LANCE PARRISH
Catcher, 1977-1986
"Big Wheel"
#13
--Class of 1990--
Bats - Right
Throws - Right
Born - 6/15/1956
Biography:
One time during the offseason, Lance Parrish's part-time job as a bodyguard had him protecting Tina Turner for an assignment. During "Big Wheel's" career in Detroit, he probably did just as good a job protecting the plate. Converted from third to catcher early during his Tigers career, Parrish was the Tigers' first-round selection in the 1974 amateur draft. Already possessing a powerful bat, he worked hard to become a strong defensive presence behind the plate. He succeeded. A five-time Silver Slugger award-winner during his Tigers career, Parrish also won three consecutive Gold Gloves between 1983 and 1985. His first full season in the major leagues came in 1979, when he slugged 19 home runs while letting through 21 passed balls. However, his reputation as an all-around player quickly improved, and in 1980 Parrish was selected to the first of six All-Star games during his Tigers career, as he clouted 24 home runs, and drove in 82, and slowed down the opposition's running game with his cannon arm. One of the first players to heavily concentrate on body building, Parrish's conditioning program was initially met with a chilly response by manager Sparky Anderson. However, the hard work apparently paid off as he posted home run totals of 32, 27, 33, and 28 between 1982 and 1985. By then he was considered the best catcher in the American League, if not the best in baseball. During the Tigers' 1984 pennant run, Parrish drove in 98 runs despite batting just .237. He also clubbed a home run in both the ALCS and World Series that year. In fact, his home run in Game 5 of the '84 World Series plated the fifth run in an 8-4 victory that clinched the World Championship. The following year, Parrish got off to one of his best power seasons ever. He had 22 home runs and 62 RBI in just 91 games, when back problems eventually ended his season, and his career as a Tigers backstop. In 1987 he continued his career in Philadelphia, signing with the Phillies during the previous offseason. He went on to retired with the third-highest home run total ever by a catcher (324). After retirement, Lance returned to the club, as a coach during the managerial tenure of both Larry Parrish and Alan Trammell. He also briefly joined the broadcasting ranks, joining Frank Beckmann in the booth for WKBD in 2002.
Hitting:
Code:
Year Ag Tm Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB CS BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS+ TB SH HBP
1977 21 DET AL 12 46 10 9 2 0 3 7 0 0 5 12 .196 .275 .435 87 20 0 0
1978 22 DET AL 85 288 37 63 11 3 14 41 0 0 11 71 .219 .254 .424 86 122 1 3
1979 23 DET AL 143 493 65 136 26 3 19 65 6 7 49 105 .276 .343 .456 112 225 3 2
1980 24 DET AL 144 553 79 158 34 6 24 82 6 4 31 109 .286 .325 .499 121 276 2 3
1981 25 DET AL 96 348 39 85 18 2 10 46 2 3 34 52 .244 .311 .394 99 137 1 0
1982 26 DET AL 133 486 75 138 19 2 32 87 3 4 40 99 .284 .338 .529 135 257 0 1
1983 27 DET AL 155 605 80 163 42 3 27 114 1 3 44 106 .269 .314 .483 119 292 0 1
1984 28 DET AL 147 578 75 137 16 2 33 98 2 3 41 120 .237 .287 .443 100 256 2 2
1985 29 DET AL 140 549 64 150 27 1 28 98 2 6 41 90 .273 .323 .479 118 263 3 2
1986 30 DET AL 91 327 53 84 6 1 22 62 0 0 38 83 .257 .340 .483 122 158 1 5
YR From To G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG SB CS OPS+
TOTALS 10 1977 1986 1146 4273 577 1123 201 23 212 700 334 847 .263 .317 .469 22 30 114