Mike Parrott
Opening Day Age: 54
Birthplace: Oxnard, CA
Resides: Longmont, CO
A veteran of the Diamondbacks organization, Mike Parrott comes to Reno in 2009 for his eighth season as Arizona's Triple-A pitching coach. This season marks Parrott's 13th overall with the D-backs.
Parrot's Minor League coaching experience stretches over two decades. From 2002-2008, he led the pitching staff at Triple-A Tucson, where some of the game's best young arms passed through including Max Scherzer, who compiled a 1.17 ERA in 2008 before earning a promotion to the Diamondbacks.
Parrot initially joined the Arizona franchise in 1997, serving as pitching coach for Rookie-level Lethbridge. From there, he'd make a quick rise up the chain, spending a year at Single-A South Bend, two at Single-A High Desert and one in Single-A Lancaster before receiving his promotion to the Triple-A level.
Before entering the D-backs chain, Parrott began his coaching career in 1988 in the Montreal organization, serving as pitching coach for the Rockford Expos.
A right-handed pitcher, Parrott was a first-round pick (15th overall) by the Baltimore Orioles in the 1973 amateur draft. He would go on to pitch 14 seasons professionally, including all or part of five years in the Major Leagues.
A 24-year-old Parrott enjoyed the best season of his career in 1979, setting then-Seattle Mariner records for wins (14), innings pitched (229) and ERA (3.77). He earned the club's Pitcher of the Year honor following the season.
A year later, Parrot earned the Opening Day start for the Mariners. That day, he tossed 6.1 innings and picked up the victory in an 8-6 Seattle win over Toronto at the Kingdome.