David Parker was born in Grenada, Mississippi on June 9th, 1951, but grew up in Cincinnati Ohio. As a child, Dave would regularly attend Reds games at Crosley Field, he even learned how to play the game in the stadiums’ parking lot. Parker would attend Courter High School in Cincinnati. A two sport athlete, Parker’s favorite sport was football. A knee injury would be the deciding factor on why he would give up the game of football and focus solely on baseball.

Early Career

Dave Parker was selected with the 324th pick in the 1970 MLB draft by the Pittsburgh Pirates. He would make his major league debut on July 12th 1973 but wouldn’t play a full season until 1975. In his small sample sized in ‘73-74, Parker would hit 8 home runs, 19 doubles and bat over .280 in both seasons in 127 games. In 1975, The Cobra was born. In 148 games, Dave Parker would bat .308, collect 302 total bases, hit 25 home runs and have 101 runs batted in. A phenomenal first full season, where he would finish 3rd in the NL MVP race. Parker would go on to hit over .310 in his first 5 full seasons, winning back to back batting titles and an MVP award in 1978. He would win three consecutive gold gloves from 1977-1979 and 2 All-Star game selections in 1977 and 1979. The Pirates would extend Dave Parker in 1978, making him the first player in baseball history to make one million dollars per year under contract. Parker and the Pirates would reach the mountain top in 1979, winning the World Series against the Baltimore Orioles in 7 games.

Injuries and Drugs

Dave Parker looked like he was on his way to becoming one of the games all time greats. He put up great numbers through 1980. He won 1 MVP, a World Series championship, 3 Gold Gloves and 3 All-Star game appearances. Parker would become a central figure in a drug scandal that would run rampant through Major League Baseball, struggling with Cocaine use. He would also deal with injuries and weight gain that would play a large role in his numbers declining for the remainder of his time in Pittsburgh. Dave Parker became a free agent after the 1983 season. His final career numbers in Pittsburgh were still excellent. He would bat .305/.353/.494 with a career OPS+ of 121. He would hit 166 home runs and have 123 stolen bases. Following the 1985 season, Dave Parker was named in a drug ring in Pittsburgh, being named “regular users.” Notable names in the Pittsburgh Drug Trials were Keith Hernandez, Tim Raines, Vida Blue and several others. Eleven players in total were officially suspended, but would be commuted. Players would serve community service time instead.

“Going home”

The Cincinnati Reds would sign Dave Parker in free agency on December 7th, 1983 for 2 years. Parker said signing with Cincinnati was “a transfusion.” This was one of the Reds’ most notable free agent signings in their history at the time. Mostly shying away from free agents up to this point. Parker would actually go through a career resurgence in Cincinnati. In 1984, Parker would bat .285, hit 16 home runs have an OPS+ of 104. 1985 is the year he finally put it all back together. The 34 year old Parker put up his best numbers since 1978, when he won the MVP. Parker hit 34 home runs, led the league in doubles(42) and RBIs(125). He was selected to his first All-Star game since 1981, even winning the inaugural Home Run Derby. Parker would go on the play 2 more seasons in Cincinnati. He would hit 107 home runs in 631 games. He would finish with a career slash line of .281/.334/.469.

“The Back 9”

The Reds traded Dave Parker to the Oakland Athletics for Jose Rijo and Tim Birtsas. Both teams would benefit from the trade. Although his numbers weren’t great, his veteran leadership in the Oakland clubhouse would play a pivotal role for the Athletics. The A’s would compete in back to back World Series appearances and win in 1989. Parker’s second championship exactly 10 years from his first in Pittsburgh. Parker would go on to play 3 more season after his time in Oakland. He would play 157 games for Milwaukee, 119 games for the California Angels and 13 games for the Toronto Blue Jays.

Hall of Fame

Dave Parker was officially voted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame on December 8th 2024. Parker becomes the 14th player who spent the majority of their playing career in Pittsburgh to be a part of the hall of fame. His final career numbers would end with a career .290 batting average, 339 home runs, 1,493 RBIs. He was a 6 time All-Star, gold glove winner 3 times and won the inaugural home run derby in 1985. Parker will be officially inducted into Cooperstown on July 27th, 2025.

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Photo Credit; When Topps Had Balls, Call to the Pen, Cincinnati People, Topps Ripped

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