On Sunday, the Classic Baseball Era Committee elected Dick Allen and Dave Parker to the Hall of Fame. They were selected among eight candidates eligible for review by the Committee. Allen passed away in 2020 at the age of 78. Parker, 73, is still extant but suffers from Parkinson’s Disease.
Dick Allen, Dave Parker Elected To Hall of Fame By Classic Era Committee
Dick Allen Elected To Hall of Fame
Allen played for the Philadelphia Phillies (1963-69, 1975-76), St. Louis Cardinals (1970), Los Angeles Dodgers (1971), Chicago White Sox (1972-74), and Oakland Athletics (1977). For his 15-year career, Allen hit .292/.378/.534, 351 HR, 1,119 RBI, and an OPS+ of 156. He was the National League Rookie of the Year in 1964 and a seven-time All-Star. Allen, a right-handed hitter, primarily a first baseman, was a dangerous hitter but also a controversial figure. At times, he showed up late for games and skipped batting practice. He was a polarizing figure.
Welcome to Cooperstown, Dick Allen!https://t.co/KWyTX3Bh68 pic.twitter.com/4fNk4re2zr
— National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum ⚾ (@baseballhall) December 9, 2024
After seven years of battling with the fans and media in Philadelphia, Allen bounced to the Cardinals and Dodgers. Upon being traded to the White Sox, Allen didn’t want to report. However, Manager Chuck Tanner knew Allen and his family. Tanner hailed from New Castle, Pennsylvania, 53 miles from Pittsburgh. The Allens were from Wampum, a small town 9 miles from New Castle. (With Oakland, Allen wore number 60 with the word “Wampum” where his name would appear, to indicate he graduated from Wampum High School in 1960.) Tanner appealed to Allen’s mother, who told her son to play for that nice man from their neck of the woods.
Allen had his best years with the White Sox. In 1972, he hit .308/.420/.683, with 37 HR, 113 RBI, 199 OPS+, and 8.6 WAR. All of those figures, except for the batting average, led the American League. He won the AL Most Valuable Player Award that year and led the AL in homers with 32 in 1974.
Dave Parker Elected To Hall of Fame
Paker, a left-handed batting right fielder and later a designated hitter, played for the Pittsburgh Pirates (1973-83), Cincinnati Reds (1984-87), Oakland Athletics (1988-89), Milwaukee Brewers (1990), California Angels (1991), and Toronto Blue Jays (1991). He earned World Series rings with the Pirates in 1979 and Athletics in 1989. Tanner played a role in the careers of both honorees; he was the Pirates manager when they won the 1979 Series. (In fact, Tanner tried to coax Allen out of retirement to play for the Pirates.) For his career, “Cobra” hit .290/.339/.471, 339 HR, and 1,493 RBI, with 41.1 WAR, 121 OPS+. From 1975-79, he was considered the best player in baseball, hitting .321/.377/.532, 114 HR, and 490 RBI, stealing 84 bases, and accumulating 31.1 WAR. A complete player, he registered 72 assists and was worth 42 Fielding Runs Above Average during that time. Like Allen, he was a seven-time All-Star.
Welcome to Cooperstown, Dave Parker!https://t.co/j1ckJ1ubqP pic.twitter.com/mN7wzn6nYX
— National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum ⚾ (@baseballhall) December 9, 2024
Parker won the NL batting title in 1977 and 1978. The latter year was his shining achievement when he won the NL MVP Award. In addition to the batting crown, he led the NL with 7.0 WAR, a .585 slugging percentage, a .979 OPS, 166 OPS+, and 340 total bases in 1978. He won his second of what would be three straight Gold Glove Awards. His rifle arm was on display in the 1979 All-Star Game in Seattle’s Kingdome, when he recorded two outfield assists and won the game’s MVP Award.
Big – six-foot-five, 235 pounds – and brash during his playing days, age and Parkinson’s Disease haven’t changed him. When informed of the news by the MLB TV Network, he mused that he’d like to play for today’s dollars. When the broadcasters bid him farewell, they said they’d look forward to his induction. “I look forward to being there,” cracked Parker in halting tones. “I’ve been holding this speech for 15 years.”
Main Photo Credits: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
