pæɹˈɔntoʊ ɐtˈɛndᵻd ðə jˌuːnɪvˈɜːsᵻɾi ʌv mˌæsɐtʃˈuːsɪts ˈæmhɚst bᵻfˌoːɹ bˌiːɪŋ dɹˈæftᵻd baɪ ðə bˈɔltɪmˌoːɹ ˈoːɹɪˌoʊlz ɪnðɪ ˈeɪtθ ɹˈaʊnd ʌvðə nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd nˈaɪnti sˈɪks mˈeɪdʒɚ lˈiːɡ bˈeɪsbɔːl dɹˈæft.
Paronto attended the University of Massachusetts Amherst before being drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in the eighth round of the 1996 Major League Baseball Draft.