A seven-time all-star, two-time Batting Champion, and 1978 NL MVP, Parker was an imposing figure on the diamond, standing 6'5" and weighing a robust 230 pounds. He hit over 20 home runs in nine different seasons and drove in as many as 125 runs in 1985. All told, Parker hit 339 home runs and collected 2,712 hits while batting .290 over a 19-year career.
Despite beefy counting statistics and a few great individual seasons, Parker wasn't consistently one of the game's greatest players. While he was certainly one of the best for a five-year stretch in the late 1970's, he was merely average for the rest of his career, except for two strong seasons in 1985 and 1986. His .290 / .339 / .471 slash line was good, but a little weak for a Hall of Fame rightfielder who didn't reach 500 home runs or 3,000 hits. And despite winning three Gold Gloves, he was a mediocre fielder, leading his league in errors seven times. He also played 484 games as a DH, which allowed him to play past age 40 and compile his counting statistics while providing little value to his club.
My opinion: Dave Parker is probably not a Hall of Famer.
It's remarkable how - as you say - he was elite for five seasons and - even stronger than you say - well below-average for the rest of his career. (Age 29-40 he was a poor-fielding RF/DH with a 109 OPS+).
ReplyDeleteEven 1986, in which he drove in 116 runs, finished 5th in the MVP voting, and led the league in total bases, was actually a poor season. His OPS+ was 116 - just decent for a right-fielder - and his fielding was very poor - league-leading 9 errors, and -17 fielding runs according to WAR.
To sum up: I definitely agree he doesn't belong in the hall.
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