Godspeed Dave Parker: Life is not always fair

By Rory Ryan
The Highland County Press

I have said and written for years that former Pittsburgh Pirates superstar (and later former Cincinnati Reds outfielder) Dave Parker (and his former teammate Al Oliver) belong in the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Parker was scheduled for induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame in a ceremony for the class of 2025 on Sunday, July 27 at the Clark Sports Center in Cooperstown, N.Y.

After way too many years of waiting for the call, Parker passed away today on June 28 at the age of 74. His special induction ceremony was just weeks away.

He had battled Parkinson’s Disease for more than a decade.

Life isn't always fair.

According to https://baseballhall.org/, Parker leaves behind a legacy of courage and leadership.

In 11 seasons with the Pirates, Parker won two National League batting titles, three Gold Glove Awards, the 1978 NL Most Valuable Player Award and the 1979 All-Star Game MVP.
 
“We join the baseball family in remembering Dave Parker. His legacy will be one of courage and leadership, matched only by his outstanding accomplishments on the field,” said Jane Forbes Clark, chairman of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. 

“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. We will honor his incredible life and career at next month’s induction ceremony in Cooperstown, where his legacy will be remembered forever.”

Parker was born June 9, 1951, in Granada, Miss., but was raised in Cincinnati and spent hours at Crosley Field watching Reds legends Frank Robinson and Vada Pinson. 

According to the book "Crosley Field" by Greg Rhodes and John Erardi, Parker lived a block away from the ballpark on Poplar Street in Cincinnati. 

"He used to stand in the players' parking lot and watch in awe as Robinson and Pinson pulled up in identical white Thunderbirds with porthole windows and red interiors. One day, Robinson popped open the trunk and handed Parker an extra outfielder's glove.

"That clinched him as my idol," Parker said, who as a teenager took a job at Crosley Field selling lemonade on sultry days and hot dogs at night games."

Parker was a standout high school football player at Courter Tech High School, but injured his knee during his senior year and was sidelined through the baseball season. 

Without much of a track record, the athletic Parker – who would grow to 6-foot-5 and 230 pounds – fell to the 14th round of the MLB Draft, where he was selected by the Pirates.

In 1975, Parker led the National League in slugging percentage. Two years later, he topped all NL batters with a .338 average while recording 26 assists, the most by any outfielder since Roberto Clemente had the same number in 1961. 

In 1978, Parker won the NL Most Valuable Player Award after leading the league in batting average (.334), OPS (.979) and total bases (340). 

He led the Pirates to the postseason in 1979. He hit .333 in the NLCS vs. the Reds and .345 in the World Series vs. the Orioles, helping Pittsburgh win the title.

When Parker’s contract expired following the 1983 season, he returned home to play for the Reds.

It turned into the rebirth of his career as Parker hit like his vintage self for four years, especially in 1985, when he led the NL in doubles (42), RBI (125) and total bases (340) while finishing second in the league’s MVP balloting.

Over 19 seasons, Parker earned seven All-Star Game selections, three Gold Glove Awards and three Silver Slugger Awards to go with a .290 batting average, 339 home runs and 1,493 RBI.

Parker is a member of both the Pirates and Reds respective team's Hall of Fame. In 2025, he was voted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame through the Classic Baseball Era committee.

He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame on Dec. 8, 2024, and will be inducted posthumously on July 27, 2025.

Hall of Famer Dave Parker died today. Life is not always fair.

Parker announced he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2013. He is survived by his wife, Kellye, and his six children.

Rory Ryan is publisher and owner of The Highland County Press.

Dave Parker (below) grew up in Cincinnati, where he would earn two All-Star nods and a pair of Silver Slugger Awards with the Reds between 1985 and 1988. (Rich Pilling/National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, https://baseballhall.org/discover/remembering-dave-parker\)