It is a sad day for baseball fans.

“The Cobra,” Dave Parker, passed away at the age of 74.  He was scheduled to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame next month on the 27th.  His induction will now be posthumous. 

Parker debuted for the Pittsburgh Pirates and quickly became one of the top players in the game.  A seven-time All-Star, Parker won the National League MVP in 1978 and finished in the top four five times.  Parker also won two Batting Titles and propelled the Pirates to win the 1979 World Series. 

His cocaine use hampered Parker’s career, as this likely delayed his Hall of Fame induction.  Parker was passed over on all fifteen of the Baseball Writers’ ballots, and on three Senior Ballots before he was chosen last December.

We here at Notinhalloffame would like to extend our condolences to the fans, friends, and family of Dave Parker.

The Hall of Fame Season (as we like to call November to early February) is in full swing with the significant announcement that Dick Allen and Dave Parker has been elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame by the Classic Baseball Era Committee.  That specific group looked at the period from Baseball’s beginning to 1980.

Parker received 14 votes, and Allen received 13.  Twelve votes were needed (75%) were required to enter Cooperstown.

Dave Parker:  Parker led Pittsburgh to a World Series Championship in 1979 and won a second ring a decade later with Oakland.  A six-time All-Star with three Silver Sluggers, Parker won the 1978 National League MVP.  He had 339 career Home Runs and 1,493 RBIs.  Previously, Parker’s best finish on his previous three Veteran’s Ballots was 43.8% in 2020.  Parker is 73 years old.

Dick Allen:   Allen finally got in on his sixth try on a Veteran’s ballot after falling short by one vote the last two attempts (2015 & 2022).  Allen was the 1972 American League MVP (with Chicago). Over a 15-year career, he hit 351 Home Runs with 1,119 RBIs. He was also a seven-time All-Star, two-time OBP leader, three-time Slugging Champion, and four-time leader in OPS.

Tommy John received seven votes, and the other five nominees (Ken Boyer, John Donaldson, Steve Garvey, Vic Harris, and Luis Tiant) failed to receive at least five votes and their finish was not published.

Parker and Allen will be joined by the former players who will advance on the Baseball Writer’s Modern Ballot.

Created in April 2022, the Classic Baseball Era Committee debuts to deliberate eight candidates for induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. All eight candidates' careers began before 1980. Two are associated with the Negro Leagues, assimilated into Major League Baseball in December 2020, while the other six are some very familiar names indeed, and it is highly likely that at least one of them will be announced by the committee on December 8, 2024, for formal induction in July 2025.

The six non-Negro Leagues candidates are practically near-contemporaries whose playing careers span the 1950s through the 1980s: Dick Allen, Ken Boyer, Steve Garvey, Tommy John, Dave Parker, and Luis Tiant. The two Negro Leagues candidates are John Donaldson and Vic Harris, with Donaldson, whose tenure in the officially-recognized Negro Leagues lasted for the first half of the 1920s, also considered a manager and a pioneer of sorts; by contrast, Harris's playing and managing career spanned virtually the entire Negro Leagues period from 1920 to 1948.

The Classic Baseball Era, which consists of the period to 1980 (including the Negro Leagues), has announced its eight Finalists for the Baseball Hall of Fame Class of 2025.

The nominees are:

Dick Allen:  Here is Allen again, and fans and family of the late slugger must be tired of waiting.  Allen was on the Writer’s Ballot for 15 years, peaking at 18.9% in 1996, his fourteenth year.  As for the Veterans ballot, this is his sixth try, with him falling short by one vote in his last two tries (2015 and 2022). 

Allen was the 1972 American League MVP (with Chicago). Over a 15-year career, he hit 351 Home Runs with 1,119 RBIs. He was also a seven-time All-Star, two-time OBP leader, three-time Slugging Champion, and four-time leader in OPS.

Ken Boyer:  Boyer was also on the Writer’s Ballot for 15 years, with his apex coming in 1988 (his ninth ballot) with 25.5 percent of the vote.  Like Allen, he has been on six Veterans ballots but has never come close to achieving the 75% required. 

An 11-time All-Star and five-time Gold Glove winner, Boyer won the 1964 National League MVP and led his Cardinals to a World Series Championship that year.  He had 2,143 hits, 282 home runs, and 1141 RBIs.

John Donaldson:  Donaldson received 50% of the vote on the 2022 Veterans ballot, boding well for his chances this year.

While Donaldson played in the Negro Leagues in the first half of the 1920s with the Kansas City Monarchs, his best years were in the pre-Negro Leagues era.  Overall, the Pitcher is believed to have a record of 424-169-15, 5,221 Strikeouts, and an ERA of 1.37.

Steve Garvey:  Garvey lasted 15 years on the writer’s ballot, with his peak coming in year three at 42.6 percent.  He appeared on four Veteran’s Ballots, with a 37.5% finish on the 2020 version.

Garvey won the 1974 National League MVP, was a 10-time All-Star, four-time Gold Glove winner, and helped the Dodgers win the 1981 World Series.  He had 2,599 Hits, 272 Home Runs and 1,308 RBIs.

Vic Harris:  Harris netted 62.5% on his first Veteran’s Ballot in 2022, two votes shy of what he needed for induction.

Harris was a seven-time Negro League All-Star and a long-time Manager who boasted a winning record of 547-278.  He overall won none Negro League Pennants and three Negro League World Series Championships.

Tommy John:  John was on the Writer’s Ballot for 15 years, with his final year reaching his peak of 31.7%.  He has been on the Veteran’s Ballot four times before but never received enough votes to register.

A four-time All-Star. John had a career record of 288-231 with 2,245 Strikeouts and was a Cy Young runner-up twice.

Dave Parker:  Parker was on 15 Writer’s Ballots and finished as high as 24.5% in his second year.  He has been on three Veteran’s Ballots and had 43.8% on his 2020 attempt.

Parker led Pittsburgh to a World Series Championship in 1979 and won a second ring a decade later with Oakland.  A six-time All-Star with three Silver Sluggers, Parker won the 1978 National League MVP.  He had 339 career Home Runs and 1,493 RBIs.

Luis Tiant:  Tiant was on 15 Writer’s Ballots, peaking with 17.2 in his 14^th attempt.  He has been on six Veterans ballots, but only received 25 percent once, and in his last three attempts, did not get enough votes to register.

The recently deceased Pitcher is an iconic figure in Boston, helping them win the 1975 American League Pennant, though his best year in baseball was in Cleveland (1968: 21-9, 1.60 ERA & 264 SO).  Tiant was a three-time All-Star with a career record of 229-172 and 2,416 Strikeouts.

The results will be announced on December 8 at 7:30 PM.

Few athletes in post-war baseball history have ever matched Dave Parker's commanding, almost theatrical presence. Standing 6-foot-5 and weighing 230 pounds, this imposing right fielder roamed Forbes Field and Three Rivers Stadium with a confident swagger that captured the attention of fans and players alike. Wearing a dark visor, a thick mustache, and swinging a hefty 37-ounce bat, "The Cobra" was more than just a player; he was a dominant force. During a remarkable period in the late 1970s, he was the undisputed top predator in the Major Leagues, a five-tool superstar with a cannon for an arm who made right field his personal domain.

His initial introduction in the 1973 schedule offered a brief glimpse of his impressive physical potential. By 1975, he had fully secured the regular right field position. Parker made producing runs from the middle of the order a consistent part of the season, achieving his first.300 batting average along with 25 home runs and 101 RBIs, finishing third in the National League MVP voting.

His definitive rise as a league-wide outlier occurred during the historic 1977 season, when he won his first National League batting title with a blazing .338 average. He also led the Senior Circuit with 215 hits and 44 doubles, earning his first Gold Glove award.

The peak of his regular-season prowess came during a remarkable 1978 showcase now legendary in club history. Parker delivered an outstanding offensive display, earning the National League MVP Award, securing his second straight batting title with an impressive .334 average, while also leading the league with a remarkable .585 slugging percentage and hitting 30 home runs.

On the field, his defensive skills were formidable; he had possibly the most intimidating throwing arm of his era, often halting base runners or gunning them out from deep in the outfield with precise, high-speed throws. This all-around talent peaked commercially during the memorable 1979 "We Are Family" season. Parker led the batting order for the championship-winning team, earning another All-Star selection and Gold Glove award, all while hitting a crucial .345 during the intense seven-game World Series victory against Baltimore.

Sadly, just as he appeared on track for a legendary career based on impressive stats, his rise started to decline sharply as the franchise entered the 1980s. A series of frustrating injuries and abrupt weight changes greatly affected his resilience, but his career suffered its most serious setback off the field due to his deep involvement in the prevalent cocaine culture of that time, a risky distraction that severely affected his focus and led to numerous missed games, hits, and damage to his reputation.

Understanding the need for a fresh environment, Parker officially left the Steel City before the 1984 season, signing as a free agent with his hometown Cincinnati Reds. He experienced a distinctive second phase, with notable, high-performance comebacks in Cincinnati and Oakland, interspersed with disappointing periods of low effectiveness before retiring after 1991.

He left an impressive 11-season Pirates record: 1,479 hits, 166 home runs, 758 RBIs, and a .305/.353/494 slash line in 1,300 games. In 2025, Parker received the long-awaited call and was chosen by the Veterans Committee for the Baseball Hall of Fame.

With its second meeting under a revamped structure, the Baseball Hall of Fame veterans committee will convene to evaluate nine players and one executive whose impact was made primarily during the Modern Baseball era, defined as having occurred between 1970 and 1987, and perhaps elect someone to the Hall of Fame. Their ballot results will be announced on December 10 during the winter meetings.

The “Hall of Fame” season is really amping up. The Baseball Hall of Fame Modern Era Committee has announced the ten finalists for consideration. This new Committee covers those who participated from 1970 to 1987.

The nominees are:

Steve Garvey: Ranked #31 on Notinhalloffame.com. Garvey was a ten time All Star and was named the 1974 National League MVP. He accumulated 2,599 Hits with a .294 Batting Average with 272 Home Runs. He was on the ballot for the fifteen full years finishing as high as 42.6 %.

Tommy John: Ranked #16 on Notinhalloffame.com. John won 283 Games and is a four time All Star. A two-time Cy Young runner-up, John had 2,245 Strikeouts over his career. He was on the ballot for fifteen years peaking at 31.7% on his final year of eligibility.

Don Mattingly: Ranked #54 on Notinhalloffame.com. Playing his entire career with the New York Yankees, Mattingly was the American League MVP in 1985. Mattingly went to six All Star Games and had a career Batting Average of .307 with 222 Home Runs. He would also win the 1984 Batting Title. He was on the ballot for fifteen years with a high of 28.2% in his first year of eligibility.

Marvin Miller: The head of the Players Association from 1966 to 1982, salaries skyrocketed under his tenure.

Jack Morris: Ranked #11 on Notinhalloffame.com. Morris would win 254 Games and is a four time World Series Champion. He was on the ballot for fifteen years and came very close with a 67.7% finish in his fourteenth year.

Dale Murphy: Ranked #42 on Notinhalloffame.com. In a career spent mostly with Atlanta, Murphy was a back-to-back MVP winner (1982 & 1983) and blasted 398 Home Runs. He was a five time All Star. On the ballot for fifteen years, Murphy peaked at 23.2% in 2000.

Dave Parker: Ranked #28 on Notinhalloffame.com. “The Cobra” was the 1978 National League MVP and hit 339 Home Runs over his career. He was also a two time World Series Champion. He was on the ballot for fifteen years and finished as high as 24.5% in his second year of eligibility.

Ted Simmons: Ranked #14 on Notinhalloffame.com. Simmons was an eight time All Star and one of the top Catchers of his day. He was only on the ballot for one year where he finished with 3.7% of the ballot.

Luis Tiant: Ranked #44 on Notinhalloffame.com. Tiant was known mostly for his time in Boston and he was a three time All Star with 229 career Wins. He was on the ballot for fifteen years and finished as high as 30.9, which occurred in his first year of eligibility.

Alan Trammell: Ranked #12 on Notinhalloffame.com. Trammell played his entire career with the Detroit Tigers and was a six time All Star. Trammell had 2,365 Hits and was the 1984 World Series MVP. He was on the ballot for fifteen years and finished with 40.9% on the ballot in his last year of eligibility.

It will be very interesting to see if any of these names will get in. To be chosen, a candidate must receive 75% of the 16 member vote.

We here at Notinhalloffame.com thought it would be fun to take a look at the major awards in North American team sports and see how it translates into Hall of Fame potential.

Needless to say, different awards in different sports yield hall of fame potential.  In basketball, the team sport with the least amount of players on a roster, the dividend for greatness much higher.  In baseball, it is not as much as a great individual season does not have the same impact.