Jim Parque
| Jim Parque | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Pitcher | |||
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Born: February 8, 1975 Norwalk, California |
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| MLB debut | |||
| May 26, 1998, for the Chicago White Sox | |||
| Last MLB appearance | |||
| May 21, 2003, for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Win–loss record | 31–34 | ||
| Earned run average | 5.42 | ||
| Strikeouts | 335 | ||
| Teams | |||
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
Representing  United States
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| Men's Baseball | ||
| Summer Olympics | ||
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1996 Atlanta | Team |
James Vo Parque (born February 8, 1976) is a former Major League Baseball pitcher for the Chicago White Sox and Tampa Bay Devil Rays from 1998 to 2003.
Jim Parque grew up poor in Southern California. His father made less than US$20,000 per year and his mother, a Vietnamese immigrant, worked at a textiles factory in Chinatown, Los Angeles. On this income, Parque's parents struggled to provide for Parque and his brother. Parque himself had to work in a sweatshop in Los Angeles as a young boy.
Parque attended Crescenta Valley High School where he was mentored by former All-Star pitcher Jerry Reuss. As a senior, Parque compiled a 12–3 record and was voted the Pacific League Player of the Year and MVP. He also broke the school's strikeout record. Parque began his high school baseball career at 5'1" tall and roughly 110 pounds; the school was unable to find a jersey small enough to fit him. By the time he graduated, he still stood at only 5'5" and weighed 132 pounds. Although he was recruited by such college baseball teams as the USC Trojans, UCLA Bruins and Miami Hurricanes, professional scouts showed little interest in him because of his size. Parque was not selected until the 50th round of the 1994 Major League Baseball draft by the Los Angeles Dodgers.
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