Rest In Peace Dave Parker

We continue to honor former major leaguers who passed away in 2025 with The Cobra, Dave Parker. I'm sure everyone knows how great of a player Parker was. He was one of the most feared hitters in the game for a long time.

Parker spent parts of 19 seasons in the big leagues with six teams, bouncing around a bit his last two seasons. In 11 seasons with the Pirates, he hit .305 and won the 1978 National League Most Valuable Player Award with a 7.4 WAR season.

After leaving the Pirates, Parker would spend time with the Reds, A's, Brewers, Angels & Blue Jays. He would have some success in Cincinnati but from there, he was a pretty average player. I remember when he was traded to the Brewers for Dante Bichette. I was excited to see The Cobra with the Brewers. He had a pretty solid season in Milwaukee but the writing was on the wall as the next season, the 40 year old Parker played for the Angels & Blue Jays with marginal results.

I believe Parker proves the WAR statistic is garbage. There is no way a player of his caliber is only a 40 WAR player. I can not grasp how anyone would think that Luis Gonzalez & Torii Hunter were better players than Parker. But they have considerably higher WAR. It's a very flawed statistic.

In 2025, The Cobra finally made it to Cooperstown. It's unfortunate that he passed away before the induction ceremony. Rest in Peace, Dave Parker, you will always be a favorite of mine, making you a Baseball Card Memory!