Paul Articulates – Get to know Kevin Parada

Recently I had the privilege of being part of a media day interview with Binghamton Rumble Ponies’ catcher Kevin Parada.  Kevin was the 11th overall pick in 2022 out of Georgia Tech and the Mets’ first pick of that draft year.  Kevin began the year in St. Lucie, moved up to Brooklyn, and finished the season with Binghamton last year for the playoff run.  He will be starting the season in AA this year.

The following questions were posed by a variety of writers and news crews with Kevin’s answers documented below.  I was very impressed with how articulate he was.  This is a guy who will not likely be fazed by the media as he moves up in the system.

Question: You caught some innings in Binghamton last year with Hayden Senger who won the Platinum Glove award last year in the Mets minor league system – what have you been able to learn from him?

Parada: We got to work together a lot the last couple of months and also when we were in Binghamton last year.  Obviously he is doing things right behind the plate.  I watch what he does and try to apply it to my game in ways I can and we bounce different questions off each other to learn what we can because it is part of the development process.

Question:  Talk about your relationship with the pitching staff and how you are gelling with them this season.

Parada:  Last year we had a great pitching staff.  This year we will be just as good.  We have a lot of talent. Some of the guys moved up this year, some are still here, and some new guys have gotten a shot to move up.  I have caught some of them already this year and it has been a good time.  We are all doing this together, getting ready to go.

Question: How valuable was it to be on the big league diamond with the major leaguers in spring training?

Parada:  It is so valuable.  That is the level you want to be at one day - hopefully sooner than later.  You need to experience things at that level and see how they go about their business because they have had those experiences.  I am just trying to learn from them as much as possible. I think the biggest thing was just learning from different guys on how to handle a game.  Questions come up during the game about a situation you have not handled before and also things they do as players to refine their tools.  The guys that are in the big leagues are there for a reason, so try to emulate what they do in ways you can.

Question: Everyone’s goal is to get to the big club and play in Citi Field.  How do you set objectives throughout the season whether it is here or along the way?

Parada: The biggest goal is to get to the big leagues; as we go up through the different levels you have to take certain steps.  Part of it is to take the steps one at a time.  Right now I’m assigned to Binghamton so I need to be in Binghamton now so I have to keep my feet on the ground and stay in the process.  You have to enjoy it while you can – it goes fast.  You are going to have good and bad days and ugly days as it is just part of the game we play.   As long as I keep moving in the right direction, I have faith that my talent and the hard work I put in will take over.

Question: Francisco Alvarez came through Binghamton and moved up very quickly to the major leagues.  What type of motivation does that give you as you are here in the Mets’ organization?

Parada: We have a new regime in the front office.  We are still learning about each other and how things are handled.  If you play the game right they may move you along quickly, maybe not.  You just need to play the game in the right way and stay healthy which is one of my biggest goals. If I can stay healthy then no matter what happens I will go at the pace I need to so just enjoy the process.

Question: Now that the team has been assembled in Binghamton, what is the mood in the clubhouse?

Parada: We are excited about the season.  You play a lot of games in spring training that don’t count against stats although they are important for your development. Now it really matters and we are ready to go.

Question:  What did you learn from your experience with playoff baseball with the Rumble Ponies that will help you prepare for this season?

Parada: That is real baseball.  As much as every game in the regular season matters, it is in the playoffs where all that matters is winning.  No matter how beautiful or ugly the game is, getting the feeling of needing to win is very important to prepare for the big leagues where every game is critical.  You don’t play the game to lose – do everything in your power to win.  

Question: Speaking of the playoffs, the whole community got behind the team as they went to the playoffs.  How was your personal connection to that?

Parada: It is always nice to have the fans excited.  To get those fans behind us is just as important as years down the road getting the New York City fans behind us.  It helps keep the morale up in the dugout as well.

<Many thanks to the Binghamton Rumble Ponies and their media director Jacob Wilkins for interview access to the Mets' AA players>

Paul Articulates – Predictions for Kevin Parada

When Kevin Parada was drafted by the New York Mets as the 11th pick in the first round of the 2022 draft, everyone took notice.  Parada was a very highly regarded catcher coming out of Georgia Tech with their single-season home run record.  

Many of you may remember that the Mets received that 11th pick as compensation for not signing Kumar Rocker in the 2021 draft.  So although the Rocker pick was a bad memory, the Parada pick made everyone (almost) forget about it.  

Parada was a touted high school star out of Loyola High School in Los Angeles who somehow was unselected in the 2020 draft after hitting .390 with 66 RBI in his senior year.  His swing translated well to the college game, as he was a starter from day 1, playing 112 games over two years and crushing 35 homers with 130 RBI.  His collegiate career slash line was .340/.420/.638.  He received many awards during his brief collegiate career including the 2022 Johnny Bench award and a unanimous first team all-America pick.  He also represented the USA on the national collegiate team in the summer of 2021.

After Kevin was drafted by the Mets, he was assigned to the rookie league for a few games, and then promoted to low-A St. Lucie for the last ten games of the season.  His first full season in professional ball was split between St. Lucie, high-A Brooklyn, and the AA Binghamton Rumble Ponies.  Despite his rapid rise through the minor leagues, Parada has had his first taste of adversity as the pitchers he faced became more skilled.  Over his first 118 professional baseball games he has compiled a modest .251 average and a .765 OPS.  Parada was also selected to play in the Arizona Fall League where he hit .194 with a .657 OPS in a short season that was made shorter by an ankle injury.

Don’t expect that to keep him down.  Parada is a hard worker and will come to camp in great shape ready to work with the Mets pitching staff and the hitting coaches.  His defense is sound and improving and I expect his bat to come around this season, particularly if he starts it in AA with returning hitting coach Darin Everson who is familiar with his swing.

In AA, Parada will have an excellent opportunity to work with a solid core of rising pitching stars.  The roster is not yet set, but in the end of the 2023 season, Parada worked with Dom Hamel, Tyler Stuart, Christian Scott, Blade Tidwell, Joander Suarez, and Paul Gervase on the way to the Eastern League championship series.  By the way, Parada was also central to the St. Lucie team that won the championship in 2022.  Hopefully we will see him extend that winning pedigree.