Dave Parker's Bookend Diamond Kings
The Cobra in the middle is the only thing missing
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1982 Donruss Dave Parker Diamond Kings (#12) - Card of the Day
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If Dave Parker had been born five years later, or peaked five years later, or not cratered out in the early 1980s, he just might have been the biggest star the hobby had ever seen.
But by the time the 1980s cardboard boom really took hold, in 1983 and 1984, Parker had stumbled onto hard diamond times. Leaving aside the reasons his star dimmed, comparing his 1978 MVP season to his Pittsburgh Pirates finale in 1983 presents a stark contrast:
1978: hit majors-leading .334 with 30 home runs and 117 RBI, stole 20 bases (caught 7 times), scored 102 runs, won his second Gold Glove in right field
1983: hit .279 with 12 home runs and 69 RBI, stole 12 bases (caught 9 times), scored 68 runs
All that in about the same number of games each season (148 v. 144).
And that 1983 performance was actually a step up from Parker’s 1981 and 1982 output, when he missed significant playing time each season. The second half of ‘83 brought some hope, too, as he hit .305 with nine long balls.
Still, it looked like an overweight 32-year-old Cobra might be heading downhill fast, and his cards barely registered an eyebrow twitch when pulled from packs that might contain a big-name rookie like Don Mattingly, Dwight Gooden, Darryl Strawberry, or Ron Kittle, among many others.
Even so, Parker had hit .295 in 1980, and it was easy to shrug off any results from the strike-torn 1981 season. So it probably wasn’t much of a surprise when big Dave checked in as the Pirates’ representative in the inaugural run of Diamond Kings to lead off the 1982 Donruss set.
You see that Dick Perez-painted card in all its Atari-era glory up there at the top of this post. For Cobra fans, it stood as a sort of what-used-to-be, or even what-might-have-been, and looked like it might be the last celebratory Parker card. And the card back certainly did celebrate his past:
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But Parker took a sharp left on his road to oblivion, trading in his 70s beard and mustache for a new free agent deal with the Reds before the 1984 season.
Settling in to the right field corner of Riverfront Stadium, Parker was good as a 33-year-old in his hometown, for a bad team: .285/16 HR/94 RBI.
And then, in 1985, the Reds were contenders as Pete Rose got his legs under him for his first full summer as player-manager. Tom Browning was a revelation…John Franco was the best reliever in baseball…the Reds were flush with young talent (Eric Davis, anyone?) and surprising veteran performances (see 98-year-old Tony Perez).
But it was Dave Parker who made the whole thing go.
No longer the big, lean, all-tool player he had been in Pittsburgh, Parker was no 20-20 threat. Indeed, with five stolen bases and 13 times caught stealing, he might have been better advised to stay put on the basepaths.
But these Reds were plucky and daring and walked with a new swagger, so everyone was trying to disrupt the game.
Parker did most of his disruption in the batter’s box, to the tune of a .312 average, 34 home runs, and National League-leading totals of 125 RBI and 42 doubles.
For their part, the Reds finished second in the N.L. West, five-and-a-half games behind the Dodgers. Parker likely would have won the MVP award if Cincy had pulled out the division title, but he still finished second to the Cardinals’ Willie McGee.
You might have thought Parker’s big season would be enough to land him another entry in the Diamond Kings series, which by then had become a staple of each year’s hobby scene. But Donruss had other ideas for their 1986 set, and their 1987 set, and their 1988 set — despite Parker continuing to rake (though maybe not with quite the leaf-moving power as in 1985).
By then, it was too late anyway, since the Reds traded Parker to the A’s in December of 1987 for Tim Birtsas and Jose Rijo.
For the record, here are the Reds’ Diamond Kings during, and right after, Parker’s run in Cincy:
1984 - Dave Concepcion
1985 - Mario Soto
1986 - Tony Perez
1987 - Eric Davis
1988 - Kal Daniels
Donruss also christened Rose as the “King of Kings” on card #653 in their 1986 set, separate from the regular DK subset.
Stationed in Oakland with a team full of young sluggers and other superstars, Parker’s days as a Diamond King were over…or were they?
After two seasons and 34 long balls with the Bash Brothers, Parker signed as a free agent with the Brewers in December of 1989. The next summer, at age 39, he hit .289 with 21 homers and 92 RBI.
The 1990 Brewers weren’t a very good team, but they did feature a number of star-level players at different stages of their careers, including Gary Sheffield, Paul Molitor, Ron Robinson, Teddy Higuera, and Rob Deer.
So it was a bit of a surprise when Parker drew the DK card in the garish 1991 Donruss set. And even more jarring to pull that card after Milwaukee traded Cobra to the Angels in March 1991, about the same time the new card issues started hitting store shelves.
Heck, maybe Donruss saw the move coming since Perez’s painting didn’t include a Brewers cap on card #6:
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The card back once again runs down Cobra’s achievements, even citing some of the more SABR-adjacent numbers from 1990, like slugging “average” and total bases. Of course, Donruss may have had a slight ulterior motive since they had begun touting repeat DKs, no doubt a subtle nod to their own hobby longevity.
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Parker almost played out the season with the Angels, but they released him on September 7. Never fear, though, because the Blue Jays signed the legend a week later, and he finished strong by hitting .333 in 13 games down the stretch. Toronto won the division, but their new slugger joined the party too late to be able to play in the ALCS with them.
Parker played his last big league game at age 40 on October 2, 1991. And, even though he retired at the end of the season, he still landed a full-on career-capper, courtesy of Upper Deck in 1992. You can read about that one right here.
And today, just over a month before he is to be enshrined in the Hall of Fame, David Gene Parker turns 74 years old.
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This Dick Allen Baseball Card Put Him in Good Company
Joining Parker on the Cooperstown dais in July should have been Dick Allen, who will also be enshrined but who died in 2020.
Even though it took forever for the various Veterans Committees to finally converge on Allen’s HOF case, there was no doubt where he stood among baseball greats during his best years.
You can find evidence of that all through the hobby, including on the 1967 Topps home run leaders card you see above. Read all about it right here.