The honors continue to roll in for Georgia Tech catcher Kevin Parada. On Wednesday, it was the announcement that he was named one of three finalists for the Golden Spikes Award, given annually to the top amateur player in the country by USA Baseball.
He is the fourth Yellow Jackets player to be a finalist for the award, joining three all-time greats – Ty Griffin (1988), Jason Varitek (1993, 1994) and Mark Teixeira (2000). Varitek won the award in 1994. The other finalists this year are Oregon State’s Cooper Hjerpe and Texas’ Ivan Melendez. Tech fans might read the honor as validation of Jackets coach Danny Hall’s contention that Parada was deserving of the ACC Player of the Year award, which went to Clemson’s Max Wagner.
Parada finished the regular season sixth in Division I with 26 home runs and in the top 10 in total bases, RBIs and runs. The home-run total also broke a school record that had stood since 1990. He did so while serving as Tech’s starting catcher, playing 55 of Tech’s 60 games at the physically demanding position.
Parada also was named a first-team All-American as well as a finalist for the Buster Posey Award, given to the nation’s top catcher. He is a semifinalist for the Dick Howser Trophy, another national player-of-the-year award. The finalists for that award will be announced Thursday.
The winner of the Golden Spikes will be announced June 24. Parada is one of three finalists for the Buster Posey Award, which will be awarded June 29.
Parada, whose team was eliminated from the NCAA Tournament on Sunday by overall No. 1-seed Tennessee, is expected to be drafted high in the first round of the MLB draft and turn professional.
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