Parra thankful for time with Brewers
Here’s what Manny Parra said about the Brewers decision to cut him loose:
“I prepared myself for it, so more than anything I’ll miss being considered a Brewer, because I’ve been one for so long,” he said. “Not only that, but I have so much respect for Doug [Melvin] and Gord [Ash] and the way they do things. They’ve given me so many opportunities.
“At the same time, I’m excited, because I feel like there’s been some baggage that is tough to move on from. Being a starter — a failed starter, in my opinion — I feel like no matter what I did, I was always being compared to what kind of a starter I was, and trying to overcome those things. I’m excited to move on and improve and be a better player.”
I asked him to expound on the concept of “baggage.” Parra explained that losing his starting role always gnawed at him, and now he’s trying to “grow up.”
“I was never able to let it go,” he said. “I just beat myself up a lot. I’m trying to move on from that stuff. I’m really trying to change the way I think.”
Melvin suggested that Parra might benefit from a move back to relief, so I asked about that, too. Parra expressed an openness to either role.
“You know what? You have to establish yourself in one spot or the other,” Parra said. “I thought I did pretty well against lefties [until] later in the year, when I don’t know what happened, whether I was tired or what. I was just not getting the job done the way I was earlier in the year. I have a lot of confidence in myself to be a reliever, still.
“It was a leaning experience for me, being in the bullpen all year long. It was different than other situations where I’d be out there thinking about being a starter. It was different trying to figure out how to work out, the daily grind and needing to be ready for every game. … Now that I have both [starting and relieving] under my belt, I’ve learned from both situations. I love to start; that’s always what I see myself as. At the same time, I can definitely see myself as a reliever, too.
“I just keep telling myself I’m a late bloomer. I always have been in my life. I’m 30 years old now, but I’m just going to remain positive and believe that I’m going to keep getting better. What else can you do?”
He added: “I like the idea of being able to sick with the organization you were drafted by for as long as you can and reward them for giving me the opportunities. But there comes a time when you have to move on, and this is it.”
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