Billy Parese improved play, made high-A: Baseball Profiles

Going into his third professional season, Billy Parese was looking to improve his batting average, he told his hometown newspaper The Oklahoman.

With his previous, year, spent largely at short-season St. Catharines, there was a lot of room for improvement.

"The thing that got me down last year was I hit the ball hard, put it in play and still only hit .180," Parese told The Oklahoman. "I only had one bloop hit all season. That's unbelievable."

Parese did improve his average that year in 1990, he improved it to .237, hitting at single-A Myrtle Beach. Parese, though, couldn't improve it further. He played just one more season, never making it to AA.

Parese's pro career began in 1988, taken by the Blue Jays in the fifth round, out of Owasso High School in Oklahoma. Parese is also credited as B.J. Parese.

Parese grew up in Oklahoma, the son of pro baseball scout Bill Parese. The elder Parese played baseball at the University of Oklahoma, getting time in rookie ball with the Yankees. The father went on to be a scout with the Giants, passing away Christmas Day 1989.

The younger Parese hit the field for the Blue Jays in 1988, playing between rookie Medicine Hat and single-A Dunedin. Over 52 games, he hit .200. In one July game for Medicine Hat, Parese picked up three hits.

For 1989, Parese played 70 games at St. Catharines and eight at single-A Myrtle Beach. At St. Catharines, he hit .176.

Parese returned to Myrtle Beach for 1990, picking up five home runs and 47 RBIs. It was then high-A Dunedin for 1991, Parese getting into 66 games. He picked up two hits in a June game, but hit just .178 as a whole. It was his final season as a pro.

• The Oklahoman, April 8, 1990: Wear It Proudly

More: The 1990 Myrtle Beach Blue Jays

1990 Minor League Tally
Players/Coaches Featured:1,329
Made the Majors: 719 - 54.1%
Never Made Majors: 610-45.9%-X
5+ Seasons in the Majors: 312
10+ Seasons in the Minors: 182