The special Eras Committee of the National Baseball Hall of Fame has elected two sluggers. Two players who won Most Valuable Player awards in the 1970s: Dick Allen and Dave Parker, have earned their place in Cooperstown.
Allen and Parker join the list of Hall of Famers following decades of frustration at falling short via baseball writer voting. The 73-year old Parker spent the maximum 15 years on the Baseball Writers Association of America ballot, never dropping below 10 percent support, but also never going higher than 24.5%. Allen died at the age of 78 in December of 2020.
According to the Hall of Fame, Parker received 14 of 16 possible votes, while Allen got support from 13 of the 16 members of the committee. Former pitcher Tommy John was the only other candidate who received as many as seven votes.
The election of Allen posthumously is another bad mark on the Hall of Fame voting process. In 2012, former third baseman Ron Santo was elected less than 24 months after he passed away. Santo ranks among the greatest third basemen of all-time, and had his name on the ballot for at least 20 different voting blocs. He came close twice via the special veterans or eras committee process. Former players and their families are cheated from the ideal celebration of induction when the Hall fails to elect them while the candidate is alive.
Parker Helped Pirates to 1979 World Series Title
Parker was a fearsome slugger, with his best seasons coming in the 1970s in the uniform of the Pittsburgh Pirates. He won the National League batting title in 1977 and 1978, and was named NL MVP in 1978. As a key member of Pittsburgh’s “Lumber Company” lineup, Parker helped the team to the playoffs three times. In 1979, the Bucs won the World Series, when “The Cobra” hit .341 with six RBI in 10 postseason games.
A seven-time All-Star, Parker had 2,712 home runs and 339 home runs in a 19-year career that spanned from 1973 to 1991. He led the league in hits, doubles, RBI, batting (twice), slugging (twice), and OPS, in his career. He’s one of the few players to win as many as three Gold Gloves and three Silver Slugger awards. His throwing arm was one of the strongest for an outfielder of his generation.
Allen’s Batting Stats Among the Best of his Era
The election of Allen reverses one of the biggest mistakes the voters have ever made. Allen’s slugging, batting average, isolated power, and on-base-plus-slugging (OPS) compared to his league was among the best of any hitter on or out of the Hall of Fame.
From 1964 to 1976, which encompasses every season where Allen played at least 70 games, his 158 OPS+ ranked second behind only Frank Robinson. It was better than contemporaries Willie Stargell, Willie McCovey, Reggie Jackson, and Carl Yastrzemski, all of whom were elected to Cooperstown decades ago.
Allen’s RBI, total bases, runs scored, and batting average for the years 1963-1977 all ranked among the top ten in baseball. He was the NL Rookie of the Year in 1964, and the AL MVP in 1972, when he led the league in Wins Above Replacement, home runs, RBI, OPS, OPS+, and walks. He slashed 292/378/534 in a 15-year career, with 351 career bombs.
Controversy off the field helped keep Allen out of Cooperstown for years despite the fact that he ranks among the 20 greatest first basemen of all-time. In Philadelphia, where he began his career with the Phillies, Allen was labeled a problem player when he stood up to institutional racism. It was only when he got to the White Sox and played under manager Chuck Tanner that Allen found a baseball man who understood his personality. But on the field, Allen was respected and feared: he was a seven-time All-Star who earned a top ten finish in MVP voting three times.
John, Ken Boyer, Steve Garvey, Luis Tiant, John Donaldson, and Vic Harris all failed to find enough support for the Hall of Fame, despite several compelling arguments. Boyer rates among the best third basemen ever, and isn’t far off from Santo, at least statistically, yet his name still sits on the bubble. Like Tiant, Boyer is gone now, which often means voters are more reluctant to vote for them. Donaldson and Harris are former negro league stars who have few proponents more than 70 years after they played their final games.
Parker and Allen will be part of the Hall of Fame Class of 2025. Any candidates that are elected by the BBWAA in January will join them. The top candidates from the BBWAA ballot are Ichiro Suzuki, Billy Wagner, Andruw Jones, and Carlos Beltrán.
