Dave Parker Dies: 'Everything About Him Was Impressive'

Dave Parker, a seven-time All-Star known for monster home runs and stunning throws from the outfield—and who succeeded fellow Hall of Famer Roberto Clemente in right field for the Pittsburgh Pirates—has died. He was 74. The team announced Parker's death Saturday without providing details, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports. He revealed in 2013 that he had Parkinson's disease. Parker, who retired in 1991, was not elected to the Hall of Fame until last year and is scheduled to be inducted next month. When he learned of his election, per MLB.com, Parker said, "I've been holding this speech in for 15 years."

Parker combined style and skill in a frame much larger than usually seen on a baseball field, especially in the 1970s. "He was such a big dude at a time when there weren't that many '6-foot-5, 230-pound, dynamic defender, batting champion with power' guys," Hall of Fame teammate Barry Larkin said, per the AP. "Everything about him was impressive." He won three Gold Gloves and stole bases. "I was a five-tool player," Parker said after the Hall of Fame announcement. "I could do them all." His throw from right field to catch Brian Downing at the plate was a highlight of the 1979 All-Star Game, per CBS Sports; Parker was named the game's MVP.

When he retired, Parker was one of only five players to have amassed at least 500 doubles, 300 homers, 150 stolen bases, and 2,700 hits. "Dave Parker was by far the most all-around talented player I ever played with," reliever Kent Tekulve said, per the Athletic. Parker played parts of 19 seasons, 11 of them with the Pirates after they drafted him in 1970 out of Courter High School in Cincinnati. He debuted in 1973 with the Pirates, who were still shaken by the death of Clemente in a plane crash months before. Parker later played for Cincinnati, Milwaukee, the California Angels, and Toronto. He was the National League's most valuable player in 1978. He won two World Series titles, one of them in 1989 with the Oakland Athletics.

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But it was the championship run in 1978 that many fans remember him for. In a partnership with first baseman Willie Stargell, another future Hall of Famer, Parker helped lead the "We Are Family" Pirates to their most recent World Series title. It was the last of Parker's peak seasons, per the Post-Gazette. Over his career, he won two batting titles and hit 339 home runs. He was also proud of his hustle. "I never trotted to first base," Parker said last year. "I don't know if people noticed that, but I ran hard on every play."