Lance Parrish

Catcher
Cleveland Barons (SEA, HAV, FLO)
1977-1991

Lance Michael Parrish was born in the meager, hard scrabble steel town of Clairton, Pennsylvania. A city famous for being the setting of the film Deer Hunter and for producing one of the United League’s finest catchers. At age 6, his family moved to the even meaner streets of Southern California. Lance was a three-sport, multiple-position athlete in high school, but luckily for the UL, he settled on baseball and catching in particular.

Parrish was drafted 8th overall by the Glen Reed-led Boston Federals in the 1977 rookie draft. After a short stint in the minors, he was involved in one of the most numinous trades in UL lore: a ridiculous 28-player swap between Boston and the Cleveland Barons. The cornerstone of that deal was the Barons sending their ace Rick Rueschel packing for some magic beans.  That deal did not pan out for Cleveland, with Parrish being the ONLY shining jewel in that turdcrown of a prospect package.

The 18-year-old Parrish spent 50 games in Pittsburgh (about 15 miles from where he was born) before being called up to begin his impressive career in Cleveland. It didn’t take long for him to earn the nickname “Big Wheel” and prove that he was a big deal at a premium position.

1978 was his first full year in the majors, and Parrish posted an impressive 3.1 WAR as a 20-year-old, cementing his role as the Barons catcher of the present and future. Over the next few years, he showed he was one of the top backstops in the league. He made his first (of 10) All-Star Game appearance in 1980. A steady power source, he averaged 29 homers a year over the next six seasons. 1983 was his career year, popping 34 home runs and his first foray into triple digit RBIs (100) and a rare dip into mere double digit strikeouts (84). 1984 saw a drop in production, with unconfirmed rumors swirling that he was playing hurt. But Parrish picked up right where he left off in 1985 when he was traded to Seattle. His first (and only) full year in Seattle saw him nearly matching his career-high WAR. Parrish seemed like a perfect fit for the Rainiers, and signed a four-year contract with them. But he would be traded to Havana after the monstrous 1986 season.

Lance Parrish sparkled for Lance Mueller’s Leones for two seasons, but the years of squatting behind the dish were finally catching up him at the tender age of 31. 1989 was not an unproductive year for Parrish, but he was showing signs of winding down his career. He attempted to prolong the magic in Florida, but it was clear he would never be able to contribute as he once had. Parrish retired in 1991 after his fifteenth season. He never found his way to the postseason, as he played for some pretty mediocre teams his whole career.

Overall, his career numbers are fairly impressive for a catcher, ending with 348 HR and 1090 RBI. His overall WAR is 50.7. Maybe not the toughest numbers we’ve seen from a catcher, but he helped those that he played for. (Charlie Qualls)