Dave Parker

Dave Parker

Birthdate	06/09/1951
Death Date
Debut Year	1973
Year of Induction
Teams	Angels, Athletics, Blue Jays, Brewers, Pirates, Reds
Positions	Designated Hitter, Right Field

With multiple All Star appearances, Gold Gloves, and Silver Slugger Awards, Dave Parker was an MVP and two-time batting champion.

Dave Parker was called up to the big leagues on July 11, 1973

In the collection is a pair of documents directly related to the Major League debut of two-time batting champ and former MVP Dave Parker. This is the actual Uniform Agreement for the Assignment of a Player’s Contract to or by a Major League Club. Pittsburgh executed the transaction to start Pa

Parker's teams in Pittsburgh had great success

A 14th-round pick by the Pirates in the 1970 draft, Dave Parker was a physical specimen. Graced with speed and an explosive bat, Parker came in at 6’5″, 230 pounds. He quickly climbed up the minors, playing just three seasons before making his big league debut in 1973. The Pirates were m

Baseball oddity: Ticket from April in which Parker got a base hit two months before his MLB debut

Here’s a brain teaser: The ticket above is for a game on April 21, 1973 in which Dave Parker was credited with a base hit. However Parker didn’t make his MLB debut until July 12 of the same season. How is this possible? In an oddity of sorts, the game was played on April 21, 1973,

Parker's career had a resurgence in Cincinnati

Dave Parker’s time in Pittsburgh fizzled out by 1983. His final three seasons in the Steal City were marred by drug use off of the field and reduced effectiveness on it. From 1981-1983 he hit just .272, averaging just 9 homers and 49 RBI. In December of ’83 he signed a free-agent deal wi

After playing a decade in the bigs, Parker received this lifetime pass

Dave Parker is a two-time batting champ, seven-time All Star who compiled 2,712 hits and a .290 lifetime average. The 1978 MVP has three Silver Sluggers and three Gold Gloves. After retiring, Parker spent 15 years on the writers ballot for the Hall of Fame. From 1997-2011 he never received 1/4 of th

A Story about Dave Parker

Lifetime passes were the brainchild of NL President Ford Frick; here’s a pictorial history

June 18th, 2016 Leave a comment

A newspaper man turned league publicist turned league president came up with a brilliant idea in 1934 — reward longtime National League players with a lifetime pass to all NL games. Senior Circuit owners approved Ford Frick’s proposal at the league meeting in December of ’34. A few months later, Frick sent out ornately decorated paper Lifetime Passes to the NL’s greatest players. He even sent one to Babe Ruth who appeared in all of 28 games for the Boston Braves in 1935. A 21-year veteran of the American League, the Babe was grateful if not surprised when he remarked, “At least the National League has a heart”. An image of the original paper pass presented to Hall of Fame outfielder Sliding Billy Hamilton can be seen below. A similar pass curiously issued to Stan Coveleski, a lifetime American Leaguer is also shown. Perhaps shamed by Ruth’s remarks, the American League joined forces in 1936 to issue a pass to all Major League contests. Players with twenty or more years of service received a solid gold pass. Seventeen men qualified for the true “golden ticket” — Ruth, Fred Clarke, Ty Cobb, Eddie Collins, Bill Dahlen, Harry Davis, Red Faber, Walter Johnson, […]