Jim Rice Vs. Dave Parker

[savafan]

Just a general question, if you were a GM and had the opportunity to choose only one of these guys to play for your team in their prime, which one would you choose?

Jim Rice Stats:

Year Ag Tm  Lg  G   AB    R    H   2B 3B  HR  RBI  SB CS  BB  SO   BA   OBP   SLG   TB   SH  SF IBB HBP GDP 
+--------------+---+----+----+----+---+--+---+----+---+--+---+---+-----+-----+-----+----+---+---+---+---+---+
 1974 21 BOS AL  24   67    6   18   2  1   1   13   0  0   4  12  .269  .307  .373   25   0   3   0   1   2
 1975 22 BOS AL 144  564   92  174  29  4  22  102  10  5  36 122  .309  .350  .491  277   1   8   7   4  19 MVP-3,RoY-2
 1976 23 BOS AL 153  581   75  164  25  8  25   85   8  5  28 123  .282  .315  .482  280   2   9   2   4  18
 1977 24 BOS AL 160  644  104  206  29 15  39  114   5  4  53 120  .320  .376  .593  382   0   5  10   8  21 MVP-4,AS
 1978 25 BOS AL 163  677  121  213  25 15  46  139   7  5  58 126  .315  .370  .600  406   1   5   7   5  15 MVP-1,AS
 1979 26 BOS AL 158  619  117  201  39  6  39  130   9  4  57  97  .325  .381  .596  369   0   8   4   4  16 MVP-5,AS
 1980 27 BOS AL 124  504   81  148  22  6  24   86   8  3  30  87  .294  .336  .504  254   1   3   5   4  16 AS
 1981 28 BOS AL 108  451   51  128  18  1  17   62   2  2  34  76  .284  .333  .441  199   0   7   3   3  14
 1982 29 BOS AL 145  573   86  177  24  5  24   97   0  1  55  98  .309  .375  .494  283   0   3   6   7  29 MVP-19
 1983 30 BOS AL 155  626   90  191  34  1  39  126   0  2  52 102  .305  .361  .550  344   0   5  10   6  31 SS,MVP-4,AS
 1984 31 BOS AL 159  657   98  184  25  7  28  122   4  0  44 102  .280  .323  .467  307   0   6   8   1  36 SS,MVP-13,AS
 1985 32 BOS AL 140  546   85  159  20  3  27  103   2  0  51  75  .291  .349  .487  266   0   9   5   2  35 AS
 1986 33 BOS AL 157  618   98  200  39  2  20  110   0  1  62  78  .324  .384  .490  303   0   9   5   4  19 MVP-3,AS
 1987 34 BOS AL 108  404   66  112  14  0  13   62   1  1  45  77  .277  .357  .408  165   0   3   3   7  22
 1988 35 BOS AL 135  485   57  128  18  3  15   72   1  1  48  89  .264  .330  .406  197   0   6   2   3  18
 1989 36 BOS AL  56  209   22   49  10  2   3   28   1  0  13  39  .234  .276  .344   72   0   5   0   1   4
+--------------+---+----+----+----+---+--+---+----+---+--+---+---+-----+-----+-----+----+---+---+---+---+---+
 16 Seasons         8225      2452     79     1451     34    1423  .298  .352  .502        5  94  77  64 315
               2089      1249      373    382       58    670                       4129

Dave Parker Stats:

Year Ag Tm  Lg  G   AB    R    H   2B 3B  HR  RBI  SB CS  BB  SO   BA   OBP   SLG   TB   SH  SF IBB HBP GDP 
+--------------+---+----+----+----+---+--+---+----+---+--+---+---+-----+-----+-----+----+---+---+---+---+---+
 1973 22 PIT NL  54  139   17   40   9  1   4   14   1  1   2  27  .288  .308  .453   63   1   0   1   2   2
 1974 23 PIT NL  73  220   27   62  10  3   4   29   3  3  10  53  .282  .322  .409   90   0   0   1   3   3
 1975 24 PIT NL 148  558   75  172  35 10  25  101   8  6  38  89  .308  .357  .541  302   0   1   4   5  18 MVP-3
 1976 25 PIT NL 138  537   82  168  28 10  13   90  19  7  30  80  .313  .349  .475  255   0   4   6   2  16 MVP-20
 1977 26 PIT NL 159  637  107  215  44  8  21   88  17 19  58 107  .338  .397  .531  338   0   4  13   7   7 MVP-3,AS
 1978 27 PIT NL 148  581  102  194  32 12  30  117  20  7  57  92  .334  .394  .585  340   0   2  23   2   8 MVP-1
 1979 28 PIT NL 158  622  109  193  45  7  25   94  20  4  67 101  .310  .380  .526  327   0   9  14   9   7 MVP-10,AS
 1980 29 PIT NL 139  518   71  153  31  1  17   79  10  7  25  69  .295  .327  .458  237   0   5   5   2   8 AS
 1981 30 PIT NL  67  240   29   62  14  3   9   48   6  2   9  25  .258  .287  .454  109   0   3   3   2   5 AS
 1982 31 PIT NL  73  244   41   66  19  3   6   29   7  5  22  45  .270  .330  .447  109   0   3   2   1   7
 1983 32 PIT NL 144  552   68  154  29  4  12   69  12  9  28  89  .279  .311  .411  227   0   6   6   0  11
 1984 33 CIN NL 156  607   73  173  28  0  16   94  11 10  41  89  .285  .328  .410  249   0   6  10   1   8
 1985 34 CIN NL 160  635   88  198  42  4  34  125   5 13  52  80  .312  .365  .551  350   0   4  24   3  26 SS,MVP-2,AS
 1986 35 CIN NL 162  637   89  174  31  3  31  116   1  6  56 126  .273  .330  .477  304   0   6  16   1  18 SS,MVP-5,AS
 1987 36 CIN NL 153  589   77  149  28  0  26   97   7  3  44 104  .253  .311  .433  255   0   6  13   8  14
 1988 37 OAK AL 101  377   43   97  18  1  12   55   0  1  32  70  .257  .314  .406  153   0   2   2   0   3
 1989 38 OAK AL 144  553   56  146  27  0  22   97   0  0  38  91  .264  .308  .432  239   0   8  13   1  21 MVP-11
 1990 39 MIL AL 157  610   71  176  30  3  21   92   4  7  41 102  .289  .330  .451  275   0  14  11   4  18 SS,MVP-16,AS
 1991 40 TOT AL 132  502   47  120  26  2  11   59   3  3  33  98  .239  .288  .365  183   0   3   3   3   9
         CAL AL 119  466   45  108  22  2  11   56   3  2  29  91  .232  .279  .358  167   0   3   3   3   9
         TOR AL  13   36    2   12   4  0   0    3   0  1   4   7  .333  .400  .444   16   0   0   0   0   0
+--------------+---+----+----+----+---+--+---+----+---+--+---+---+-----+-----+-----+----+---+---+---+---+---+
 19 Seasons         9358      2712     75     1493    113    1537  .290  .339  .471        1  86 170  56 209
               2466      1272      526    339      154    683                       4405

[westofyou]

Parker had a gun and was a premier fielder who didn't GIDP the way Rice did.

[PickOff]

Rice's consistency over Parker's defense.

[OldRightHander]

I wouldn't take either of them right now. I'd want someone just a tad younger.

In their prime though, I would have taken Parker.

[redsupport]

8 100 rbi seasons for rice gets the nod

[Highlifeman21]

Originally Posted by redsupport

8 100 rbi seasons for rice gets the nod

And the voters that decide the MVP love this logic.

RBIs are good!

[Red in Chicago]

i'll take the cobra, despite his personal flaws...always loved that arm of his...

[max venable]

Originally Posted by redsupport

8 100 rbi seasons for rice gets the nod

Yeah...well Parker had 10 90+ rbi seasons compared to Rice's 9.

[Ravenlord]

defense considered, have to go with Parker. also here he's the cooler person, but that could just be a bias.

[Spitball]

Originally Posted by Ravenlord

... also here he's the cooler person, but that could just be a bias.

I don't know what you mean by cooler person (his drug use?), but Jim Ed Rice was one of the most respected players in baseball. Roger Clemens wore his number 14 during spring training games to honor him the year his playing days ended.

[Mainspark]

If I'm not mistaken, Rice was usually hostile to sports reporters, even though he played at a time when media scrutiny of athletes was definitely at a lower level than it is today.
In a perfect world, that wouldn't be a factor when it comes to Hall of Fame selections, I guess, but when your statistics put you in the "maybe/probably deserving" category, past rudeness can come back to haunt you.

[Spitball]

Originally Posted by Mainspark

If I'm not mistaken, Rice was usually hostile to sports reporters, even though he played at a time when media scrutiny of athletes was definitely at a lower level than it is today.
In a perfect world, that wouldn't be a factor when it comes to Hall of Fame selections, I guess, but when your statistics put you in the "maybe/probably deserving" category, past rudeness can come back to haunt you.

Rice often refused to talk to the press, but not to the degree that we saw with the two leftfielders, Ted Williams and Carl Yastrzemski, who proceded him in Boston. The town has a history of being hard on its star sluggers when wins have been scarce.

Plus, Boston sports writers have campaigned for his induction for the last several years, so I doubt his hostility hurt him in his hometown.

[RBA]

JIM RICE = 0 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
DAVE PARKER = 3 RINGS!

Gotta give the edge to the man that can deliver the goods.

[Yachtzee]

I take the Cobra.

[Mainspark]

Parker. It comes down to the extra defensive abilities.