Lance Parrish

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Lance Michael Parrish, aka "Big Wheel," (born June 15, 1956 in Clairton, Pennsylvania) is an American former Major League Baseball catcher for the Detroit Tigers (1977-1986), Philadelphia Phillies (1987-1988), California Angels (1989-1992), Seattle Mariners (1992), Cleveland Indians (1993), Pittsburgh Pirates (1994), and the Toronto Blue Jays (1995). Parrish was also with the Los Angeles Dodgers in spring training 1993, but he failed to make the squad as rookie Mike Piazza's performance showed the club that he was ready to be a starting major-league catcher.

His best season was 1982 when he hit .284 and blasted 32 home runs. He was also the clean-up hitter for the Tigers when they won the 1984 World Series.

Parrish was an eight-time All-Star (1980, 1982-86, 1988, 1990), and he won three Gold Glove Awards (1983-85).

When acquired by the Philadelphia Phillies as a free agent before the 1986 season, the Phillies made their slogan for the season "Lance us a Pennant." He quickly fell out of favor with the Philadelphia fans and media in his second season there as a result of lackadaisical offensive output, ranking near the bottom of full time MLB players in 1988 with a .215 batting average.

Since retiring, Parrish has served as both Third Base Coach and Bullpen Coach for the Detroit Tigers, along with a stint in the broadcast booth in 2002. Lance most recently has signed on with the Dodgers organization to manage the Ogden Raptors at the Rookie league level. On November 20, 2006 Parrish was hired as manager of the Class A Great Lakes Loons.

Parrish has two sons in professional baseball. His oldest son, David Parrish, was selected in the first round of the 2000 amateur draft by the New York Yankees. His son, Matt Parrish, is in the Tigers minor league system, and has earned the nickname "Hubcap" in reference to his father's nickname "Big Wheel."