Mark Parent is a former professional baseball player who played as a catcher in Major League Baseball (MLB) for several teams during his career. He was born on September 16, 1961, in Ashland, Oregon, and attended the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, where he played college baseball.
Parent was drafted by the Texas Rangers in the fourth round of the 1979 MLB draft but did not sign with the team. He was later drafted by the San Diego Padres in the first round of the 1984 MLB draft and made his MLB debut with the team in 1986.
Parent played for the Padres from 1986 to 1988 before being traded to the Texas Rangers in 1989. He played for the Rangers for two seasons before being traded to the Milwaukee Brewers in 1991. Parent played for the Brewers for two seasons before being traded to the Toronto Blue Jays in 1993.
Parent played for the Blue Jays for one season before being traded to the Philadelphia Phillies in 1994. He played for the Phillies for two seasons before being traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1996. Parent played for the Pirates for one season before being traded back to the Phillies in 1997.
Parent played for the Phillies for two more seasons before retiring from baseball in 1998. During his career, he played in 474 games, had a batting average of .214, hit 31 home runs, and had 104 runs batted in.
After retiring from baseball, Parent became a coach and manager in the minor leagues. He managed several teams, including the Williamsport Crosscutters, the South Bend Silver Hawks, and the Mobile BayBears. In 2012, he was hired as the bench coach for the Chicago White Sox, where he worked for two seasons.
In 2015, Parent was hired as the manager of the Lake Elsinore Storm, a minor league affiliate of the San Diego Padres. He managed the team for two seasons before being promoted to the Padres' bench coach in 2017. He worked as the bench coach for the Padres for two seasons before being let go in 2019.
Overall, Mark Parent had a successful career as a professional baseball player and has continued to work in the sport as a coach and manager.
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