Dave Parker Passes Away Less Than One Month Before His Baseball Hall of Fame Induction

Dave Parker--two-time World Series champion (1979, 1989), 1978 NL MVP, and two-time NL batting champion (1977-78)--passed away on June 28, 2025, less than one month before he will be inducted in the Baseball Hall of Fame. He was one of baseball's elite players in the mid to late 1970s--with three top three finishes in the NL MVP race from 1975-78--and again in the mid 1980s, when he twice finished in the top five in NL MVP voting. 

Parker not only put up big individual numbers during his career, but he was a productive member of two World Series championship teams: the 1979 Pittsburgh Pirates (he led the team in regular season RBI with 94) and the 1989 Oakland A's (he led the team in regular season RBI with 97). In addition to winning the 1978 NL regular season MVP, Parker played at an MVP level in at least four other seasons. He oozed confidence and had the five tool game to back up his braggadocio. At the height of his powers, Parker declared, "If you want to know how good I am, ask me--I'll tell you." He led the NL at least once in hits (1977), doubles (1977, 1985), RBI (1985), batting average (1977-78), slugging percentage (1975, 1978), and outfield assists (1977), and he ranked in the top 10 in each of those categories multiple times.  

Any knowledgeable person who watched Parker play during his prime would have had no doubt that he would be a Hall of Famer, but he never received more than 25% of the votes during his 15 years on the Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA) ballot, well short of the 75% required to become a Hall of Famer. Parker had to wait until the Classic Baseball Era Committee provided long overdue recognition late last year, 33 years after he retired. Any writer who did not understand that Parker is a Hall of Famer should give up his Hall of Fame voting privileges, and any writer who did not vote for Parker for personal reasons should also give up his Hall of Fame voting privileges. 

At least Parker lived long enough to know that he would be inducted in the Baseball Hall of Fame, but it is sad that he will not experience his moment in the sun to deliver a speech and bask in the glory that he should have received a long time ago.