Parks Harber Raised Eyebrows With Standout AFL Performance

When it came to the 2025 trade deadline, the San Francisco Giants were stuck in the middle. They began the season as one of the best teams in baseball, tied for the division lead with the eventual World Series-winning Dodgers on June 13.

However, even after trading for perennial slugger Rafael Devers just a few days later, the team went on one of the worst runs we’d see from any team throughout the 2025 season. From June 14 to July 31 — the day before the deadline — San Francisco would go 13-26.

This caused Buster Posey to completely rethink his approach, and we saw the Giants do something they hadn’t done in years. They decided to commit to a sell and deal three of their longest tenured players in Mike Yastrzemski, Tyler Rogers, and Camilo Doval.

The return from all three deals included seven prospects and one big league piece. Doval, specifically, was one of the most highly-touted relievers dealt at the deadline.

The Yankees sent San Francisco four prospects in total, headlined by Triple-A catcher Jesus Rodriguez. However, one of the guys in that deal flew completely under the radar at the time of the trade.

Parks Harber has had an interesting baseball career up to this point. Due to being slightly older for the level he was playing at during the time of the deal, many fans wrote him off as not being a significant acquisition at the deadline.

However, a recent stint in the Arizona Fall League may have boosted his stock in the Giants’ system.

Parks’ Time With the Yanks

Harber played four years of college baseball, with the first three being at the University of Georgia and his last at the University of North Carolina. During that time, he was a productive hitter. In 872 college plate appearances, he slashed .303/.373/.556 with 54 home runs and a .928 OPS.

Despite the impressive numbers, he went through the 2024 MLB Draft without hearing his name called. He had to settle and sign as an undrafted free agent with the New York Yankees for just $50,000.

He was assigned to the Tampa Tarpons a few weeks later and had a fairly strong showing in his professional debut. While it was only 95 plate appearances, he posted an .838 OPS.

To open the year, there weren’t a ton of expectations for the 23-year-old in Low-A. However, he didn’t stay in Tampa for long, due to an impressive 20-game stint that quickly got him promoted to High-A Hudson Valley.

It was there he’d take the majority of his plate appearances for the 2025 season. While he only clubbed three home runs, it was a 160 wRC+ while hitting .326.

It was likely his knack for hitting for average that got the Giants’ scouting department’s attention. It’s been clear throughout his first year as president of baseball operations that Buster Posey prefers guys who can hit for average and get on base, something Harber excelled in at every stop until the deadline.

Shipped to San Francisco

Like mentioned earlier, Harber was a forgotten piece in the Doval trade due to his age and level. However, when he arrived in the Giants organization, he truly started to make a name for himself.