Parker not missing football right now

by TigerNet Staff - Thursday, July 28, 2011 1:56 PM

Kyle Parker
Pos: OF Height: 6-1 Weight: 200 Hometown: Jacksonville, FL (Bartram Trail HS HS) Years Played: 2008 - 2010

From MLB:

Former Clemson quarterback Kyle ParkerKyle Parker
Outfielder
#11 6-1, 200
Jacksonville, FL
View Full Profile said he will miss football when the games start, but he is not missing the summer conditioning and workouts.

"Honestly, I'm not missing [football] too much right now," Parker said in a telephone interview from Asheville, N.C., where he is playing his first professional season with the Class A Tourists. "I know how hard it is, fall camp. It's really not the most enjoyable thing in the world. In summer workouts, they really beat you down. When the games roll around, I think that's what I'll miss the most. But that's about it."

Parker, the No. 26 overall pick in the 2010 First-Year Player Draft, isn't playing like a man with his mind on any sport -- or anything -- but baseball. After forfeiting $800,000 in signing bonuses to play one more football season at Clemson in 2010, the outfielder has flourished in his first pro baseball campaign. Entering Thursday's action, Parker is hitting .285 with 17 home runs and 78 RBIs in 87 games. He has been especially hot lately, batting .353 with seven homers and 17 RBIs over the last 10 contests.

"I think the biggest thing is just not getting discouraged," Parker said. "It's such a long season. You're going to have ups and downs. If you get eaten up by all the negative that happens, it's going to be tough on you. I try to block that out, focus on the positives and just go out there and get after it every day."

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