Biography

Pete Parise is a 6'1 185 lbs pitcher out of the University of Pittsburgh. He was born in Bronx, NY, where he was a three-year letterwinner, named first team All-City, All-Bronx and All-Conference as a junior and senior.

At the University of Pittsburgh, Parise was mostly used as an outfielder. He played in the Frontier League until his contract was purchased by the Cardinals on June 17, 2007. Parise made his professional debut with Rookie-level Johnson City in the Appalachian League and earned his first career save in his first appearance on June 21. He was promoted to Short-Season Batavia in the New York-Penn League on July 1 and tossed three shutout frames against State College.

Parise began the 2008 season with the Quad Cities River Bandits (class A Cardinals affiliate), posting a 3-1 overall record while appearing in 36 games. He limited opponents to a .225 batting average and carried a 7:1 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 48.1 innings pitched. In just 11 games with the Cardinals in the Florida State League (Palm Beach Cardinals), Parise posted a 2-1 record and struck out 12 batters in 16.0 innings pitched. In his last four appearances of 2008, he threw five and a third innings, allowing just one hit while striking out five.