Montemurro: Meet Dana Parks, making her mark in Phillies player development
From Meghan Montemurro at The Athletic on March 2, 2018:
On a warm mid-February day at Spectrum Field, Dana Parks can be found in a familiar spot.
Standing behind the batting cage and flanked by Phillies hitting coach John Mallee and Charlie Manuel, Parks is in her element observing the young group of hitters.
As Rhys Hoskins steps in to begin his round of batting practice, Parks moves to the side of the cage and squats, closely watching Hoskins’ swing and movements with each pitch. The 26-year-old South Jersey native has always been curious, more interested in the why and how rather than what. That hasn’t changed since she joined the Phillies organization in November as the player development coordinator.
“We talk about with this guy, what we’re looking for – if it’s just swinging, we’re looking for contact points and how they’re hitting through the ball and how the ball is coming off their bat,” Mallee said. “She studies it. She’s really impressive.”
Parks rarely is in one place for long.
On workout days during spring training, she’s all over the Carpenter Complex back fields, one moment taking in Vince Velasquez’s bullpen session before walking to the adjacent field and stepping behind the cage for Jerad Eickhoff’s live BP. During Grapefruit League games, Parks sits roughly 13 rows behind home plate at the ballpark among the scouts and other Phillies front office personnel.
Read the full article here: https://theathletic.com/252968/2018/02/27/meet-dana-parks-the-26-year-old-south-jersey-native-making-her-mark-in-the-phillies-player-development-department/
Originally published: March 2, 2018. Last Updated: March 2, 2018.