Categories
Dynasty Athlete Representation Headline MLB Players MLB Teams

Parise And Platt Hope To Follow The Indy To Majors Path

A week-and-a-half ago, Ben Nicholson-Smith wrote an excellent post on MLBTradeRumors.com, which happens to be a fantastic website.  Titled, The Path From Indy Ball To The Majors,  Nicholson-Smith talked about Daniel Nava, a player who started his career in an Independent Baseball league, yet eventually received a promotion to play at the highest level possible – Major League Baseball.

Nava, whose contract was purchased by the Boston Red Sox from Chico, a Golden Baseball League team, back in January 2008, has had success since becoming a part of the Red Sox organization.  In fact, he slapped a Grand Slam in his 1st professional MLB at-bat.

Just as Nava did not have an agent when his contract was purchased by the Red Sox, Dynasty client, Pete Parise, was agent-less when his contract was purchased by the St. Louis Cardinals.  Parise graduated the University of Pittsburgh as the school’s all-time leader in hits.  The Slippery Rock Sliders of the Independent Frontier League did not care, and converted Parise into a pitcher.  Roughly two weeks later, in June 2007, Parise became a part of the Cardinals organization.  Parise had a strong chance at being promoted to the Major League team this season, but an injury to his shoulder set him back and eventually sat him down for the remainder of the season.

The path from Indy Ball to the Majors is not an easy road, but it has been traveled, and it will be traveled many more times in the future.  One player to keep an eye out for is another client of Dynasty, Ryan Platt.  Platt actually began his career in MLB affiliated baseball last year, as a member of the Milwaukee Brewers organization.  After being cut in the offseason, we found him a home with the Traverse City Beach Bums of the aforementioned Frontier League.  He’s only leading the league in wins (seven) and strikeouts (82) and is second in ERA (2.20).  Perhaps, in three years, MLBTradeRumors.com will be writing a story about Platt’s perseverance on his way to the Majors.

If you want information about Dynasty’s Professional Baseball Placement Service, please click here to email us.

By Darren Heitner

Darren Adam Heitner, Esq., is a preeminent sports attorney and the founder of Heitner Legal, P.L.L.C., a Fort Lauderdale-based law firm specializing in sports law, contract negotiations, intellectual property, and arbitration. He earned his Juris Doctor from the University of Florida Levin College of Law in 2010 and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, magna cum laude, from the University of Florida in 2007, where he was named Valedictorian of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Admitted to practice in the state bars of Florida, New York, and the District of Columbia, as well as multiple federal courts, Darren also serves as a certified arbitrator with the American Arbitration Association.

As an adjunct professor, Darren imparts his expertise through teaching Sports Law at the University of Florida Levin College of Law and Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) at the University of Miami School of Law in the Entertainment, Arts, and Sports Law LL.M. program. His scholarly contributions include authoring several books published by the American Bar Association, such as How to Play the Game: What Every Sports Attorney Needs to Know, and numerous articles in prominent publications like Forbes, Inc. Magazine, and Above the Law. His thought leadership in NIL has earned him recognition as one of the foremost experts by The Wall Street Journal, USA TODAY, and On3, and he has been lauded as a “power player in NIL deals” by Action Network and a “top sports trademark attorney” by Sportico.

Darren’s passion for sports law led him to establish Sports Agent Blog on December 31, 2005, initially titled “I Want To Be A Sports Agent.” The platform, created as a New Year’s resolution, has grown into a cornerstone of the sports agency community, offering in-depth analysis of industry trends, legal disputes, and agent-player dynamics. His commitment to the field is further evidenced by his representation of numerous athletes and sports agents, as well as his prior role as an Adjunct Professor at Indiana University Bloomington, where he developed and taught a course on Sport Agency Management from 2011 to 2014.

Darren’s contributions have been recognized with prestigious honors, including the University of Florida’s 40 Under 40 Award, the University of Florida Levin College of Law’s Outstanding Young Alumnus Award, and designation as the best lawyer in Fort Lauderdale by Fort Lauderdale Magazine. He remains an active voice in the sports law community, sharing insights through his weekly NIL newsletter and his X posts, engaging a broad audience on legal developments in sports.