The Hall of Fame case for Pittsburgh Pirates, Cincinnati Reds legend Dave Parker

PITTSBURGH - 1982: Dave Parker of the Pittsburgh Pirates looks on from the field before a Major League Baseball game at Three Rivers Stadium circa 1982 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by George Gojkovich/Getty Images)
PITTSBURGH - 1982: Dave Parker of the Pittsburgh Pirates looks on from the field before a Major League Baseball game at Three Rivers Stadium circa 1982 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by George Gojkovich/Getty Images)
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Dave Parker, Pittsburgh Pirates, Cincinnati Reds, Baseball Hall of Fame
PITTSBURGH, PA – JULY 20: Dave Parker of the Pittsburgh Pirates looks on during a ceremony honoring the 1979 Pittsburgh Pirates World Series Championship before the game against the Philadelphia Phillies at PNC Park on July 20, 2019 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)

Dave Parker could be voted in the Baseball Hall of Fame in December 2023

If Dave Parker hadn’t had so many injuries and had drug issues in the early 1980s, perhaps he would have been able to maintain his Hall of Fame pace from the early 1970s but in his 15 BBWAA ballots, Parker never got more than 24.5 percent of the vote, which happened on his second ballot in 1998.

Hall of Famer Tim Raines was also implicated in the drug trials as well and he eventually got into the Hall of Fame so the BBWAA voters were willing to forgive Raines for his misgivings. However, the sabermetrics say that Raines was a better player than Parker.

Parker has made the Modern Era Baseball Committee ballot before as he was on the ballot in 2018 when Harold Baines was voted in for the Class of 2019. He didn’t even receive half of the vote, though. He was also on the ballot in 2014.

Parker has had Parkinson’s Disease for nearly a decade now so the man affectionately nicknamed “The Cobra” is in the twilight of his life so when they vote in December 2023, perhaps he will receive more recognition on the ballot. And, perhaps, Parker would be able to receive the honor while he is still alive, unlike many Hall of Famers or should be Hall of Famers in recent years.