The list of players eligible for induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame is divided into modern era players which are determined by voting by the Baseball Writers of America and the Classic Baseball Era. On December 8 two new Classic Baseball Era players were named to the Hall of Fame after earning at least 75 percent of the vote needed for induction.
Sluggers Dick Allen and Dave Parker will have their bronze plaques added to the more than 300 players currently in the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York.
Via a Zoom call, Dave Parker spoke on his finally making it into the Hall of Fame saying, “I never did like the minor leagues or not being in the Hall of Fame. I’m just glad it’s over. Without a doubt. When the leaves turn brown, I’ll be wearing a batting crown. That was one of my sayings. So, I always thought I was going to be a Hall of Famer. I told my mother at eight years old that I would be a baseball star and one day buy her a house. Well, I did that in ’78. I got that done.”
During his 19 year professional career, Dave Parker hit 339 home runs with a batting average of .290. A seven time All Star, he won the batting title in 1977 and 78. He played for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Cincinnati Reds, Oakland A’s, Milwaukee Brewers, California Angels, and the Toronto Blue Jays. Parker earned an MVP Award in th All Star game and was a part of the World Series champion Pittsburgh Pirates and the Oakland Athletics. His accomplishments also include three Gold Gloves and three Silver Slugger Awards.
When asked how he wanted to be remembered as a ball player, Parker said, “as a guy who left it all on the field. I never trotted to first base. I don’t know if people noticed that. But I ran hard on every play. I always got that respect because I played it like it should be played. I was a five-tool player. I could do them all.”
Dick Allen has earned a posthumous induction after his death in 2020 at the age of 78. Allen spent 15 seasons in the major leagues where he hit 351 home runs with 1,119 RIB’s and had a career batting average of .292. Allen earned Rookie of the Year honours playing for the Philadelphia Phillies and was the American League MVP while playing with the Chicago White Sox. The seven time All Star played for the Philadelphia Phillies, St. Louis Cardinals, Los Angeles Dodgers, Chicago White Sox, and the Oakland A’s.
The finalists in the Classic Baseball Era also included Tommy John, Ken Boyer, Jon Donaldson, Steve Garvey, Vic Harris, and Luis Tiant.
The remainder of the 2025 class of Hall of Famers will be revealed on January 21 with the induction ceremony at the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown on July 27.