‘One of the best players I’ve ever coached’: Parker Chavers back for encore with Chants
When Coastal Carolina opens the 2021 baseball season at home Saturday against Duke, it will be the first game Parker Chavers has played at Springs Brooks Stadium in 636 days.
That’s by Chavers’ own count. The redshirt junior center fielder has done the math.
That’s how anxious he is to return to the field for the Chanticleers.
“I was like ‘Wow, it’s been that long.’ It’s kind of surreal, but it makes it that much sweeter just to get back out there,” Chavers said. “It’s been a long ride but I’m ready to get back. My main goal is to not miss any games. I know that sounds simple, but for someone coming off an injury that’s my main focus is to just prove I’m healthy and getting back out there.”
Chavers had right shoulder surgery in early December 2019 and missed the coronavirus-shortened 2020 season, so his last game in Conway was for the 2019 Sun Belt Conference tournament championship his sophomore year.
As excited as Chavers is to return to the field, his coaches and teammates are just as elated to have him back in the lineup, perhaps in part because it’s unexpected.
They knew he’d be returning from his injury, but assumed it would be as a professional.
Chavers was ranked in the top 60 of D1Baseball’s 2020 Top 100 College Prospect Rankings, in the top 100 of several other prospect rankings, and in top 110 according to MLB.com.
But he was not selected in the truncated 2020 Major League Baseball draft in June, which was cut from its typical 40 rounds to five because of the impact of COVID-19, and just 160 players were selected.
“We’re a completely different team right now outlook-wise, the whole nine yards, without Parker Chavers,” said CCU head coach Gary Gilmore. “He’s one of the best players I’ve ever coached, no doubt about it. He’s a unique young man and his makeup is off the charts as well.”
Continuing a heralded career
Chavers has been named a 2021 preseason All-American by three publications and organizations – first team by Collegiate Baseball, second team by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association, and third team by Perfect Game/Rawlings.
He was also named a 2020 preseason All-American and 2018 Freshman All-American by multiple publications and websites.
The 5-11, 185-pounder with speed and power has batted .319 in 119 games in his two-year CCU career with 22 home runs, 24 doubles, five triples, 96 RBIs, 102 runs scored and 19 stolen bases.
He has a .435 on-base percentage and .554 slugging percentage, and has made just four errors in the field.
He has been that productive despite dealing with a compromised throwing shoulder that he previously had surgery on at the age of 14.
“I kind of played with it banged up for a year, year and a half, so honestly it’s the best it’s felt in two years,” Chavers said. “Everything went really well and I had a full recovery. I’ve done better than I expected really, so I’m fully healthy and just ready to be back playing again.”
The surgery in December 2019 was to repair labrum tears in two different places on the front and back of the shoulder, and he said his bicep muscle was detached and reattached in a different place so it would no longer pull on the labrum.
He was rehabbing at CCU with athletic trainers and began hitting just prior to the season being canceled because of COVID-19 last March 17. He was prepared to play by late April before he was fully recovered, likely as a designated hitter, and the season cancellation may have kept him from being drafted.
“The injury was not at a good time just the way everything worked out,” Chavers said. “I still thought the draft was going to work out, but obviously with it being cut to five rounds a lot of people didn’t get drafted that deserved to be. Going into it I was still kind of expecting to go. Obviously things didn’t work out the way I expected.”
Chavers returned to his home in Montgomery, Alabama – where the 2021 Sun Belt baseball championship will be played – to finish his rehab with his high school trainer and said he was full speed by June and ready for his third season at CCU.
“It’s not hard to come back to a place like Coastal. I absolutely love it here,” Chavers said. “I’m just thankful I’m back and able to play. Those guys who got drafted last year haven’t played any minor league games or anything really, so as far as that goes I don’t feel like I’ve missed a whole lot. I kind of think in the grand scheme of things it kind of worked out.
“. . . I’m a year older so that’s not really ideal for the draft, but as far as being able to come back and have at least hopefully a 56-game season to prove myself that I’m healthy and where I was, if not better, I think that’s going to help me in the long run.”
Chavers’ leadership this season will be as valuable as his talent since the Chants have a number of young players who are either new to the team or played only a very short season in 2020.
“The greatest thing about that young man is he didn’t come back here and pout and whine and cry about everything that went down against him due to the shoulder surgery, the pandemic and all that mess,” Gilmore said. “That kid has come back here and if anything he’s worked harder than he’s ever worked. He’s been a fantastic teammate, he’s been like an extra coach on the field, he challenges guys. I can’t say enough good things about him.
“I just hope and pray we can keep him healthy all year and let him play and surround him with enough good guys that people have to actually pitch to him and force them to allow him to play the game.”
Despite not having game action in more than 20 months, Chavers has had a lot of practice time and believes he’s prepared for the season.
“I haven’t played in a real game in awhile but I still feel sharp,” he said. “I feel my swing is good and I’ve seen plenty of pitches and had tons of reps.”
Chavers’ speed, average and power allow him to be a table-setter at the top of the batting order or a run-producer in the middle of the lineup.
“I’m just trying to be a very consistent hitter from Game 1 to whatever our last game is, just trying to be a rock for our lineup and stay consistent,” Chavers said. “I try not to get too enamored with numbers and that type of thing. I think that’s a mind trap when you get into that and start worrying about where the batting average is.”
He plans to use his speed as more of an offensive weapon this season.
“I’m going to try to run a lot more this year and steal some bags, that’s another big focus, and obviously do what I can with my legs in the outfield,” Chavers said.
Another big year expected
Led by Chavers, the Chants are ranked No. 23 in the Collegiate Baseball preseason poll and were picked to win the Sun Belt East Division by the league’s coaches.
They will begin the season with a three-game series against Duke – ranked 16th by Baseball America – beginning at 2 p.m. Saturday. The teams will play a doubleheader Sunday beginning at noon after Friday’s scheduled game was postponed because of anticipated weather.
“I’m super excited to see what we do,” Chavers said. “We have the potential to have one of the deepest lineups we’ve had here in a long time. I think we’re going to have a chance to be really good. On paper we have a chance to be really special. We’re all excited and ready to get started.”
Chavers almost didn’t make it to CCU.
He was committed to East Tennessee State, then thought he would attend Auburn after the Tigers began recruiting him late in the recruiting process.
But Auburn didn’t work out, and the head coach at ETSU, where Chavers signed a national letter of intent, accepted the head coaching job at The Citadel, and Chavers wasn’t interested in attending the military school.
“It was kind of a mad scramble honestly,” Chavers said. “It was July and it was a few-weeks process to get my release. I ended up getting that fortunately. Coastal got in contact, I came on a visit and just fell in love. I committed here the last week of July and I was on campus for classes three weeks later.
“It was definitely a whirlwind but definitely the best decision I’ve ever made.”
The 2021 opening series
Who: Coastal Carolina vs. Duke baseball
Where: Springs Brooks Stadium, Conway
When: 2 p.m. Saturday, noon Sunday (doubleheader)
Online/Radio: ESPN+, WRNN FM 99.5 or HANK FM 105.5
This story was originally published February 19, 2021 at 10:41 AM.
