Dave Parker

Dave Parker, 'the Cobra,' was a seven-time All-Star, two-time NL batting champion, and 1978 NL MVP who won World Series with the Pirates and Athletics.

David Gene Parker (born June 9, 1951), nicknamed "the Cobra," is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a right fielder from 1973 to 1991. A seven-time All-Star, Parker won two National League batting titles and was the 1978 NL Most Valuable Player. He was a member of two World Series championship teams, winning with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1979 and the Oakland Athletics in 1989.

Parker was among the first American athletes to earn an average of $1 million per year, having signed a five-year, $5 million contract in January 1979 (though Nolan Ryan's 1979 contract with the Astros, averaging $1.125 million per year, is widely recognized as the first $1 million average salary in American sports). Parker's career achievements include 2,712 hits, 339 home runs, 1,493 runs batted in, and a lifetime batting average of .290. Parker was also known as a solid defensive outfielder during the first half of his career with a powerful arm, winning three straight Gold Glove Awards. From 1975 to 1979, he threw out 72 runners, including 26 in 1977.

Quick Facts

Position: Right fielder; Designated hitter
Bats: Left
Throws: Right
Born: 9 June 1951
Birthplace: Grenada, Mississippi, U.S.
Died: 28 June 2025
Place of death: Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S.
Debut league: MLB

Lore & Background

David Gene Parker was born in Grenada, Mississippi, on June 9, 1951, and grew up in Cincinnati near Crosley Field, where he learned to play baseball on the stadium's parking lots. His father, Dick Parker, was a shipping clerk in a foundry. Dave Parker attended Courter Technical High School (often referred to as Courter Tech). He said his favorite sport was football, and he starred at tailback but he injured a knee in a game during his senior year and gave up the game.

Reader's Guide

Parker commenced his Major League Baseball career in 1973 with the Pittsburgh Pirates. He adopted a unique approach to warming up in the on-deck circle, utilizing a sledgehammer. In 1977, Parker was the National League batting champion, a feat he repeated in 1978 when he was also named NL MVP. During his MVP campaign, he led the NL in slugging percentage (.585), on-base plus slugging (.979), and total bases (340).

He achieved these statistics despite a collision with John Stearns at home plate on June 30, 1978, that fractured his jaw and cheekbone. A specially crafted hockey mask allowed him to return in a little over two weeks. Because the mask hindered his ability to see pitches, he tried modified football helmets with and without a facemask that he only wore when running the bases. The gear was controversial but not disallowed, and he continued using it until voluntarily giving it up in early 1979.

The next year, the Pirates rewarded him with a five-year deal that was American sports' first million-dollar-per-year contract. The increase over his reported $225,000 annual salary angered working-class Pittsburgh fans. Parker's power hitting resulted in an at-bat that 'knocked the cover off the ball.' He was instrumental in the Pirates' 1979 World Series championship.

In 1981, Lawrence Ritter and Donald Honig included him in 'The 100 Greatest Baseball Players of All Time.' By the early 1980s, Parker's batting waned due to injuries, weight issues, and cocaine consumption. He became a central figure in a drug scandal involving dealer Curtis Strong. The Pirates initiated legal action against him in 1986, and the matter was resolved through an out-of-court settlement.

At the end of the 1983 season, Parker signed with the Cincinnati Reds as a free agent on December 7, 1983. In 1985, he finished with a .312 average and 34 home runs, leading the NL in RBIs (125), doubles (42), extra-base hits (80), and total bases (350). He won the league's first Home Run Derby at the 1985 All-Star Game, hitting six home runs in ten attempts. He finished second in 1985 MVP voting.

Parker testified in the Pittsburgh drug trials; he and six other players were suspended for the following season, but the sentences were commuted in exchange for donations, drug testing, and community service.