Editor’s Note: There will be a Season Ticket podcast available soon that will have a discussion of all the candidates.
There are 10 individuals who have an opportunity to be added to the list of members of the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Press Room Pass is selecting its four choices for the 2020 induction class from the Modern Baseball Era ballot.
The announcement on Sunday (Dec. 8) will be on the MLB Network at 8 p.m.
Voters on the Modern Baseball Era Committee can select four of the eight names on the ballot that had the greatest impact from 1970-1987.
Dwight Evans, Steve Garvey, Tommy John, Don Mattingly, Marvin Miller, Thurman Munson, Dale Murphy, Dave Parker, Ted Simmons and Lou Whitaker are being considered for induction.
Here’s the last of four Press Room Pass votes for the nominees: Dave Parker.
OK, I get it. This choice may not make sense to a lot of fans.
One can always hope that a favorite player will be enshrined in Cooperstown.
Since the voters can check four names on their ballots, it was time for a sentimental choice. If I had a vote, I would use this spot for Parker.
Parker didn’t receive a lot of support during his time on the Baseball Writer’s Association of America, but there are several players now in the Hall of Fame that fall into that category.
For many of his 19 seasons, Parker was a feared hitter. He spent 11 years in Pittsburgh before moving on to his hometown of Cincinnati and then to Oakland. He finished his career with Milwaukee, California and Toronto.
A seven-time all-star, Parker was a part of two World Series championships with the Pirates in 1979 and A’s in 1989.
Perhaps Parker’s most famous moment on the field came during the all-star game in 1979 in the eighth inning. He gunned down California’s Brian Downing with a perfect throw to Montreal catcher Gary Carter in Seattle’s Kingdome.
Parker also threw out Boston’s Jim Rice at third in the seventh as the he was trying to stretch a double into a triple. For his efforts, he was named the game’s Most Valuable Player.
The National League’s MVP in 1978, Parker finished in the top five for that honor in five different seasons.
He won batting titles in 1977 and 1978, while claiming a RBI crown in 1985. He also earned three Gold Gloves in the 1970s and three Silver Sluggers in the 1980s. He had a .290 lifetime batting average finishing with 339 homers and 1,493 RBI.