Wes Parker
Wes Parker | |
---|---|
First baseman | |
Born: Evanston, Illinois, U.S. | November 13, 1939|
Batted: Switch Threw: Left | |
Professional debut | |
MLB: April 19, 1964, for the Los Angeles Dodgers | |
NPB: April 6, 1974, for the Nankai Hawks | |
Last appearance | |
MLB: October 1, 1972, for the Los Angeles Dodgers | |
NPB: September 28, 1974, for the Nankai Hawks | |
MLB statistics | |
Batting average | .267 |
Home runs | 64 |
Runs batted in | 470 |
NPB statistics | |
Batting average | .301 |
Home runs | 14 |
Runs batted in | 59 |
Teams | |
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Career highlights and awards | |
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Maurice Wesley Parker III (born November 13, 1939) is an American former
As of 2009, Parker has been a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers organization serving as a representative of the Dodgers Legend Bureau.[2]
Biography
Major League playing career
Parker was part of the Dodgers' 1965 and 1966 World Series teams. Known as one of the slickest fielding first basemen of all time, he won the National League Gold Glove Award for first base every year from 1967 to 1972.[3] In 1970, Parker posted a career high batting average of .319 and performed the unusual feat of driving in over 100 runs in a season while hitting no more than 10 home runs.
In a game against the New York Mets on May 7, 1970, Parker hit for the cycle.[4][5] He was the last Los Angeles Dodger to accomplish that feat until Orlando Hudson did so against the San Francisco Giants on April 13, 2009.
On August 21, 2007, Parker was voted the best defensive first baseman in baseball since the inception of the Gold Glove award in 1957, and named to the Major League Baseball All-time Gold Glove Team. He is the only member of the team who is not in the Baseball Hall of Fame (Parker is not eligible to enter the Hall of Fame as a player because he played in only nine seasons, one less than the minimum required for consideration).[6]
Parker is the only Dodger to have received the All-Time Gold Glove Team award.[6]
After Sunday home games in the final years of his career, Parker would hit fly balls to local kids outside Dodger Stadium, then drive as many as would fit into his car for ice cream and sodas. He said that he enjoyed his interactions with the kids more than he did playing the games for which he was paid.[7]
Career statistics
In nine seasons and 1,288
Labor issues
Major League Baseball had its first ever work stoppage with a strike at the beginning of the 1972 season, which lasted 13 days. The player representatives voted 47–0, with one abstention, in favor of the strike. The abstention was Parker, who felt a deep appreciation for everything the Dodgers had done for him.[9]
Other endeavors
Parker retired from Major League Baseball after the 1972 season. He worked as a television
In 1974, he signed with the
Parker subsequently pursued an acting career, and appeared in a number of television roles in the 1970s. His most famous role came in episode #17 of
Parker also was a baseball broadcaster for
Personal life
Born in Evanston, Illinois, Parker grew up in West Los Angeles, in the affluent neighborhood of Brentwood. His mother was Mary (nee Joslyn), and his father was Maurice Wesley Parker Jr., president of the Parker Manufacturing Company and son of Maurice W. Parker Sr. Parker had an older sister named Celia and a younger brother named Lyn.[1]
He attended Claremont Men's College, transferred to USC, graduating from USC with a B.A. in history.[10]
Beginning in 2001, Parker began as a volunteer teacher of a weekly sports class at the Braille Institute in Los Angeles.[7]
Religious views
Parker served as a voice of faith for the ministry of television preacher
See also
- List of Major League Baseball annual doubles leaders
- List of Major League Baseball players to hit for the cycle
References
- ^ a b c "Wes Parker (SABR BioProject)". Society for American Baseball Research.
- ^ Leahy, pp. 448-51.
- ^ "Gold Glove First Basemen". Baseball Almanac.
- ^ Leahy, pp. 430-2.
- ^ a b Helfgott, Hali (March 22, 1971). "Wes Parker, First Baseman". Sports Illustrated.
- ^ a b "All-Time Gold Glove Team". Baseball Almanac.
- ^ a b c d Crowe, Jerry (May 21, 2007). "This Dodgers Gold Glover never lost his Midas touch". Los Angeles Times.
- ^ "Wes Parker Career Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com.
- ^ "Old-Timers With Old Values Speak Out : Former Dodger Wes Parker Says He Wouldn't Vote for a Strike Today". Los Angeles Times. 4 August 1985. Retrieved 22 July 2022.
- ^ Leahy, pp. 32-47.
- ^ Bunting, Glenn (July 10, 1994). "The Shock Jock of Televangelism". Los Angeles Times.
Further reading
- ISBN 978-0-06-236056-4.
External links
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball Reference, or Fangraphs, or Baseball Reference (Minors), or Retrosheet
- Wes Parker at the SABR Baseball Biography Project
- Wes Parker at IMDb