Pittsburgh Pirates: Player X from the Lumber Company Revealed

Today we will reveal who Player X is and we will delve into his game, life, and all around feel about this former Pittsburgh Pirates Lumber Company great. 

In my previous article, we talked about a specific player from the Pittsburgh Pirates 1970s teams, and we left it up to you the readers to figure out who it was. All of us here at Rum Bunter received several answers across many platforms and appreciate all of your participation. Although I am not guaranteeing a complete series involving this process of guessing who a specific player from a Pirates team is, I can tell you to expect a new one next week.

Are you getting sick of me talking yet and just want the answer? Well, too bad, I am going to let you wait it out some more!

This Player X played for the Pittsburgh Pirates for 11 years from 1973-1983, won two World Series Championships, three Gold Gloves, two batting titles, and one league MVP. Despite these accomplishments, Player X is still overlooked by many.

Ready for the answer? Good, me too. It’s none other than Dave Parker, many of you got the answer right, and I’m glad you did. Parker was on the famous Lumber Company teams of the ’70s, and to most people was an afterthought due to the overwhelming star power those teams provided mainly by Willie Stargell. Dave Parker or “The Cobra” was like a deadly snake with his incredible strength, speed, and defensive ability.

Many people in the baseball community have shunned Parker, especially Pirates fans of the early ’80s. Parker battled some demons, especially with drug use. In fact, in 1985, there was a federal case where he testified about his extreme cocaine usage. If you take away the personal aspect, people were upset with Parker by a large part with his meteoric drop of production, and he was never healthy.

Dave Parker has been held out of the Hall of Fame for too long, with those past demons that were mentioned likely being a big part of why he is not enshrined in Cooperstown. With a career slash line of .305/.353/.494 with the Pirates, 166 home runs, 758 RBIs, and 123 stolen bases, it is past time to put him in the HOF. I hope many of you feel the same way of the man known as Cobra and remember him as one of the best right fielders in baseball history.

Again, your daily reminder, that Dave Parker should be in the Hall of Fame.