Pittsburgh Pirates great Dave Parker, the 1978 NL MVP and a member of the “We Are Family” 1979 World Series champions, was announced Monday as one of eight finalists for the Classic Baseball Era Committee vote for induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
Parker is one of four finalists with ties to Western Pennsylvania, as he’s joined by Wampum’s Dick Allen, Homestead Grays outfielder Vic Harris and pitcher Luis Tiant, who spent the 1981 season with the Pirates. The other four finalists are Ken Boyer, John Donaldson, Steve Garvey and Tommy John.
Results of the Classic Baseball Era Committee vote will be revealed Dec. 8 on MLB Network’s MLB Tonight show. Induction requires a minimum 75% vote (12 of 16).
Parker, 73, was inducted into the Pirates’ inaugural Hall of Fame class in 2022. He batted .305/.353/.494 with 166 home runs and 758 RBIs in 11 seasons with the Pirates, where he was a four-time All-Star, three-time Gold Glove winner in right field and won NL batting titles in 1977 and ’78.
Parker also played for the Cincinnati Reds, Oakland Athletics — with whom he won the 1989 World Series — Milwaukee Brewers, California Angels and Toronto Blue Jays and had a .290 batting average with 339 homers and 1,493 RBIs in a 19-year major league career.
Allen, who died in December 2020, was a seven-time All-Star, the 1964 NL Rookie of the Year and 1972 AL MVP and had a .292 career average, 351 home runs and 1,119 RBIs in 15 seasons with five teams from 1963-77, including nine with the Philadelphia Phillies.
Harris played 18 seasons in the Negro Leagues, primarily as a left fielder for the Grays, had a .303 career batting average and a reputation for his aggressive baserunning. He also managed the Grays for 11 seasons, winning seven Negro National League pennants and the 1948 World Series.
Tiant, who died Oct. 8, finished with 229 wins and a 3.30 ERA and was a 20-game winner in four of his 19 major league seasons with the Cleveland Indians, Minnesota Twins, Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, Pirates and Angels. A three-time All-Star, he won two American League ERA titles, including a 1.60 ERA in 1968, and led the league in shutouts three times.