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Dave Parker Reconsidered for Hall of Fame: The Case for and Against

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Dave Parker is among eight players being reconsidered for the Baseball Hall of Fame on a special Classic Baseball Era ballot. The “Classic Baseball Era” is the period before 1980. The players on the ballot all began their careers prior to 1980, even though some spilled over into the 1990s. Successful candidates must be on 75 percent of the ballots cast by the Era Committee, which comprises 16 individuals who are either Hall of Famers, executives, or media. According to the National Baseball Hall of Fame website, “The Era Committees, formerly known as the Veterans Committee, consider retired Major League players no longer eligible for election by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America, along with managers, umpires and executives, whose greatest contributions to the game were realized either prior to 1980 or after 1980.” Apparently, those who made great contributions to the game in 1980 are out of luck.

Dave Parker on Classic Era Hall of Fame Ballot

Parker’s Career Statistics

Parker played 19 years in the major leagues as a right fielder, and later as a designated hitter. The Pittsburgh Pirates drafted him in the 14th round of the 1970 June Amateur Draft out of high school. He played for the Pirates, with whom he earned the nickname “Cobra,” from 1973-83. The Cincinnati native then played for his hometown Reds from 1984-87. He finished his career with the Oakland Athletics (1988-89), Milwaukee Brewers (1990), California Angels (1991), and Toronto Blue Jays (1991). He earned World Series rings with the Pirates in 1979 and the A’s in 1989.

For his career, Parker hit .290/.339/.471, 339 HR, and 1,493 RBI. That translated to 41.1 WAR, 121 OPS+, 120 wRC+, and .354 wOBA. A complete player in his heyday blessed with speed and a rifle arm, he stole 154 bases and had 143 outfield assists. He was charged with -19 Fielding Runs Above Average (FRAA) in the outfield, due to a decline in his defensive abilities in his later years.

“I’m Glad He’s on Our Side”

The dangerous left-handed hitting Parker was an imposing six-foot-five, 235 pounds in his prime. At age 22, Parker was called up on July 12, 1973, when the Pirates were in San Diego. When Parker entered the clubhouse, Pirates shortstop Dal Maxvill, a late-season acquisition who had never seen Parker before, famously said, “I don’t know what he does or who he is, but I’m glad he’s on our side.”

The Case for Parker in the Hall of Fame

Parker was considered the best player in baseball from 1975-79. Over that period, he hit .321/.377/.532, 114 HR, and 490 RBI while stealing 84 bases and accumulating 31.1 WAR. In right field, he had an astounding 72 assists and was worth 42 FRAA. He also committed 66 errors, among right fielders leading the National League in that category in 1975 and the majors in 1976-79. He played the game hard and often hustled himself into errors on plays other outfielders wouldn’t attempt.

During those years, Parker could be considered, to use a basketball term, a “stat sheet stuffer.” He won two consecutive NL batting titles in 1977 and 1978. In 1975, his .541 slugging percentage was the best in the NL. In 1977, he also led the league with 215 total hits and 44 doubles. His best year was in 1978 when he won the NL Most Valuable Player Award. Besides the batting title, he led the NL with 7.0 WAR, a .585 slugging percentage, a .979 OPS, 166 OPS+, and 340 total bases. He won his second of what would be three consecutive Gold Glove Awards. Parker made two All-Star Game appearances during these five years, but, strangely, not in 1978.

Cobra Shines in 1979

It was the next season, however, when Parker would shine on the national stage. Parker was the starting right fielder in the 1979 All-Star Game at the Kingdome in Seattle. In five plate appearances, he contributed a single, a sacrifice fly, and an intentional walk. But he was named the game’s MVP on the strength of his defensive contributions. In the seventh inning, the American League’s Jim Rice led off with a double down the right field line. Parker retrieved the ball and fired it to third base, where Rice was tagged out. Then in the following inning, Parker gunned down Brian Downing at home trying to score from second base on a single by Graig Nettles.

In the 1979 NL Championship Series, Parker was 4-for-12, including the game-winning hit in the 10th inning of Game 2 in Cincinnati. In the World Series victory over the Baltimore Orioles, Parker went 10-for-29 with three doubles and four RBI. That also included a line drive single that he hit so squarely that the ball had no spin on it. It acted like a knuckleball and eluded Orioles second baseman Rich Dauer. Parker certainly seemed to be laying out his Hall of Fame credentials. He had yet to turn 30.

The Collision

Nothing demonstrated Parker’s dedication like the Pirates’ game against the New York Mets on June 30, 1978, at Pittsburgh’s Three Rivers Stadium. In front of 31,497 fans, the Mets led the Pirates, 6-5, in the bottom of the ninth. The Pirates were rallying. They’d already scored two runs in the inning, thanks to Parker’s one-out, two-run triple. With Parker on third base, Bill Robinson hit a fly ball to shallow right field. Parker tried to score on the play. The throw from right fielder Elliott Maddox to catcher John Stearns got to home plate first. Left with no choice, Parker lowered his shoulder and collided with Stearns like a linebacker trying to force a fumble. I was in attendance, in the 500 level of the old concrete edifice, higher than any seat in PNC Park. I swear I felt the jarring collision way up there.

Stearns managed to hold onto the ball. Parker was out. The Pirates lost and Parker came away with a broken cheekbone. Stearns was angry, as was his manager Joe Torre, who broke Robinson’s bat. After the game, both had calmed down. Torre apologized and Stearns told Russ Franke of The Pittsburgh Press, “It was a good play. Parker had to hit me, and he hit me pretty good. It’s competition. I would have done the same thing.” Stearns did in fact do the same thing, earlier in the year when he tried to run over Pirates catcher Ed Ott, himself no stranger to violence.

In his book, Cobra, Parker recounts walking by Stearns in spring training in 1988. Parker was a coach for the St. Louis Cardinals. Stearns was a coach for the Orioles. As Parker tells it:

“Hey, Parker,” [Stearns] called over, surrounded by other coaches. “How’s your jaw?” They all started laughing.

“Fine, mother[censored],” I replied with a smile. “I played a dozen years after that. How ‘bout you? Didn’t think so.” They stopped laughing. I kept walking.

The Case Against Parker in the Hall of Fame

Parker played the rest of the 1978 season in a specially designed helmet with a face mask. His reckless style of play undoubtedly contributed to a decline in his play after 1979. Oh, he still had his moments. In 1985 with the Reds, he led the NL with 125 RBI and 42 doubles while hitting 34 home runs. He appeared in five more All-Star Games. From 1980-91, which represents over half of his career, he hit .275/.322/.444, 217 HR, 960 RBI, and 109 OPS+ and produced just 7.7 WAR.  That level of production, for example, is akin to that of the longtime New York Yankee Roy White, a very good, but not great, player. Nobody is clamoring for White to enter the Hall of Fame.

Parker’s outfield play declined during those years as well. He still had a strong arm, as evidenced by his 63 outfield assists. But he was also charged with 69 errors and -60 FRAA in the outfield.

She Don’t Lie, Cocaine

One thing that’s undoubtedly hurt Parker’s candidacy in years past was his involvement in baseball’s cocaine scandal of 1985. The United States Attorney gave several ballplayers immunity in exchange for their testimony against the dealers. The end result was laughable. Clearly, the government hoped to be led to some big-time dealers. Instead, they indicted seven sports fans who supplied cocaine to the athletes in an attempt to get closer to them.

By the time of his testimony on September 11, Parker had long kicked the habit without going into rehabilitation. When the defense attorney asked Parker about it, Parker testified, “I stopped using it in the late part of ’82. I felt my game was slipping. I felt it had played some part of it and I went through the entire ’83 season without using it.”

Baseball and Litigation, Two National Pastimes

Oops! He had just testified under oath that cocaine affected his game. A declaration under oath is considered irrefutable evidence in court. The Pirates’ new owners, a corporate conglomerate who ran the team like a corporation and still owed Parker deferred money, sued him for breach of contract. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette editorial board wrote that the “civil suit . . . combines two national pastimes – baseball and litigation. . .”

In Cobra, Parker noted that the Pirates hadn’t sued any of the other users on the team. Indeed, he was still playing hard while the users among his teammates became embarrassments. Relief pitcher Rod Scurry had once left the stadium during a game in search of cocaine, according to The Pittsburgh Cocaine Seven by Aaron Skirboll. Shortstop Dale Berra made silly errors and was once picked off first base, without moving to get back. Parker felt singled out. However, he doesn’t understand that his admission handed the Pirates a slam-dunk legal action.

Even so, the lawsuit made Parker the poster boy for the cocaine scandal. This surely hurt Parker with the Hall of Fame voters of the Baseball Writers Association, many of whom, from what little I’ve heard about baseball beat writers of that era, were allegedly heavy drinkers themselves, but like much of that generation didn’t see the similarities between alcoholism and drug addiction.

The Last Word

If I had a vote, I’d be a tough voter. I feel that the standard was set with the initial class in 1936: Ty Cobb, Walter Johnson, Christy Mathewson, Babe Ruth, and Honus Wagner. That established the criterion of dominance over a long period. To me, Parker, as well as many already in the Hall of Fame, falls just short. I don’t care about the cocaine usage. Heck, I knew two of the “Cocaine Seven.” But I feel that the good but not great 1980-91 period sinks it for Parker.

That said, not knowing who’s on the committee but figuring it includes former players who played with and against Parker and know first-hand how great he was at his best, the prediction here is that Parker gets in this time. Today, Parker suffers from Parkinson’s Disease. His appearance no longer recalls the Cobra who threw lasers from right field and trucked into catchers. Should he receive the honor while he’s still around to enjoy it, who wouldn’t like that?

The results will be announced on MLB Network on Sunday, December 8 at 7:30 PM Eastern.

 

Photo Credit: © Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

The post Dave Parker Reconsidered for Hall of Fame: The Case for and Against appeared first on Last Word On Baseball.