Top 50 Twins Prospects 2010: No. 13 Chris Parmelee

Position | First Base/Outfield

Bats/Throws | Left/Left

Born | February 24, 1988 (Long Beach, California)

School | Chino Hills High School

Height | 6'1''

Weight | 223 pounds.

2009 Ranking | 13



Breakdown

With their first round pick in the 2006 draft, the Twins selected Chris Parmelee out of Chino Hills High School.  With a $1.5 million signing bonus in hand, Parmelee quickly reported to the Gulf Coast League.  The Twins drafted Parmelee, who primarily played first base in high school, and attempted to convert him to be a corner outfielder.

His first season of pro-ball went just as he and the Twins had hoped.  Parmelee hit .279/.369/.532 and immediately showcased the power that the Twins saw from him in high school.  He belted eight home runs in his first 45 games with the GCL Twins.

Parmelee later appeared in 11 games with the Beloit Snappers, but showed his youth after hitting just .227/.370/.273 in 22 at-bats.  In 2007, Parmelee spent the entire year in the Midwest League hitting .239/.313/.414 with 43 extra-base hits and 70 RBI as a 19-year-old.  He returned to Beloit in 2008, hitting .239/.385/.496 with 27 extra-base hits, but a wrist injury allowed Parmelee to play in just 69 games.

Parmelee was finally promoted to Advanced-A Ft. Myers in 2009 and he remained healthy throughout the season, hitting .258/.359/.441 and continuing to showcase superb power with 16 home runs.

All together, Parmelee has hit 53 home runs in 1,271 minor league at-bats.  The saying, "he is what he is" truly applies with Parmelee.  He has consistently gotten on-base at a high rate, hit a lot of home runs, and been a productive run producer.  But he's also struggled to make contact, striking out at an alarming 30 percent of the time. 

He gets on hot streaks, but his overall season numbers are very consistent.  Despite gaining weight, Parmelee has played solid defense in both right field and first base.  At the plate, Parmelee looks a lot like Travis Snider of the Blue Jays.  But his numbers look a lot more like Adam Dunn of the Nationals, which isn't bad in either respect.

2009 Statistics

          Level      G     PA     AVG     OBP     SLG     XBH     HR   wRC+

          A+       123     72    .258    .359    .441      44     16    130

2010 Outlook

Parmelee will probably return to Advanced-A Ft. Myers to begin the season, but he should be promoted sometime around midseason.  Personally, I don't think Parmelee will really benefit from starting at one or the other, and it will likely be contingent on depth.  He'll play wherever he's needed most.

Video

Estimated Arrival Time in the Big Leagues:
2012