Parker Picot on the road to making MLB dream become reality
ROCHESTER HILLS, Mich. (BVM) – Sports have been a focal point in Parker Picot’s family for as long as he can remember. Growing up, Picot, along with twin brother Tait and older brother Nicholas, were always playing something whether that was soccer, basketball, football or baseball.
“As much as I can remember, we always had a ball in our hand, we were always doing some sort of sport,” Parker said. “That’s when we got to really develop a love for the game. It was an everyday thing. Here in the Picot house, we’re all sports.”
While soccer and basketball eventually wore off, it was football and baseball that remained for the three brothers. In 2019, Parker and Tait became rare freshmen to earn a spot on the varsity football roster at Rochester Adams, and got to play alongside Nicholas who was in his senior year that season.
Right off the bat, Parker made his name known, scoring the first time he touched the football on a kick return.
“That was a big step for me,” Parker said. “I kind of came into realization that I have the ability to start and I have the ability to perform and go out there and do my thing.”
Parker’s football career only took off from there. Despite COVID-19 impacting his sophomore season, the multi-sport athlete took over as Rochester Adams’ quarterback, leading the Highlanders’ veer offense at a position he had really never played in the past.
As he has with any challenge, however, Parker embraced it. By 2021, he led his team to a 13-1 record and MHSAA Division 1 state championship game appearance at Ford Field. Playing on both sides of the ball for the third straight year, Parker earned all-state honors as he combined for nearly 2,500 yards and 31 touchdowns in a season he’ll never forget.
Unforgettable season with unforgettable coaches and teammates!! https://t.co/ESHvK7XvH9
— Parker Picot (@ParkerPicot) February 11, 2022
“I’d say my junior year was one of those years that I’ll always remember,” Parker said. “We had a group of guys that were best friends on and off the football field … There was a lot of team chemistry and I think that’s one of the big reasons why we got so far.”
Last fall, Parker wrapped up his high school football career by leading Rochester Adams to a 10-2 record, accounting for nearly 3,000 total yards of offense and 40 touchdowns.
OUTTA MY WAY! @ParkerPicot bulldozes his way through the Clarkston defense – he just would not be denied! @R_AdamsFootball has tied things up once again.#MIFTBL | @ThinkFordFirst pic.twitter.com/XhJGPUAWUD
— Bally Sports Detroit (@BallySportsDET) September 10, 2022
Both he and Tait were leaders of the squad as team captains, a fitting end to brilliant careers for both on the gridiron.
Finished up @ParkerPicot ‘s Senior Highlights.
The best player in the state. How this kid doesn’t have 40+ football offers amazes me. Watch it and you’ll wonder why too. Needless to say: was an absolute ball coaching him. Full video link here:https://t.co/yItSvf3ong pic.twitter.com/qJVYvw1gZE
— Mark Patritto (@MarkieP_) December 16, 2022
“It was a good, fun four years on the football field,” Parker said. “Lot of memories. I’ll never forget that.”
Over the past couple of years, Parker’s play on the football field garnered plenty of attention, earning him college offers from the likes of Central Michigan and UMass. Yet, despite all the success on the gridiron, his true love resides on the baseball diamond.
“I’ve grown up playing football and baseball my whole life,” Parker said. “When it was football season, it was football season, I’d set down the glove for baseball. And when it was baseball season, it was baseball season, and I’d set down the football. I’ve had that constant love for both sports, but it kind of always fell back and graduated towards baseball.”
Just as they did on the football field, Parker’s good speed and strong arm have stood out on the diamond for many years, beginning with his time playing on the JTB Tigers and the Motor City Hit Dogs during his youth.
‘23 OF Parker Picot (@ParkerPicot) from the outfield. Strong overall day from the @AlabamaBSB commit.#Super60 || @prepbaseball pic.twitter.com/AW97pO4p7s
— Prep Baseball Report Michigan (@PrepbaseballM) February 5, 2023
‘23 OF Parker Picot (@ParkerPicot) with a 6.58 60-yard. @AlabamaBSB commit.#PBRSuper60 || @prepbaseball pic.twitter.com/A3CUsWKXVa
— Prep Baseball Report Michigan (@PrepbaseballM) February 5, 2023
Following a strong showing at a tournament in Cooperstown, New York when he was 12 years old, the versatile 6-foot-2, 200-pound utility player who plays in the infield, the outfield and pitches, knew baseball was his sport.
“That was an awesome experience and that really kind of sparked my love for the game,” Parker said. “The ability to go out there, have fun, hit the ball around, make plays, that’s what it’s all about, especially with your teammates and the ones you love.”
As he’s moved up to playing with some of the best talent in the country with USA Prime National, Parker’s game has only developed further.
“USA Prime was an awesome decision for myself,” Parker said. “Putting myself in that position only made me want to do better … Surrounding myself with that talent really helped me and it really helped me push my game to the next level.”
Last summer, Parker had the chance to prove just how elite his talent was, particularly while earning the opportunity to compete at the East Coast Pro showcase.
“It was awesome recognition and a thing I was proud to be a part of,” Parker mentioned. “All these events over the years kind of led to me falling more in love with the game and enjoying it more.”
Yet, just as it was with football, some of Parker’s fondest memories in baseball have come at Rochester Adams. It didn’t necessarily start that way, though, as he was denied the chance to play another varsity sport alongside both of his brothers when the 2020 spring baseball season was canceled across Michigan.
“I was pumped up to play my freshman year,” Parker said. “Both of my siblings were supposed to be on varsity … That definitely would have been a pretty cool experience to have with my brothers.”
Yet, Parker was still able to play travel baseball throughout the summer, putting him in position to succeed as a sophomore, a season in which he hit an impressive .467 as the Highlanders’ team chemistry continued to build.
“Everyone was just itching to get back on the baseball field,” Parker noted. “It was a good year, I think the team played well.”
That set the stage for a junior season in which he will never forget. In 2022, Parker broke Rochester Adams’ single-season home run record (10) and runs scored record (54). Meanwhile, the Highlanders also won their most games in program history with 33 as Parker batted .418 with 45 RBIs and 22 steals while also going 7-1 with a 1.16 ERA on the mound.
“The team did very well that year,” Parker said. “It was a season I was definitely proud to be a part of and a season I’ll remember for a while.”
Although the Highlanders’ current season didn’t quite start how Parker or his team envisioned, Rochester Adams has grown throughout the spring, and has itself towards the top of the league standings come postseason time.
“Hoping to finish off the season strong, and if our team comes together and we really just lock in as a team and do what we’re supposed to do, I think we have a chance to make a pretty good run,” Parker said.
With multiple MLB scouts present at most of his games, expectations have been higher for the senior this spring. Yet, he has focused on tuning it out, doing whatever he can to help his team succeed. So far, that has led to impressive numbers yet again, including nine home runs. Parker has also set career program records for home runs and steals.
.@ParkerPicot with an RBI double to tie the game at two ⚾@AdamsBaseball #MHSAA #highschoolbaseball #longballive pic.twitter.com/noC6XEIQn5
— The PreP (@ThePrep3) April 13, 2023
“I’ve kind of tried shutting out what everyone else has to say,” Parker said. “It’s my senior season, my last high school baseball that I’ll ever play. I want to go out there, enjoy it the best I can with my teammates, my family, my coaches. The performance will come with the fun that I have.”
Having fun and being a team player is also part of the legacy Parker hopes to leave at Rochester Adams.
“I just want to be somebody who’s remembered as a great guy, easy to talk to, great teammate who can just go out there and play,” Parker said. “Everyday I go to practice and go to our games with a smile on my face and ready to go. If I want to be remembered by one thing, it would be to be remembered as a great person and an even better teammate.”
Giving his senior season extra meaning is the final opportunity to play the sport alongside Tait as well. Growing up, the twins have relished sharing so many great moments together both on and off the field.
“I think it’s something that I’m very lucky to have,” Parker said. “I know a lot of people don’t really get to experience what it’s like to have a twin and have somebody through everything. Our relationship is very special. I know a few other sets of twins, nobody like us.
“We’ve grown up playing every sport together, we’ve been on the same team, we’ve been in a lot of the same classes through our education. We’ve always just loved each other, enjoyed each other and have been nothing but happy for each other.”
Tait will head off to Alabama and may look to become involved with the Crimson Tide’s baseball program as a student manager. If he does, he will again be part of the same team as his twin brother.
Although Parker received plenty of interest from schools like Michigan, Duke, Boston College and Tennessee during his recruiting process, Alabama always stood out. The Crimson Tide were one of the first to reach out to the baseball standout, and between the campus, budding relationships with the coaching staff, and having family about an hour away in Helena, Alabama, Parker was sold early on.
MI 🌊 AL ▶️ @ParkerPicot https://t.co/NapWMrX7JR#RollTide • #NextWave pic.twitter.com/GZ3q1rbqmF
— Alabama Baseball (@AlabamaBSB) November 10, 2022
“I’ve been committed to Alabama since my freshman year in high school, and have been talking to them for a while now,” Parker said. “Throughout the past few years, we’ve had a chance to visit campus a few times, and my freshman year we actually got to make it out to opening weekend … That was a pretty solidifying thing right there.
“It’s my home away from home there. It’s definitely a great place.”
Playing in the SEC and competing for a national championship has long been a dream for Parker. As soon as next spring, that could become a reality.
“I’m excited to see where the future of the program lies,” Parker said. “This is kind of what I’ve been waiting for my whole life, is to get this opportunity to go and play, and play in the SEC. I’m pumped up.
“That’s my goal for the next couple of seasons, just go out there and perform, and help my team win a national championship in Omaha.”
Yet, there is a likelihood Parker hears his name called in this summer’s MLB draft as well. Should that happen, he will have a tough decision to make, but feels it’ll work out either way.
“It’s definitely pretty hard to tell right now,” Parker said. “I think I’ve got both options available. The way I see it, it’s a win-win situation for me, whether that’s the draft come this year or whether I go to school this next year. I feel like I’m in a pretty good spot right now.”
No matter when Parker begins his journey to the pros, it will begin what’s been a lifelong dream. While many players get drafted but never reach the big leagues, Parker is determined to make sure that’s not the case for him. Rather, he will work hard to achieve exactly what he wants, just as he has throughout his athletic career thus far.
“Coming to the MLB and hearing my name called, that’s something that’s been a huge dream of mine ever since we were young,” Parker said. “Everything that comes along with it, it’s something that I think every kid dreams of … I want to go out there and do that. I want to go out there and perform for everyone that’s rooting for me in my corner, and I want to go out there and perform for myself and get that dream I’ve been working for my whole life.
“It would be something that I can’t even imagine. It’s something that’s absolutely unbelievable. I think I got what it takes to make it there. I’m a determined guy and I like to finish what I start. I’ve started this journey, I’m not going to stop until I’ve made it. That’s the dream, that’s the ultimate goal, and that’s where I’m going to end up.”
