Nats ink 10-year-old Parker Staples with help from Make-A-Wish

Every little boy growing up dreams of becoming a Major League baseball player. A small percentage actually grow up to live out that dream, and almost none of them live out that dream while they’re still a kid. But that’s exactly what 10-year-old Parker Staples did.

Parker, lover of all things baseball, dreamed of playing for the Washington Nationals. The Make-A-Wish was able to help make his dream become a reality May 24 ahead of the Nats’ 12-10 win over the Marlins. Parker arrived early in the afternoon to get the full Nationals experience.

“For Wish kids, like Parker, who have been battling critical illnesses, wishes are imperative to their ability to stay positive and fight on,” said Tara Wilson-Jones, VP of marketing and communications for Make-A-Wish Mid-Atlantic. “They face so much darkness, our job is to work with partners like the Washington Nationals and bring light and joy and happiness into their world.”

After a ballpark tour (complete with a history lesson of baseball in Washington, DC), Parker was greeted outside the press conference room by general manager and president of baseball operations Mike Rizzo, along with outfielder Adam Eaton.

The three stepped into the press conference room, where they were met by a scrum of “reporters,” as employees in the Nationals front office had packed the space to pepper the newest Nationals with questions about the contract.

“I’m still learning about signing,” Parker joked while putting his name on the document. Rizzo then signed it himself to make it official.

Afterward, Eaton took Parker around the clubhouse to introduce him to the rest of the squad, which included some laughs with Anthony Rendon, meeting manager Dave Martinez and being sworn into the circle of trust, seeing the weight room and cafeteria and getting taped up by Eaton himself.

“Parker and his family were awesome to interact with today,” Eaton said. “To be able to give a wish to a young individual that’s been through a lot throughout his life already is huge for me. To be able to see his smiling face come in – he’s eating with the boys and comes to the weight room and has a smile on his face – I think guys gravitate towards his upbeat personality.”

After a round of BP thrown by hitting coach Brian Long and observed by the likes of Trea Turner, Victor Robles and Matt Adams, Parker threw about a half-hour bullpen session with none other than Nats closer Sean Doolittle.

DOO was so impressed with Parker’s four-seam action that he couldn’t help but invite the young hurler to throw out the ceremonial first pitch before that night’s game, promising that three-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer had offered to catch it.

As Parker met Scherzer atop the dugout steps moments before his first pitch, the two talked about pitching grips.

Parker beamed as he toed the rubber before firing a literal strike to the Nationals’ all-time strikeout leader.

“Granting wishes for kids that have faced medical hardships is so special for players and for the front office,” noted Nationals executive director of player and community relations Shawn Bertani. “Because in a very real way, we see how baseball – how what we do day-in and day-out – affects people and genuinely touches lives. It reminds all of us that we have much to be thankful for and much to give.”

And if the way Parker ran off the Nats Park mound to deliver high-fives and hugs to his teammates and family members wasn’t evidence enough of a great day, the newest National summed up his experience.

“It feels great and amazing that Make-A-Wish can do this for me.”