town of Purvis, Miss. — which has a population of around 2,000 people — he wasn't situated near any MLB teams and therefore didn't become a fan of any one club. Parker admits he didn't know much about the Blue Jays before he was drafted, but that's obviously changed.
He'll be making the trip to Toronto at some point in the next several weeks to visit Rogers Centre and get acquainted with Schneider and others in the organization.
"I started to pay more attention to [the Blue Jays], like watching a bunch of games," said Parker. "I realized that Canada was really big in this. It's the only team that has a whole country behind them. So, it's really cool to have that fan base."
