Texas Tech's Parker Kelly hopes to fulfill MLB dream in first-year player draft

It wasn’t that long ago Parker Kelly felt his baseball dreams hanging on by a thread.

After his freshman year, the 2017 Rider grad thought he was on the verge of getting cut from the team.

Three years later, Kelly’s dreams aren’t just intact, they’re flourishing.

After completing his finest season as a Red Raider, Kelly is hoping for the opportunity to chase every ballplayer’s dream – playing the major leagues.

Kelly’s best option of following that dream is less than two weeks away with the 2022 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft. The 2022 version of the draft starts July 17 and ends July 19 with 20 rounds that will see 616 players selected.

Kelly hopes to be among that number.

“That would mean the world to me,” Kelly said. “That’s what every kid dreams of growing up – getting to play professional baseball. I’ve gotten to do some incredible things at Texas Tech but hearing my named called at the draft would just be… yeah… incredible.”

Kelly is hoping to be the first player from the Wichita Falls area to be selected in the MLB Draft since 2015 when another former Rider standout, Gage Green, was selected in the 35th round by the Los Angeles Dodgers. Kelly would be the 11th Rider grad to be selected in the MLB Draft.

Kelly greatly improved his chances of being drafted thanks to his fifth-year senior season with the Red Raiders.

While he has been the team’s primary third baseman for the past two seasons, it was Kelly’s glove, not his bat, that kept him in the lineup. He batted just .200 in 35 games as a sophomore.

Kelly started 41 games in 2021 but batted just .194 with no home runs. His slugging percentage was a paltry .240.

Those struggles at the plate seemed like a distant memory after the first game of a doubleheader against Merrimack on March 5.

Kelly his three home runs in that game, including a pair of grand slams. He finished the game with nine RBIs. The three home runs were one more than his career total at Tech entering the game.

It was the beginning of a breakout season at the plate. Kelly finished with a .284 batting average with 10 home runs, 19 doubles, 45 runs scored and 48 RBIs. His defense was perhaps even stronger, too, finishing with a career-best .957 fielding percentage at third base.

“The biggest thing for me was just slowing the game down,” Kelly said. “The previous years I got too caught up in what fans thought of me or this and that. I just learned how to control my breathing, take it one pitch at a time, and not focus so much on the outcome but my process.

“I feel like my defense has always been there. I showed I am able to hit and launch the ball out of the ballpark sometimes. I feel like this year solidified that I’m constantly improving each year.”

Not bad for a guy who was close to not making the team after his freshman year.

“I went to Tech as a freshman not really knowing who I was and having to earn everything I had,” Kelly said. “I got 12 at-bats my freshman year and was on the verge of not making the team. I had to put my head down and cancel some things out. I had to realize that baseball is just what I do, it’s not who I am. I was able to live that lifestyle, and it paid off for me.”

Kelly isn’t sure what team will take him nor which round he’ll be selected. In fact, he’s not 100 percent positive he will be drafted. But he also believes he’s done enough to earn the opportunity.

“I’m hoping there’s some phone calls being made about me, and there are some guys talking about me to their coaches,” Kelly said. “I’m keeping my faith and getting drafted is one of my goals. Right now, it’s a waiting game. I’m preparing myself each and every day. I’m getting in the weight room and the cages and just hoping I get a chance.”

LOCAL PLAYERS IN MLB DRAFT

(List includes players who competed at local high schools and not just born in Wichita Falls. Only players who were selected in the MLB Draft are listed. The area has produced several minor league and MLB players who went undrafted.)

2015 – Gage Green, Rider, selected by L.A. Dodgers in the 35th round

2014 – Chris Sadberry, Holliday, selected by Miami in the sixth round

2014 – Ben Smith, Rider, selected by Houston in the 17th round

2012 – Griffin Russell, Rider, selected by San Diego in the 28th round

2011 – Lee Clubb, Iowa Park, selected by Kansas City in the 27th round

2010 – Brandon Workman, Bowie, selected by Boston in the second round (57th overall)

2009 – Chase Anderson, Rider, selected by Arizona in the ninth round

2008 – Zach Stewart, Holliday, selected by Cincinnati in the third round

2008 – Dan Carter, Graham, selected by Atlanta in the 22nd round

2007 – Ryan Brasier, Rider, selected by L.A. Angels in the sixth round

2007 – Heath Taylor, Bowie, selected by Cleveland in the 10th round

2006 – Stuart Sutherland, Rider, selected by Milwaukee in the 34th round

2005 – Casey McCleskey, Burkburnett, selected by Houston in the 41st round

2004 – B.J. Szymanski, Rider, selected by Cincinnati in the second round (48th overall)

2002 – Jimmy Demontel, Rider, selected by Miami in the 12th round

2001 – Chase Wright, Iowa Park, selected by N.Y. Yankees in the third round

1995 – Nick Kast, Hirschi, selected by St. Louis in the 60th round

1994 – Toby Dollar, Graham, selected by L.A. Dodgers in the 29th round

1991 – Chris Thomsen, Vernon, selected by Oakland in the 17th round

1991 – Jimmy Armstrong, WFHS, selected by Atlanta in the 32nd round

1979 – Daryl Frazier, Iowa Park, selected by Texas in the 31st round

1978 – Byron Jackson, Rider, selected by Cincinnati in the 13th round

1975 – Sam Welborn, WFHS, selected by Philadelphia in the first round (12th overall)

1971 – Glen Tackitt, Rider, selected by Montreal in the third round

1965 – Louis McKown, WFHS, selected by Houston in the 37th round

This article originally appeared on Wichita Falls Times Record News: Texas Tech's Parker Kelly hopes to fulfill MLB dream in first-year player draft