Loading ...Well, maybe not. But two former Reds, Eric Davis and Dave Parker, are eligible for the Hall of Fame, and Reds.com has a couple of stories on their prospects. It’s Davis’ first year on the ballot, and Parker’s 12th year.
I don’t expect either to be elected, but the articles are pretty good retrospectives on a couple of careers that included some good years for our Redlegs.
I always liked Davis and am pulling for him but he’s further away from the HOF than Foster or Larkin. To be honest I’m surprised anybody with fewer than 5000 PA even gets on the ballot.
A quick comparison
G PA OPS+
1977 7812 126 Foster
1626 4122 125 Davis
2466 10184 121 Parker
2180 9057 115 Larkin
Of course OPS+ doesn’t take into account that Larkin was a SS. Foster plays one or two more good year and he’s in the HOF
Some better numbers
RCAP RCAA
488 271 Larkin
182 243 Davis
133 230 Foster
91 242 Parker
Win Shares
327 Parker
314 Larkin
269 Foster
224 Davis
I think Davis, Foster and Parker are just shy of HOF but Larkin should be get in.
mike
Parker has a stronger case than I thought, I guess because I don’t remember his first peak with the Pirates. I’m surprised he hasn’t gotten more than 24.5% of the vote. There’s not a magic number for career RBIs to my knowledge, but if you look at the career leaders, 1,500 looks like a major demarcation. Parker is only seven away from that – more than Billy Williams or Eddie Mathews, but less than contemporaries like Dawson and Baines (who probably won’t make it).
Parker also does well in the Bill James black/gray ink tests, which look at how many times a player led the league or was in the top ten in various categories. When you consider that he had decent career #s, hia peaks, the cannon in right field, the MVP, the WS, the intimidation he brought . . he sounds like a good case to me.
Parker’s main problem with not getting more votes is the cocaine thing. Davis will not get a lot of votes because he was all potential, never fulfilled, which was a shame, because from time to time he was a great ballplayer.
Eric the Red is my all time favorite player, but does not deserve to be in the hall. I just wish he could of stayed healthier throughout his career. But his all out style and not so rugged frame wouldn’t allow it.