Dave Parker, baseball player, 339 home runs, 1973-1991

Dave Parker

⭐ Hall of Fame 2025

Born: 6/9/1951 in Grenada, MS, USA

Died: 6/28/2025 in Cincinnati, OH, USA

MLB Debut: 1973-07-12 | Final Game: 1991-10-02

Bats: L | Throws: R | Height: 6'5" | Weight: 230 lbs

Full name: David Gene Parker

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Biography

Dave Parker, born in 1951, was a prominent figure in Major League Baseball from 1973 until his retirement in 1991. An accomplished position player, Parker's career spanned 2,466 games, during which he amassed 2,712 hits and 339 home runs, driving in 1,493 runs. His impressive batting average of .290 underscored his ability as a consistent offensive threat, complemented by 154 stolen bases that showcased his speed on the bases. Parker's career was marked by a powerful blend of hitting prowess and athleticism, making him a formidable presence in the lineup. Parker earned recognition for his exceptional performances, being selected to the All-Star Game seven times and winning the All-Star Game MVP award during his career. His contributions to the game were further acknowledged when he was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2025, solidifying his legacy in the sport. Playing primarily during the late 1970s and throughout the 1980s, Parker was part of a transformative era in baseball that saw the rise of power hitters and the evolution of the game’s offensive strategies. His impact extended beyond the diamond, as he became a role model for many aspiring players, leaving an indelible mark on the history of baseball.

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
2466 9358 1272 2712 526 75 339 1493 154 683 1537 0.290 0.339 0.471 0.810 23316.9

Career AVG .290 vs. league average .259 across their career seasons — +12.0% above league average.

Career OBP .339 vs. league average .324 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career SLG .471 vs. league average .385 across their career seasons — +22.3% above league average.

Career OPS 0.810 vs. league average 0.709 across their career seasons — +14.1% above league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1973 PIT NL 54 139 17 40 9 1 4 14 1 2 27 0.288 .256 (+12%) .325 (-5%) .378 (+20%) .703 (+8%) 131.9
1974 PIT NL 73 220 27 62 10 3 4 29 3 10 53 0.282 .256 (+10%) .324 (-1%) .369 (+11%) .693 (+5%) 155.7
1975 PIT NL 148 558 75 172 35 10 25 101 8 38 89 0.308 .257 (+20%) .327 (+9%) .374 (+45%) .701 (+28%) 2823.7
1976 PIT NL 138 537 82 168 28 10 13 90 19 30 80 0.313 .255 (+22%) .320 (+9%) .360 (+32%) .681 (+21%) 1894.1
1977 PIT NL 159 637 107 215 44 8 21 88 17 58 107 0.338 .264 (+28%) .329 (+20%) .401 (+32%) .730 (+27%) 3576.6
1978 PIT NL 148 581 102 194 32 12 30 117 20 57 92 0.334 .257 (+29%) .323 (+22%) .378 (+55%) .702 (+39%) 4397.2
1979 PIT NL 158 622 109 193 45 7 25 94 20 67 101 0.310 .265 (+17%) .329 (+15%) .397 (+32%) .727 (+25%) 3131.3
1980 PIT NL 139 518 71 153 31 1 17 79 10 25 69 0.295 .264 (+12%) .326 (avg) .387 (+18%) .714 (+10%) 843.9
1981 PIT NL 67 240 29 62 14 3 9 48 6 9 25 0.258 .255 (+1%) .320 (-10%) .368 (+23%) .688 (+8%) 171.1
1982 PIT NL 73 244 41 66 19 3 6 29 7 22 45 0.270 .261 (+4%) .324 (+2%) .388 (+15%) .712 (+9%) 324.0
1983 PIT NL 144 552 68 154 29 4 12 69 12 28 89 0.279 .260 (+7%) .324 (-4%) .389 (+6%) .714 (+1%) -66.3
1984 CIN NL 156 607 73 173 28 0 16 94 11 41 89 0.285 .259 (+10%) .322 (+2%) .384 (+7%) .707 (+4%) 465.8
1985 CIN NL 160 635 88 198 42 4 34 125 5 52 80 0.312 .257 (+21%) .323 (+13%) .390 (+41%) .714 (+28%) 3475.8
1986 CIN NL 162 637 89 174 31 3 31 116 1 56 126 0.273 .257 (+6%) .325 (+1%) .395 (+21%) .720 (+12%) 1405.9
1987 CIN NL 153 589 77 149 28 0 26 97 7 44 104 0.253 .262 (-4%) .331 (-6%) .415 (+4%) .746 (avg) -150.1
1988 OAK AL 101 377 43 97 18 1 12 55 0 32 70 0.257 .254 (+1%) .317 (-1%) .377 (+7%) .695 (+3%) 202.2
1989 OAK AL 144 553 56 146 27 0 22 97 0 38 91 0.264 .254 (+4%) .319 (-4%) .375 (+15%) .694 (+7%) 516.8
1990 ATL AL 157 610 71 176 30 3 21 92 4 41 102 0.289 .257 (+12%) .324 (+2%) .385 (+17%) .710 (+10%) 1000.3
1991 LAA AL 119 466 45 108 22 2 11 56 3 29 91 0.232 .255 (-9%) .323 (-14%) .384 (-7%) .708 (-10%) -983.1
1991 TOR AL 13 36 2 12 4 0 0 3 0 4 7 0.333 — — — — -983.1

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
30 111 11 26 5 0 3 11 7 24 0.234

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1989 ALCS OAK 4 16 2 3 0 0 2 3 0 0 0.188
1989 WS OAK 3 9 2 2 1 0 1 2 0 2 0.222
1988 ALCS OAK 3 12 1 3 1 0 0 0 0 4 0.250
1988 WS OAK 4 15 0 3 0 0 0 0 2 4 0.200
1979 NLCS PIT 3 12 2 4 0 0 0 2 2 3 0.333
1979 WS PIT 7 29 2 10 3 0 0 4 2 7 0.345
1975 NLCS PIT 3 10 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 3 0.000
1974 NLCS PIT 3 8 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.125

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 19 18 158 9 2 20
2B 1 0 0 0 0 0
OF 1867 1841 3791 143 142 27

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1973 PIT OF 39 31 77 3 3 1
1974 PIT 1B 6 5 53 3 0 9
1974 PIT OF 49 42 101 5 4 1
1975 PIT OF 141 141 311 7 9 2
1976 PIT OF 134 134 294 12 14 0
1977 PIT 2B 1 0 0 0 0 0
1977 PIT OF 158 158 389 26 15 9
1978 PIT OF 147 147 302 12 13 3
1979 PIT OF 158 158 341 15 15 1
1980 PIT OF 130 129 235 14 9 0
1981 PIT OF 60 59 110 1 7 0
1982 PIT OF 63 62 108 2 5 1
1983 PIT OF 142 139 282 3 8 2
1984 CIN OF 151 150 296 6 8 1
1985 CIN OF 159 158 329 12 10 1
1986 CIN OF 159 157 278 9 9 2
1987 CIN 1B 9 9 76 4 1 7
1987 CIN OF 142 141 278 13 10 3
1988 OAK 1B 1 1 5 2 0 0
1988 OAK OF 34 34 58 3 3 0
1989 OAK OF 1 1 2 0 0 0
1990 ML4 1B 3 3 24 0 1 4

Career Games by Position

Position Games
First Base 19
Second Base 1
Left Field 48
Center Field 31
Right Field 1792
Designated Hitter 484

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
1990 Outstanding DH Award
1990 Player of the Week Week of 1990-08-25
1990 Silver Slugger DH
1990 TSN All-Star DH
1989 Outstanding DH Award
1986 Player of the Week Week of 1986-09-05
1986 Silver Slugger OF
1986 TSN All-Star OF
1985 Player of the Month May
1985 Player of the Week Week of 1985-05-03
1985 Player of the Week Week of 1985-05-17
1985 Silver Slugger OF
1985 TSN All-Star OF
1979 All-Star Game MVP
1979 Gold Glove OF
1978 Gold Glove OF
1978 Most Valuable Player
1978 Player of the Month August
1978 Player of the Month September
1978 Player of the Week Week of 1978-08-11
1978 Player of the Week Week of 1978-09-16
1978 TSN All-Star OF
1978 TSN Player of the Year
1977 Gold Glove OF
1977 Player of the Week Week of 1977-07-22
1977 TSN All-Star OF
1975 TSN All-Star OF

Salary History

Year Team League Salary
1991 CAL AL $1,600,000
1990 ML4 AL $1,200,000
1989 OAK AL $1,125,000
1988 OAK AL $1,000,000
1987 CIN NL $1,100,000
1986 CIN NL $1,100,000
1985 CIN NL $970,000
Total Career Earnings $8,095,000

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1990 Most Valuable Player AL 16th 11.0 392 0
1989 Most Valuable Player AL 11th 44.0 392 0
1986 Most Valuable Player NL 5th 144.0 336 0
1985 Most Valuable Player NL 2nd 220.0 336 6
1979 Most Valuable Player NL 10th 56.0 336 0
1978 Most Valuable Player NL 1st 320.0 336 21
1977 Most Valuable Player NL 3rd 156.0 336 0
1976 Most Valuable Player NL 20th 10.0 336 0
1975 Most Valuable Player NL 3rd 120.0 336 0