| MEET JIM PARQUE Founder of Big League Edge Performance Baseball™ Jim Parque’s experience and expertise pitching at the top level of the game is currently what drives BLE today. Along with his network of MLB players, coaches, and trainers, Jim has been able to provide the Pacific Northwest and beyond with accountable and current baseball training. His relentless drive to maximize the potential of players whom train with BLE has produced numerous college scholarships and professional contracts, league championships, and catapulted many careers into the upper echelon of their talent pools. |
 Jim Parque- Seattle Mariners 2007 |
Some of mentors include:
- Jerry Reuss - All star major league starting pitcher of 20+ seasons
- Lou Pinella - One of the best major league managers of our time
- Dave Schmidt - UCLA pitching coach (1995-1996) and 12 year major league pitcher
- Tim Leary - UCLA pitching coach (1997) and 14 year major league pitcher
- Nardi Contrares - Major league pitching coach of the White Sox, Mariners, and Yankees
- Gary Adams - UCLA head coach whom ranks as the sixth all time in NCAA wins
- Jerry Manual - Chicago White Sox and NY Mets manager
 Jim Parque - 1996 Olympics
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CAREER HIGHLIGHTS A success story As a senior at Crescenta Valley High School in southern California, Jim pitched his team to a state semifinal, going 12-3 with an 0.43 ERA- tops in California. His 85 innings pitched with 156 strikeouts (12.8 strikeouts per game) topped all high school pitchers in the nation in 1994. He allowed 43 hits, 25 walks, and a grand total of six earned runs all year. This was enough to earn Jim a fiftieth round draft pick by the Los Angeles Dodgers, High School All American honors, and CIF High School Pitcher of the Year, California State Pitcher of the Year, and Los Angeles Times Pitcher of the Year. Parque opted to accept a full athletic scholarship to attend UCLA instead of a $175,000 professional contract. In 1995, while attending UCLA, Jim earned Pac-10 honors and Freshman All American honors. In 1996, Parque pitched the Bruins to a Texas Regional berth final. Jim made the All Regional team pitching a combined ten innings against Texas and Miami. In the summer of 1996, Parque pitched for Team USA in the Atlanta Olympics- winning Bronze. View more pictures of Jim Parque White Sox brawl, Pitching for White Sox , Pitching against Yankees, Full extension against Angels, Jim Parque pitching video |
In 1997, Parque pitched UCLA to a College World Series Berth. He led all of Division I baseball in wins (16-2), striking out 119 batters in 123 innings, while posting a 2.89 ERA. This landed Jim an All American, Smith Super Team, Pac 10 Pitcher of the Year, and a first round draft pick by the Chicago White Sox. Jim finished out his collegiate career as one of the top pitchers to ever attend UCLA.
Jim’s professional career started out on the fast track. After going 7-2, 2.77 ERA, 61 innings pitched, 29 hits, Jim made his major league debut just three months after signing on April 15, 1998 against the New York Yankees. In 2000, Parque helped pitch the White Sox to an American League Pennant, posting a 13-6 record, 4.08 ERA, with 197 innings pitched.
Jim pitched for six seasons in the major leagues with the White Sox, Devil Rays, and Diamondbacks. He injured his arm in 2002 and retired from professional baseball in 2004. In 2007, Jim signed with the Seattle Mariners and was released in June of ’07.
| BEHIND THE NUMBERS The journey of a lifetime “Although my career seems highly successful, I have experienced more failures than successes. As a young boy, my dad trained me exactly like so many other dads train their sons today. He drew his knowledge from a limited playing history, books, articles, and recommended training techniques from local coaches or facilities. My dad and I prided ourselves on working the hardest- adhering to a six day per week, year round practice schedule. However, I was hardly successful with the techniques my father was training me in. Many people have asked me what made me successful and how they can apply it to their son’s training. My answer is simple- FAILURE and ACCOUNTABILITY. |
 Devil Rays game where Jim Parque threw 7 innings of no hit baseball |
As a young boy, my dad trained me exactly like so many other dads train their sons today. He drew his knowledge from a limited playing history, books, articles, and recommended training techniques from local coaches or facilities. My dad and I prided ourselves on working the hardest- adhering to a six day per week, year round practice schedule. However, I was hardly successful with the techniques my father was training me in.
Many people have asked me what made me successful and how they can apply it to their son’s training. My answer is simple- FAILURE and ACCOUNTABILITY.
Although my dad’s limited knowledge and plethora of pitching techniques produced limited results, he indirectly taught me the secret to becoming a major league pitcher by causing me to fail through our unaccountable and incorrect training techniques. He demanded me to work hard no matter the outcome, be accountable for my failings, and play with heart. Through these ideals, I became a major league pitcher.
Heart is the desire to earn respect. It is what drives the champion to work harder, play faster, and win. Heart gave me the passion to accept failure as part of the game, as I could draw strength from these shortcomings. Heart also gave me the motivation to play without regret, as I laid it on the line every time the baseball left my hand. This allowed me to view failure from an objective approach.
The other aspect is accountability.
Although good coaches are available, the game of baseball is so different at every level. The skills required to be successful at each level vary greatly, and because players cannot adapt old skills with new ones, they fail, lose playing time, and retire from the game.
I did not experience lasting success until Jerry Reuss started mentoring my father and I. He taught me the major league way and provided my dad with avenues to reinforce these highly advanced skills that took three years to even begin to fully understand, let alone reproduce consistently.
Jerry started by implementing a foundation of skill sets that were the precursor to the advanced major league methods. Once I moved onto UCLA, under Tim Leary and Dave Schmidt built upon what Reuss taught me as did my professional coaches.
Through this accountability and willingness to fail did I ever stand a chance.”
Jim Parque | Big League Edge Performance Baseball™
