Former Teammate Compares Pirates' Dave Paker to Muhammad Ali
At long last, former Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Dave Parker will rightfully be among his peers in Cooperstown
Parker was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame via the Classic Baseball Era Committee's vote on Sunday. Parker received 14 of 16 votes, surpassing the 75 percent threshold needed to get elected.
Many believed it was long overdue for "The Cobra." Among those who shared that belief was Mike Easler, who was Parker's teammate on the Pirates from 1977 to 1983. Easler compared Parker to all-time great Muhammad Ali, noting his ability to talk a big game and then back it up with his play. Easler also credited Parker's impact on his teammates and his ability to get the best out of them.
"I called him the Muhammad Ali of baseball," Easler said. "He talked a lot of stuff, but he can back up every one of them. He can back up everything that he said. And not only that, Dave was a winner. He didn't come to the ballpark just to get his hits. He motivated his teammates and got the club out. People didn't see him behind the scenes. He motivated everybody [and] got everybody ready to play. He was a very integral part of us winning the 1979 World Series along with Willie Stargel. Dave was an on-the-field leader and he definitely should be in the Hall of Fame with no doubt in my mind."
Across Easler's six seasons in Pittsburgh (1977-1983), he amassed 56 home runs, 244 RBIs and slashed .302/.354/.474. He made the National League All-Star team in 1981, though, one can make a compelling argument his best season came in 1980 when he batted .338/.396/.583 with 21 home runs and 74 RBIs. Easler also played for the Houston Astros (1973-1975) Los Angeles Angels (1976), Boston Red Sox (1984-1985), New York Yankees (1986 and 1987) and Philadelphia Phillies (1986).
Parker was one of the best of his era on both sides of the ball during his tenure with the Pirates. In his 11 seasons in Pittsburgh from 1973 to 1983, the Hall of Fame outfielder amassed a .305 batting average, hit 166 home runs, 758 RBIs and stole 123 bases. He also had 152 assists in his career.
Parker also played for the Cincinnati Reds (1984-1987), Athletics (1988-1989) Milwaukee Brewers (1990), Los Angeles Angels (1991) and Toronto Blue Jays (1991) in his 19-year career. He finished his career with 339 home runs, 1,493 RBIs and slashed .290/.339/.471.
Parker also won the NL MVP in 1978 after he hit 30 home runs, drove in 117 runs and led baseball in batting average (.334), slugging percentage (.585), and OPS (.979). Parker was also part of the 1979 World Series team, the last time the Pirates won it all.
"Dave Parker was a five-tool player," Easler said. "Man had speed, an excellent arm, plus he can slash and hit the ball everywhere on the ballpark. I believe he won two batting titles, but he was a gamer. He came to play [and] played hard every single day."
