Born on February 8, 1975 to an Anglo-American father and a Vietnamese mother in Norwalk, California, Jim Parque grew up in a low income household. While at Crescenta Valley High School, he was coached by former All-Star pitcher Jerry Reuss. During his senior year, he was voted by the Pacific League as player of the year and most valuable player. In 1996, Jim Parque played for the United States baseball team at the Summer Olympics held in Atlanta, Georgia and took home the bronze medal. He attended UCLA from 1994 until 1997 and led the Bruins to the 1997 College World Series.
Standing at 5 feet 5 inches tall and weighing only 132 pounds, Jim Parque had trouble being scouted by professional sports agents. That is until he was drafted by the Chicago White Sox in 1997 becoming the second American athlete of Vietnamese descent in Major League Baseball. (The first American athlete of Vietnamese descent to play in Major League Baseball is Danny Graves who had been selected by the Cleveland Indians in 1994.) In his debut year playing in Major League Baseball, Jim Parque pitched in 21 starts for the Chicago White Sox. His best season was in 2000 with a record of 13-6 and a 4.28 in 33 games, 32 of which were starts. Unfortunately, after a shoulder injury in 2001, he was benched for the duration of the season. His injury would be followed with several subsequent surgeries which caused him to exit the major league. In 2003, he signed with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in Minor League Baseball. After being released by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, he signed with the Diamond Backs in 2004. On June of that same year, due to his recurring injuries Jim Parque announced his retirement after seven seasons as a professional baseball player. On February 2, 2007, Jim Parque went out of retirement and returned to Major League Baseball when he signed with the Seattle Mariners. However, his tenure with the Seattle Mariners was short lived. Jim Parque was released by the Seattle Mariners on July of 2007.
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