Hall of Famer Dave Parker has died at the age of 74. The Pittsburgh Pirates announced Parker’s death before their game on Saturday.
Parker played for six teams during his 19 major-league seasons, 11 of those seasons with the Pirates. He also played for the Cincinnati Reds, Oakland Athletics, Milwaukee Brewers, California Angels and Toronto Blue Jays.
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During his MLB career from 1979-1991, Parker batted .290/.339/.471 with 2,712 hits, 339 home runs, 526 doubles, 1,493 RBI and 154 stolen bases. He won World Series championships with the 1979 Pirates and 1989 Athletics, was a seven-time All-Star and earned consecutive National League batting titles in 1978 and 1979.
In 1979, Parker won the NL MVP award with a .334 average and .970 OPS with 30 homers, 34 doubles, 117 RBI and 20 steals. He finished second in NL MVP voting in 1985 with the Reds, leading the league with 125 RBI.
Parker was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in December by the Classic Era Committee, earning votes on 14 of 16 ballots. He will be officially inducted into Cooperstown on July 27.
“I was a five-tool player. I could do them all,” Parker said after his election, via the Associated Press. “I never trotted to first base. I don’t know if people noticed that, but I ran hard on every play.”
Nicknamed “The Cobra” because of his 6-foot-5, 230-pound frame and quick bat, Parker was the Pirates’ 14th-round draft pick in 1970 out of Courter Tech High School in Cincinnati, Ohio. A knee injury during his senior year prevented him from following through on football ambitions — and likely resulted in his lower-round selection — but that was baseball’s fortunate gain.
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Following nearly four seasons in the minor leagues (hitting a combined .315 with an .854 OPS and 48 homers), Parker was called up and split time in right field with Richie Zisk for legendary Pirates star Roberto Clemente, who died tragically on Dec. 31, 1972. However, he claimed the position for himself by 1975 with a breakout season, batting .308 with an .898 OPS, 25 homers, 35 doubles and 101 RBI.
Parker also showed off an outstanding throwing arm in right field. From 1975-79, he led MLB with 72 outfield assists. Parker notched 26 assists in 1977 and finished his career with 143. He won three Gold Gloves during his career. (During his final four MLB seasons, Parker was largely a designated hitter in the American League due to deteriorating knees.)
In 2012, Parker was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease and led efforts to raise awareness and money to fight the disorder through his Dave Parker 39 Foundation.
“There’s no fear,” Parker told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review in 2013. “I’ve had a great life. I always dreamt of playing baseball, and I played… My fingerprints are on the baseball industry. I feel good about that. I have nothing to feel bad about.”
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Parker never received more than 24% of the vote while he was eligible for Hall of Fame voting, and lasted 15 years on the ballot. Many believed his involvement in the 1985 Pittsburgh drug trials due to his cocaine use (and an initial suspension by then-commissioner Peter Ueberroth) affected his candidacy.
“We join the baseball family in remembering Dave Parker,” said Jane Forbes Clark, Hall of Fame chairperson of the board, said in a statement. “His legacy will be one of courage and leadership, matched only by his outstanding accomplishments on the field.
“His election to the Hall of Fame in December brought great joy to him, his family and all the fans who marveled at his remarkable abilities,” she added. “We will honor his incredible life and career at next month’s Induction Ceremony in Cooperstown, where his legacy will be remembered forever.”
